Which has been the most memorable World cup Final?

[SciD]

I remember watching 1992 world cup but mostly for India games and tearful match for RSA vs England.

Have watched all games from next world cup onwards. 1996 was a good final. Australia had reached final after Flemings miracle but just ran into Sri Lankans who were in awesome form. Arvinda played a great innings and was ably supported by Ranatunga.

1999 was worst finals. Pakistan were going decent untill Anwar wanted to change grip of his bat and it was all downhill after that.

2003 was Indias best chance after reaching finals loosing only 1 game and that too at the hands of Aussies. Zaheer and Nehra were too much pumped up that they forgot how to bowl. Had Indians played smartly they could have won this one as storm was around the corner.

2007 - Well it was comedy.

 

[robin2855]

Welcome scion_sid (Sorry for the belated welcome)!

I remember watching 1992 world cup but mostly for India games and tearful match for RSA vs England.

Have watched all games from next world cup onwards. 1996 was a good final. Australia had reached final after Flemings miracle but just ran into Sri Lankans who were in awesome form. Arvinda played a great innings and was ably supported by Ranatunga.

1999 was worst finals. Pakistan were going decent untill Anwar wanted to change grip of his bat and it was all downhill after that.

2003 was Indias best chance after reaching finals loosing only 1 game and that too at the hands of Aussies. Zaheer and Nehra were too much pumped up that they forgot how to bowl. Had Indians played smartly they could have won this one as storm was around the corner.

2007 - Well it was comedy.

I appreciate all your inputs of World Cups 1992 through 2007.

I am glad that you mentioned about 1996 Finals.

The 1996 Worlds Cup Final will always be remembered as Aravinda De Silva?s Final when he played one of the Finest Innings in a world Cup Final. (I would rate Clive Lloyd?s Knock in 1975 as the best ever and this one as second best followed by Ponti?s knock against India as the third best).

He remained unconquered with 107 scored in 124 balls with 13 sweetly time fours (SR : 86.29) . He was well supported by a solid innings of 65 from Gurusinha and a Captain?s? undefeated knock of 47 by Ranatunga.

It may be mentioned here that Aravinda performed very well with the ball as well and turned out be the highest wicket taker from either side scalping 3 wickets for 42 runs.

He was deservedly declared as Man of the match.

For Australia Skipper Mark Taylor scored a brilliant 74 in 83 balls with 8 exquisitely hit fours and 1 glorious six. Ponti and Bevan also contributed 45 and 36 not out respectively. But Australia?s total of 241 was not enough to defend. Sri Lanka easily scored 245 runs for loss of 3 wickets in 46.2 overs winning the match by 7 wickets.

 

[sifter132]

Well my friend Robin, here's my reactions:

The first one I saw was 1992, as a 9 year old boy here in Australia. Still the best game of the 5 WC finals I've witnessed. England were theatening to get back into it with Lamb and Fairbrother, but they were wrecked by a Wasim Akram special. I'll never forget Wasim Akram bowling Allan Lamb with a beauty and getting Chris Lewis for a golden duck next. Really inspirational stuff as an aspiring young left arm fast bowler myself.

1996 I remember watching with disappointment as an Aussie. I just couldn't understand why we couldn't restrict the Sri Lankans, who played very well.

1999 I was watching in the middle of the night, possibly my least favourite WC final I've seen. Just had no spark, but it was hard to live up to the absolutely brilliant semi final against South Africa as others have mentioned - best game ever. Of the final I remember Mark Waugh's stunning catch and Warney's skittling of Ijaz Ahmed. McGrath was mean and accurate, and Australia strangled Pakistan out of the game. Gilly smacked a quick 50 and it was all over.

2003 was fun to watch, as Ponting just ripped into Harbhajan about the 40 over mark and moved from 50 to 100 very quickly. *Just looked up the scorecard then*, Ponting was 50 from 74 balls, then 100 from 103 balls and finished on 140* from 121 balls. So it took 29 balls from 50-100 and 18 balls from 100-140, a mere 47 balls from 50-140. It was awesome hitting and it gave Australia a huge target that India had to go really hard at to get close too. Then McGrath got Sachin in the first over skying a pull shot and it was basically game over. India fought hard and Sehwag proved a nuisance, but it was always going to be too many runs.

And 2007. Have to say the last couple of overs bowled in the dark is my strongest memory, but I remember it as a tournament Australia was dominant in, when only a month or two before NZ had beaten them in a series and everyone seemed to be all doom and gloom about the Aussie chances, but it was really great long term planning by Buchanan and Ponting, they were thinking ahead the whole time and it paid off in a really one-sided World Cup. No one got close to the Aussies at all. In the Final itself, I remember Gilchrist going bananas and 6 after 6 soaring into the stands. I think Dilhara Fernando is probably still having nightmares of that pasting he took from Gilly. The chase is a bit blurry, don't remember much except the unique ending to the match

So there you go, some recollections from an Aussie perspective.

 

[Biggy]

Would have to say 2007, for all the wrong reasons. Typical Gilly, played like a beast but what a let down the last couple of overs in the dark were..

 

[Annoyingdevil]

1999! :banana2

1999 sucked because its was fixed!!
but I think 1992 was a good final, great bowling by wasim akram and it was Imran Khan last match and he was a great captain

 

[robin2855]

Awesome post - Sifter132

Well my friend Robin, here's my reactions:

The first one I saw was 1992, as a 9 year old boy here in Australia. Still the best game of the 5 WC finals I've witnessed. England were theatening to get back into it with Lamb and Fairbrother, but they were wrecked by a Wasim Akram special. I'll never forget Wasim Akram bowling Allan Lamb with a beauty and getting Chris Lewis for a golden duck next. Really inspirational stuff as an aspiring young left arm fast bowler myself.

1996 I remember watching with disappointment as an Aussie. I just couldn't understand why we couldn't restrict the Sri Lankans, who played very well.

1999 I was watching in the middle of the night, possibly my least favourite WC final I've seen. Just had no spark, but it was hard to live up to the absolutely brilliant semi final against South Africa as others have mentioned - best game ever. Of the final I remember Mark Waugh's stunning catch and Warney's skittling of Ijaz Ahmed. McGrath was mean and accurate, and Australia strangled Pakistan out of the game. Gilly smacked a quick 50 and it was all over.

2003 was fun to watch, as Ponting just ripped into Harbhajan about the 40 over mark and moved from 50 to 100 very quickly. *Just looked up the scorecard then*, Ponting was 50 from 74 balls, then 100 from 103 balls and finished on 140* from 121 balls. So it took 29 balls from 50-100 and 18 balls from 100-140, a mere 47 balls from 50-140. It was awesome hitting and it gave Australia a huge target that India had to go really hard at to get close too. Then McGrath got Sachin in the first over skying a pull shot and it was basically game over. India fought hard and Sehwag proved a nuisance, but it was always going to be too many runs.

And 2007. Have to say the last couple of overs bowled in the dark is my strongest memory, but I remember it as a tournament Australia was dominant in, when only a month or two before NZ had beaten them in a series and everyone seemed to be all doom and gloom about the Aussie chances, but it was really great long term planning by Buchanan and Ponting, they were thinking ahead the whole time and it paid off in a really one-sided World Cup. No one got close to the Aussies at all. In the Final itself, I remember Gilchrist going bananas and 6 after 6 soaring into the stands. I think Dilhara Fernando is probably still having nightmares of that pasting he took from Gilly. The chase is a bit blurry, don't remember much except the unique ending to the match

So there you go, some recollections from an Aussie perspective.

Great Post! It looks very impressive in the way you highlighted the key points of the World Cups. That is the beauty of a Forum : sharing things with others.

Gilly's innings in the 2007 world cup was out of the world.It is not the number of fours and sixes he scored but his approach to the oppositon implying : I am the boss - You better watch out. The authority and command in which he played every ball and dispatching it wherever he wanted was simply mind boggling.

Ponti's innings was also a classy one probably one of the best I have seen of Ponti live.