All Time Great Championship: World Cup of World Cups

[Wilted]

Game 37A: West Indies '75 vs India '11
West Indies '75 XI: R Fredericks, G Greenidge, A Kallicharran, R Kanhai, C Lloyd*, V Richards, B Julien, D Murray+, K Boyce, A Roberts, V Holder
India '11 XI: V Sehwag, S Tendulkar, G Gambhir, V Kohli, M Dhoni*+, Y Singh, S Raina, H Singh, Z Khan, M Patel, S Sreesanth
India '11 won the toss and elected to bat.

India '11
S Tendulkar 84(99), G Gambhir 49(67)
B Julien 4-63, V Holder 2-36

9-224 (50 overs)

West Indies '75
G Greenidge 60(59), A Kallicharran 57(55)
Z Khan 1-27, H Singh 1-43

3-225 (36.3 overs)

West Indies '75 won by 7 wickets
G Greenidges was awarded Man of the Match.

A typical innings over the last few rounds sees teams scoring at a slow rate for the first 30 or so overs before putting the foot down to score above 300 runs. It looked like India was aiming to do the same thing but instead lost six wickets in the final ten overs without scoring many runs during the collapse. Julien spearheaded the attack with four wickets. The Windies barely broke a sweat while chasing down the target. Greenidge and Kallicharran each scored half-centuries.

Game 37B: India '11 vs West Indies '75
India '11 XI: V Sehwag, S Tendulkar, G Gambhir, V Kohli, M Dhoni*+, Y Singh, S Raina, H Singh, Z Khan, M Patel, S Sreesanth
West Indies '75 XI: R Fredericks, G Greenidge, A Kallicharran, R Kanhai, C Lloyd*, V Richards, B Julien, D Murray+, K Boyce, A Roberts, V Holder
West Indies '75 won the toss and elected to bowl.

India '11
V Kohli 80(104), G Gambhir 57(63)
A Roberts 4-56, K Boyce 2-45

9-276 (50 overs)

West Indies '75
R Kanhai 90(80), G Greenidge 55(58)
M Patel 3-40, S Sreensanth 2-36

8-279 (46.3 overs)

West Indies won by 2 wickets
R Kanhai was awarded Man of the Match.

India's innings was similar to their last with a slow and steady start but they held it together in the middle overs and produced a decent total on a tricky pitch thanks to some wagging from the tail. Kohli and Rain steadied the ship with 50s but it was Khan's tail-end 36 not out which saved them from disaster. Once again, it was Roberts tearing through top-order batsmen with four wickets. Kanhai along with Greenidge, Kallicharran, Richards and Murray almost took West Indies to victory within 35 overs. A late string of wickets from Patel swung momentum back in India's favour until a steely Roberts hit back-to-back boundaries to give West Indies a second straight win and one more sniff at the finals.

[Wilted]

Game 38A: Australia '03 vs England '19
Australia '03 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting, D Martyn, D Lehmann, M Bevan, A Symonds, B Hogg, A Bichel, B Lee, G McGrath
England '19 XI: J Roy, J Bairstow, J Root, E Morgan*, B Stokes, J Buttler+, C Woakes, L Plunkett, J Archer, A Rashid, M Wood
England '19 won the toss and elected to bat.

England '19
J Bairstow 101(89), J Roy 50(59)
A Symonds 2-71, B Lee 2-90

7-359 (50 overs)

Australia '03
D Martyn 129*(93), M Hayden 58(48)
L Plunkett 2-69, M Wood 1-74

4-360 (48.4 overs)

Australia '03 won by 6 wickets
D Martyn was awarded Man of the Match.

Fifty to Roy, century to Bairstow, fifty to Woakes and good performances by Root, Stokes and Plunkett gave England a great first innings total of 359. Only McGrath remained economical of the Aussie bowlers, bowling at 4.0 runs per over. A total above 350 runs never seemed enough as soon as Gilchrist and Hayden stepped out to the middle. Gilchrist's score of 37 was the lowest of the innings while Hayden, Ponting and Lehmann made 50s at more than a run a ball. Martyn was the difference between the two teams in the end with a magnificent century 76 balls.

Game 38B: England '19 vs Australia '03
England '19 XI: J Roy, J Bairstow, J Root, E Morgan*, B Stokes, J Buttler+, C Woakes, L Plunkett, J Archer, A Rashid, M Wood
Australia '03 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting, D Martyn, D Lehmann, M Bevan, A Symonds, B Hogg, A Bichel, B Lee, G McGrath
England won the toss and elected to bat.

England '19
J Buttler 118(88), B Stokes 84(79)
G McGrath 5-71, B Hogg 1-41

9-339 (50 overs)

Australia '03
A Gilchrist 120(117), D Martyn 71(40)
M Wood 2-54, L Plunkett 1-56

5-341 (49 overs)

Australia won by 5 wickets
A Gilchrist was awarded Man of the Match.

Despite losing four quick wickets to McGrath and falling to 4-51, Stokes and Buttler put on a fantastic 183-run partnership that included a century from Buttler. Late cameos from Woakes and Rashid also helped England reach 339 runs. England needed a win to have the faintest hope of getting through and a quick win would make it slightly easier with NRR if needed. The quick wickets didn't come but it looked likely that England would earn the win with their economical bowling. That was until Martyn, Symonds and Bevan scored at over 12 runs per over in the final five overs of the game to not only knock England out of finals contention but almost guarantee Australia '03 the top spot of Group A.

[Wilted]

Game 39A: Pakistan '92 vs South Africa '98
Pakistan '92 XI: A Sohail, R Raja, I Khan*, J Miandad, I ul-Haq, S Malik, I Ahmed, M Khan+, W Akram, M Ahmed, A Javed
South Africa '98 XI: D Cullinan, M Rindel, M Boucher+, J Kaliis, H Cronje*, J Rhodes, D Benkenstein, D Crookes, N Boje, P Symcox, S Elworthy
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.

South Africa '98
J Rhodes 113 (105), D Cullinan 41(48)
A Javed 3-52, I Ahmed 2-57

8-262 (50 overs)

Pakistan '92
I ul-Haq 91*(89), I Khan 89(92)
S Elworthy 2-47, D Crookes 2-65

6-265 (49 overs)

Pakistan '92 won by 4 wickets
I Khan was awarded Man of the Match.

Neither batsmen nor bowlers dominated the South African innings. Rhodes was the only player to stand out with a century and Javed picked three top-order wickets. South Africa posted a relatively tame 263 runs to defend. Imran Khan and ul-Haq both narrowly missed out on centuries but their calm approach to batting meant they could guide their team to a comfortable victory with just one over to spare.

Game 39B: South Africa '98 vs Pakistan '92
South Africa '98 XI: D Cullinan, M Rindel, M Boucher+, J Kaliis, H Cronje*, J Rhodes, D Benkenstein, D Crookes, N Boje, P Symcox, S Elworthy
Pakistan '92 XI: A Sohail, R Raja, I Khan*, J Miandad, I ul-Haq, S Malik, I Ahmed, M Khan+, W Akram, M Ahmed, A Javed
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl.

South Africa '98
M Boucher 54(58), J Kallis 48(49)
W Akram 3-41, A Sohail 2-27

253 (42.5 overs)

Pakistan '92
R Raja 141(128), I Khan 53(29)
D Crookes 2-61, S Elworthy 1-27

3-256 (40.4 overs)

Pakistan won by 7 wickets
R Raja was awarded Man of the Match.

Plenty of starts but no one went on to make any significant scores aside from a half-century from Boucher. Thankfully South Africa's deep batting lineup kept the Pakistani bowlers at bay for the most part and took their total to 253 runs. As usual, Akram was the most prolific bowler with his three wickets. Once again it was a cruisy chase for Pakistan with the added incentive of the top spot if they win big enough. Raja did most of the heavy lifting at the top of the order while Sohail and Imran Khan supported him nicely. Chasing the target in 40 overs gives Pakistan a top-two finish in their group but unlikely to swing their NRR enough for first position. South Africa bowed out of the tournament with an unimpressive record.

[Wilted]

Game 40A: West Indies '79 vs Australia '15
West Indies '79 XI: D Haynes, G Greenidge, V Richards, A Kallicharran, C Lloyd*, C King, D Murray+, A Roberts, J Garner, M Holding, C Croft
Australia '15 XI: D Warner, A Finch, S Smith, M Clarke*, S Watson, G Maxwell, J Faulkner, M Johnson, M Starc, J Hazelwood
West Indies won the toss and elected to bat.

West Indies '79
A Kallicharran 85(96), G Greenidge 41(48)
G Maxwell 2-42, J Hazelwood 2-53

7-273 (50 overs)

Australia '15
S Smith 74*(63), A Finch 72(74)
A Roberts 2-36, C King 1-39

4-275 (43.3 overs)

Australia '15 won by 6 wickets
S Smith was awarded Man of the Match.

Three quick wickets from Australia's three left-arm quicks meant the West Indies were playing off the backfoot right from the start. A few batsmen, such as Greenidge and King, were able to steady the ship amongst the wickets but it was Kallicharran who stood tall to take on the attack. His 85 led the West Indies to a decent 273-run total on a tricky pitch. Steady batting from Finch and Warner gave Australia 100 runs without loss in the first 20 overs of the chase. Garner was able to remove the two set batsmen in consecutive overs. Unfortunately, the century opening stand was followed up by another century partnership from Clarke and Smith, giving Australia a chance of a finals appearance and ending the West Indies' finals hopes.

Game 40B: Australia '15 vs West Indies '79
Australia '15 XI: D Warner, A Finch, S Smith, M Clarke*, S Watson, G Maxwell, J Faulkner, M Johnson, M Starc, J Hazelwood
West Indies '79 XI: D Haynes, G Greenidge, V Richards, A Kallicharran, C Lloyd*, C King, D Murray+, A Roberts, J Garner, M Holding, C Croft
Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

Australia '15
D Warner 81(86), M Clarke 75(62)
J Garner 3-74, A Roberts 3-75

322 (49.4 overs)

West Indies '79
V Richards 97(88), C Lloyd 30(52)
J Hazelwood 6-57, M Johnson 2-38

215 (41 overs)

Australia '15 won by 107 runs
J Hazelwood was awarded Man of the Match.

Fantastic batting from Warner and Clarke got Australia off to a until the West Indian pacemen rolled through the middle order. Australia went from 2-165 to 7-206 in just seven overs. A lower-order fightback from Haddin, Johnson and Starc, including a 10th wicket partnership worth 37 runs, allowed Australia to reach 322 runs. In response, the West Indies got off to a pretty good start. They were keeping pace with the required run-rate until Hazelwood came into the attack and claimed six wickets, destroying the West Indian batting lineup. The West Indies went from being ahead in the match thanks to a 97 from Richards to losing seven wickets for 40 runs.

[Wilted]

Game 41A: Australia '07 vs Australia '23
Australia '07 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting*, A Symonds, S Watson, M Clarke, M Hussey, B Hogg, N Bracken, S Tait, G McGrath
Australia '23 XI: D Warner, T Head, M Marsh, S Smith, M Labuschagne, G Maxwell, J Inglis, M Starc, P Cummins*, A Zampa, J Hazelwood
Australia '07 won the toss and elected to bat.

Australia '07
M Hayden 180(128), A Symonds 105(77)
M Starc 3-86, P Cummins 2-73

7-432 (50 overs)

Australia '23
M Marsh 74(67), J Inglis 37(48)
S Tait 4-55, N Bracken 3-43

226 (46.5 overs)

Australia '07 won by 206 runs
M Hayden was awarded Man of the Match.

The reigning world champs took an absolute licking from the height of Australia's dominant era. Hayden crunched 180 runs, Symonds smashed a ton and Watto smoked a quickfire 50 to finish the innings off. Not a single bowler escaped the firing line, with Cummins the most economical bowler with figures of 2-73. The 07s finished with a whopping 432 runs. Tait dismissed both Head and Warner quickly and the 23s soon found the required run rate above 10 runs an over at the 10-over mark. From then it was only a matter of time. Marsh prolonged proceeding a bit with a solid 74 but the result was already set in stone. It was one of the biggest thrashings seen in this tournament.

Game 41A: Australia '07 vs Australia '23
Australia '23 XI: D Warner, T Head, M Marsh, S Smith, M Labuschagne, G Maxwell, J Inglis, M Starc, P Cummins*, A Zampa, J Hazelwood
Australia '07 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting*, A Symonds, S Watson, M Clarke, M Hussey, B Hogg, N Bracken, S Tait, G McGrath
Australia '23 won the toss and elected to bat.

Australia '23
J Inglis 66(50), D Warner54(60)
S Tait 3-69, A Symonds 3-75

289 (45.4 overs)

Australia '07
A Gilchrist 89(84), R Ponting 83*(77)
J Hazelwood 1-27, P Cummins 1-62

4-290 (40.5 overs)

Australia '07 won by 6 wickets
A Gilchrist was awarded Man of the Match.

Despite no batsman going on to score big, the 23s put on 289 runs thanks to some decent starts. Despite 50s from Warner and Inglis, the batting highlight was Cummins' unbeaten 46 which helped the 23s to a competitive total. Tait and Symonds were both expensive but picked up three wickets each. In the chase, the 07s barely broke a sweat. Fast 50s from the top three batters and then a rapid-fire, unbeaten 45 off 29 from Clarke to seal the match meant the game was over with 10 overs to spare. The 23s tournament finished on a low note but the 07s now have one foot in the door of the semis.

[Wilted]

Game 42A: Sri Lanka '96 vs Australia '99
Sri Lanka '96 XI: S Jayasuriya, R Kaluwitharana+, A Gurusinha, A de Silva, A Ranatunga*, H Tillikaratne, R Mahanama, K Dharmasena, C Vaas, P Wickramasinghe, M Muralitharan
Australia '99 XI: M Waugh, A Gilchrist+, R Ponting, D Lehmann, S Waugh*, M Bevan, T Moody, S Warne, P Reiffel, D Fleming, G McGrath
Australia '99 won the toss and elected to bowl.

Sri Lanka '96
R Kaluwitharana 72(69), S Jayasuriya 70(72)
S Warne 2-58, G McGrath 2-71

5-284 (50 overs)

Australia '99
S Waugh 63(61), M Bevan 33(44)
P Wickramasinghe 3-55, S Jayasuriya 3-60

228 (43.1 overs)

Sri Lanka '96 won by 56 runs
S Jayasuriya was awarded Man of the Match.

Sri Lanka failed to capitalise on a great start set up by the top order. Their openers both posted 50s but the lower order were strangled by tight bowling from Moody and Fleming, who conceded just 50 runs in the last 10 overs. The spin trio had the Aussie batsmen in a twist. Even the batsmen who made runs couldn't accelerate the run rate when needed and by the end of the innings, they had all collapsed 50 runs short of their target. The upset means that the final game of the group stage is a must-win for Australia '99 to make the finals.

Game 42B: Australia '99 vs Sri Lanka '96
Australia '99 XI: M Waugh, A Gilchrist+, R Ponting, D Lehmann, S Waugh*, M Bevan, T Moody, S Warne, P Reiffel, D Fleming, G McGrath
Sri Lanka '96 XI: S Jayasuriya, R Kaluwitharana+, A Gurusinha, A de Silva, A Ranatunga*, H Tillikaratne, R Mahanama, K Dharmasena, C Vaas, P Wickramasinghe, M Muralitharan
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl.

Australia '99
S Waugh 94*(74), M Waugh 65(59)
M Muralitharan 2-44, C Vaas 2-46

7-287 (50 overs)

Sri Lanka '96
H Tillikaratne 41(65), A Gurusinha 40(62)
T Moody 4-44, G McGrath 4-48

215 (44.1 overs)

Australia '99 won by 72 runs
S Waugh was awarded Man of the Match.

Once again the Sri Lankan bowlers proved to be too difficult for the Aussie batsmen to really go after. In the end, Steve Waugh managed to get some late boundaries in to push his team's total to a respectable 287. The usual suspects of Murali and Vaas were the trickiest bowlers to score from. If the Sri Lankan bowling could be described as tight, then the Aussie bowling was suffocating. McGrath and Moody picked up four wickets each while none of the Sri Lankan batsmen made it past 50.

[Wilted]

Round 7 Results
The top three teams expected to make the finals from Group A held steady in the final round to progress to the finals. Two big wins for Australia '03 and Pakistan '92 saw them leapfrog India '83 to first and second spot respectively. Despite two wins for the West Indies '75, they missed finals by just one game despite having a higher NRR than India '83. It was a similar case with Group B with the top three team staying the same throughout the final round. Australia '15 just missed out on NRR even though they had two big wins this round.

Without a doubt, Hayden's 180 off only 128 balls was Round 7's best batting performance. Being able to strike @140 for such a long period shows what a dominant force Hayden can be in this format. Hazelwood almost bowled his team to the finals with 6-57 but it was just not enough in the end. Despite the overall outcome, it proved to be the best bowling performance of the round.

Group A

WI 75 def IND 11 IND 11 lost to WI 75

AUS 03 def ENG 19 ENG 19 lost to AUS 03

PAK 92 def SA 98 SA 98 lost to PAK 92

IND 87 - Bye

Group B

WI 79 lost to AUS 15 AUS 15 def WI 79

AUS 07 def AUS 23 AUS 23 lost to AUS 07

SL 96 def AUS 99 AUS 99 def SL 96

AUS 87 - Bye

Current Standings

Group A	Played	Wins	Tie	NRR	Total
Australia '03	12	8		1.16	16
Pakistan '92	12	8		-0.11	16
India '83	12	7	1	0.63	15
West Indies '75	12	6	1	0.42	13
England '19	12	5		-0.27	10
India '11	12	4		-0.35	8
South Africa '98	12	3		-0.48	6

Group B	Played	Wins	N/R	NRR	Total
Australia '07	12	8		0.87	16
Australia '87	12	8		0.23	16
Australia '99	12	7		0.29	14
Australia '15	12	7		-0.03	14
Australia '23	12	5		-0.92	10
West Indies '79	12	4		0.64	8
Sri Lanka '96	12	3		-0.36	6

Tournament Stat Leaders

Batter	Runs	Bowler	Wickets
M Hayden (AUS 07)	1036	G McGrath (AUS 99)	27
R Ponting (AUS 03)	850	W Akram (PAK 92)	26
G Marsh (AUS 87)	795	M Starc (AUS 23)	26
A Finch (AUS 15)	789	D Crookes (SA 98)	26
A de Silva	735	S Warne (AUS 99) S Tait (AUS 07)	25

Bonus Stats before the Finals
Batting (min 100 runs)

	Bat Ave		High Score		Boundaries (6s)
R Ponting (AUS 03)	94.44	A Finch (AUS 15)	182	M Hayden (AUS 07)	157 (20)
M Hayden (AUS 07)	86.33	M Hayden (AUS 07)	180	R Ponting (AUS 03)	130 (15)
A de Silva (SL 96)	81.67	D Warner (AUS 23)	178	A Finch (AUS 15)	127 (20)
J Miandad (PAK 92)	80.13	A de Silva (SL 96)	173	G Marsh (AUS 87)	127 (13)
A Finch (AUS 15)	78.90	R Ponting (AUS 03)	170	G Greenidge (WI 75)	121 (10)

Bowling (min 10 overs)

	Bowl Ave		Best figures		Economy
W Akram (PAK 92)	21.31	G McGrath (AUS 99)	7-32	G McGrath (AUS 03)	4.31
G McGrath (AUS 99)	21.67	D Fleming (AUS 99)	6-34	K Dev (IND 83)	4.67
A Roberts (WI 75)	22.08	D Jones (AUS 87)	6-42	A Roberts (WI 75)	4.82
G McGrath (AUS 03)	22.86	M Starc (AUS 23)	6-43	I Khan (PAK 92)	5.08
M Starc (AUS 23)	23.19	A Roberts (WI 79)	6-52	A Javed (PAK 92)	5.12

Finals Fixture

Finals
QF1	PAK 92 vs IND 83
QF2	AUS 87 vs AUS 99
SF1	AUS 03 vs QF2
SF2	AUS 07 vs QF1

*The higher ranked team will receive home ground advantage (player controlled)

[Wilted]

Quarter Final 1: Pakistan '92 vs India '83
Pakistan '92 XI: A Sohail, R Raja, I Khan*, J Miandad, I ul-Haq, S Malik, I Ahmed, M Khan+, W Akram, M Ahmed, A Javed
India '83 XI: S Gavaskar, K Srikkanth, M Amarnath, Y Sharma, S Patil, K Dev*, K Azad, R Binny, M Lal, S Kirmani+, B Sandhu
India won the toss and elected to bowl.

Pakistan '92
R Raja 149*(137), A Sohail 90(95)
M Amarnath 1-4, B Sandhu 1-59

5-313 (50 overs)

India '83
Y Sharma 83(83), S Patil 67(67)
A Sohail 3-24, W Akram 3-44

235 (45.1 overs)

Pakistan '92 won by 78 runs
R Raja was awarded Man of the Match.

There was a lot of pressure going into the first of the quarter-finals. Not only were two of the biggest rivals in international sport facing off in a knockout match, they were the only non-Australian teams to make it into the finals. Sohail and Raja got Pakistan off to a rapid start, ticking over a 50-partnership in the opening power play. Soon enough, both openers also had half-centuries. Sandhu and Azad managed to bring the run-rate down in the lull of the middle of the innings but it was Binny who finally broke the partnership in the 30th over after a 162-run opening partnership. Raja scored his fifth century of the tournament and looked to go carry his bat through the innings. Some brilliant death bowling from Dev and Binny stopped Pakistan's middle order from scoring by taking some vital late-innings wickets and kept Pakistan's final total to 313 runs.

A golden duck for Srikkanth was the worst possible start for India. Akram finished the power play with two wickets for just nine runs. The Indian batsmen were never able to recover as the Pakistani bowlers starved their middle-order for runs. When batting against teams just carrying just four genuine bowling options means there is always some reprieve when the part-timers roll their arms over. Sharma and Patil looked to rebuild by taking on the likes of Ahmed and Sohail to give India a chance. Unfortunately for the Indians, Akram came back into the attack and put down any chance of a last-minute miracle performance. The tail tried to slog their way back into the attack but only gave Sohail some easy wickets to finish off the match. Pakistan will face Australia '07 in the semis.

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Quarter Final 2: Australia '87 vs Australia '99
Australia '87 XI: D Boon, G Marsh, D Jones, A Border*, M Veletta, S Waugh, S O'Donnell, G Dyer+, T May, C McDermott, B Reid
Australia '99 XI: M Waugh, A Gilchrist, R Ponting, D Lehmann, S Waugh*, M Bevan, T Moody, P Reifell, S Warner, D Fleming, G McGrath
Australia '99 won the toss and elected to bat.

Australia '99
S Waugh 110(81), D Lehmann 63(66)
S O'Donnell 3-71, B Reid 2-85

6-368 (50 overs)

Australia '87
D Boon 104(99), G Marsh 98(87)
T Moody 3-56, S Warne 3-57

319 (45.5 overs)

Australia '99 won by 49 runs
S Waugh (AUS 99) was awarded Man of the Match.

Gilchrist and Mark Waugh got the '99 Aussies off to a solid start by putting on a steady 50-partnership. The first wicket went to O'Donnell, who then knocked over Ponting for his second just two balls later. Steve Waugh came on to bowl to alleviate the '87 bowlers much to his brother's delight. Mark Waugh smashed Steve around the ground to give a much-needed boost to his team but ultimately fell to O'Donnell. Captain of the 99s, Steve Waugh (the third Waugh playing in this match), also took a liking to his younger self's bowling and notched up a 50 in just 26 balls. The flourishing boundaries from Steve Waugh were supported by a steady 50 from Lehmann down the other end. The partnership between Lehmann and Waugh reached 150 and Waugh himself reached a century before Reid finally managed to break through Lehmann. O'Donnell picked up Waugh leaving two new batsmen at the crease for the final overs of the innings. Two 20+ run overs from Bevan summed up his intentions as he raced to 50 in just 23 balls as the 99s put on 118 runs in the final 10 overs. They finished with a substantial total of 368 runs to defend.

The '87 Aussies were not known for scoring as quickly as their modern counterparts in this tournament so they would need big performances to pull off a win to reach the semi-finals. Things started well with Boon attacking the 99's bowling attack. Boon and Marsh put on a 150-run partnership in less than 25 overs but still needed to score at eight runs an over to win. Reiffel knicked off Marsh, who fell just short of a century, and then had Boon in his next over, who just scored a century. Australia '87 had plenty of wickets in hand but needed to score at almost 10 runs per over to win, though it was not dissimilar to where the 99s were at the same point of their innings. Unfortunately for the 87s and fortunately for the 99s, Reiffel, Warne and Moody took eight wickets in the space of 10 overs to lead their team to victory. Australia '99 will face Australia '03 in the semi-finals.

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Semi-Final 1: Australia '03 vs Australia '99
Australia '03 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting*, D Martyn, D Lehmann, M Bevan, A Symonds, B Hogg, A Bichel, B Lee, G McGrath
Australia '99 XI: M Waugh, A Gilchrist+, R Ponting, D Lehmann, S Waugh, M Bevan, T Moody, S Warne, P Reiffel, D Fleming, G McGrath
Australia '03 won the toss and elected to bat first.

Australia '03
M Hayden 104(84), D Martyn 104(100)
T Moody 1-45, P Reiffel 1-60

5-324 (50 overs)

Australia '99
M Bevan 75(105), S Warne 37(59)
B Lee 4-47, G McGrath 3-36

154 (42.1 overs)

Australia '03 won by 170 runs
M Hayden was awarded Man of the Match.

Five players are representing both the 03s and the 99s. This shows what a dominant era of cricket in the late 90s and early 00s was for Australia. McGrath from the 99s drew first blood, dismissing Gilchrist from the 03s. The first wicket was followed up with a second with Ponitng falling for a duck soon after. After the loss of two quick wickets, Hayden looked to fight fire with fire and proceeded to race to his first century of the tournament in just 80 balls. He was supported by a steady 50 from Martyn. Hayden didn't go on to make many more runs but Martyn continued steadily to his own 100. Some last-minute hitting from Bevan and Symonds gave the 03s a substantial 325 runs to defend.

For the second time in the match, McGrath dismissed Gilchrist for the first wicket of the innings. Ponting, both Waugh brothers and Lehmann fell in quick succession to leave the 99s in dire straits at 5-21. A defiant 75 from Bevan was the shining light of the chase but it was not nearly enough to get the 99s back into the game after McGrath and Lee tore through the top order. Australia '03 will go through to the final full of confidence after taking down one of the best teams in the tournament with a huge victory.

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Semi-Final 2: Australia '07 vs Pakistan '92
Australia '07 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting*, A Symonds, S Watson, M Clarke, M Hussey, B Hogg, N Bracken, S Tait, G McGrath
Pakistan '92 XI: A Sohail, R Raja, I Khan*, J Miandad, I ul-Haq, S Malik, I Ahmed, M Khan+, W Akram, M Ahmed, A Javed
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.

Pakistan '92
I Khan 106(114), R Raja 59(78)
G McGrath 2-41, A Symonds 2-75

8-269 (50 overs)

Australia '07
M Clarke 88*(69), A Gilchrist 36(199)
W Akram 5-35, I Khan 2-40

259 (38.3 overs)

Pakistan '92 won by 10 runs
I Khan was awarded Man of the Match.

A slow and steady approach from Pakistan saw them reach the 20-over mark with only one wicket down and 100 runs on the board. The pressure soon built, leading to a four-wicket collapse just as Pakistan began to look comfortable. Having carried his bat most of the way through the innings, Imran Khan reached his first century of the tournament just as Pakistan needed someone to step up and take on the Aussie bowlers. Some late-innings hitting from Moin Khan gave the Pakistani 'keeper his first 50 of the tournament and allowed Pakistan '92 to reach a defendable target of 269 runs.

The pitch offered enough pace and bounce to the Aussie bowlers to make things difficult for Pakistan's batters but Akram and Imran Khan somehow eked out just a bit extra and made life hell for the Aussie batsmen. The left-arm quick bowled ten consecutive overs and took five important top-order wickets, giving Pakistan an early lead in the second semi-final. The Aussies fought back through Clarke, who batted well with the lower order but had to do all the run-making himself as Hogg, Bracken and Tait fell around him. With McGrath at the other end and still, 85 runs to get, it was all over for the Aussies. However, Clarke carried on, scored an unbeaten 88, and put on a 75-run partnership with McGrath. Unable to farm strike from the last ball of the over, McGrath was forced to face up against a full over of Javed's bowling. Unfortunately, it ended up being too much for him and Australia '07 fell short by just 10 runs. Pakistan '92 will face Australia '03 in the ATG World Cup of World Cups Final.

[Wilted]

ATG Championship Final
Australia '03 XI: A Gilchrist+, M Hayden, R Ponting*, D Martyn, D Lehmann, M Bevan, A Symonds, B Hogg, A Bichel, B Lee, G McGrath
Pakistan '92 XI: Pakistan '92 XI: A Sohail, R Raja, I Khan*, J Miandad, I ul-Haq, S Malik, I Ahmed, M Khan+, W Akram, M Ahmed, A Javed
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.

Pakistan '92
A Sohail 68(95), M Khan 40(45)
B Hogg 3-40, G McGrath 3-47

9-233 (50 overs)

Australia '03
R Ponting 60(83), D Lehmann 56(68)
W Akram 2-45, R Raja 2-66

8-237

Australia won by 2 wickets
D Lehmann was awarded Man of the Match.

Boasting seven players with multiple World Cup victories, Australia '03 went into the tournament as one of the favourites and has remained one of the top teams throughout the tournament. Their ATG Championship Final opponents, on the other hand, have had a mixed tournament but have peaked just at the right time. Imran Khan proved this in Pakistan's semi-final and he and Akram would be key players in seeing how this match unfolds. McGrath sent down the first ball of the final, which Sohail allowed to sail through to the 'keeper. After five overs with just one boundary, McGrath struck the first blow, dismissing Raja for just 8 runs. Lee followed up with the wickets of Khan and Miandad in the same over. The ten-over powerplay concluded with Pakistan hobbling to 3-24. It was tough batting out in the middle but Sohail dug his heels in to reach 50 off 81 balls but a Brad Hogg googly had him undone not long after. A 63-run lower-order partnership between Moin Khan and Akram got Pakistan out of neck-deep trouble but McGrath came back into the attack to put an end to any fightback. Pakistan only just managed to survive 50 overs and set Australia '03 234 runs to win.

Looking to get ahead early in the chase, Gilchrist started things off with back-to-back boundaries in the first over. Akram reigned things in with the wicket of Hayden for just 8 runs. The Aussies were keeping pace with the required run rate but the loss of Gilchrist kept Pakistan in with a slim chance. Ponting and Lehmann's 50-run partnership was cut short when Raja had Ponting caught behind out of nowhere. Lehmann notched up another 50 for the tournament but was out to Akram in the very next over. Javed knocked over Bevan's off stump for a duck. With 15 overs in the match left, Australia needed 50 runs to win with 5 wickets left. With just one wicket between Pakistan and Australia's lower-order batsmen, a few quick wickets could still win Pakistan the match. A mix-up saw Symonds run out, which brought Hogg to the crease and a fired-up Pakistan dared to believe in a miracle. Hogg and Bichel fell cheaply, setting the Aussie fans' nerves on fire. Martyn remained solid at the other end and brought up a 50 to level the scores. Imran Khan walked to the top of his run-up to start a new over to Brett Lee. Two tail-end wickets would push the final to a super over. Lee had nerves of steel though and with a streaky shot, hit a boundary through the covers to seal victory for Australia by two wickets.

Australia '03 are the ATG World Cup of World Cup Champions!

[Wilted]

Player of the Tournament, Team of the Tournament and Stats, Stats and More Stats
Of all of the ATG tournaments so far, this version had the closest battles between bat and ball. Huge scores dominated some matches but bowlers had their moments to shine when they rolled teams for low scores. In the end, it was no big surprise that one of the SIX Australian teams won considering they took up almost half of the fixture. Australia '03 came from the middle of Australia's golden era of cricket and with a team of five genuine bowling options, some of the most prolific World Cup batsmen and more World Cup experience than any other team, they had everything they needed to win right from the beginning. They truly are an All Time Great team.

Despite having six teams in the main draw and four teams reaching the finals, the Player of the Tournament was not Australian. With his consistent bowling and putting in match-winning performances when the rest of the team looked beat, this player was one of the key reasons Pakistan '92 reached the final and almost pulled off an upset to take out the tournament. Wasim Akram is this tournament's Player of the Tournament. He took more wickets than anyone else at and boasted a better average and strike rate than every other front-line bowler.

It's no surprise that he is the first pick in the team of the tournament...

ATG World Cup of World Cups XI

M Hayden (AUS07) - 1048 runs @80.62, 103.25% SR, 5x50s and 4x100s, best 180
A Finch (AUS15) - 719 runs @78.90, 109.74% SR, 2x50s, 4x100s, best 182
R Ponting (c) (AUS03) - 910 runs @82.73, 95.59% SR, 7x50s, 3x100s, best 170
A de Silva (SL96) - 616 runs @81.67, 119.32% SR, 2x50s and 3x100s, best 173
V Richards (WI75) - 351 runs @50.14, 133.97% SR, 3x50s, best 85
A Gilchrist (wk) (AUS07) - 738 runs @56.77, 111.65% SR, 3x50s, 2x100s, best 145
I Khan (PAK92) - 522 runs @37.29, 105.88% SR, 3x50s, 1x100, best 106 // 22 wickets @29.27, best 3-51
D Crookes (SA98) - 217 runs @27.13, 102.84% SR, 2x50s, best 67 // 26 wickets @28.08, best 4-69
W Akram (PAK92) - 36 wickets @18.83, 22.64 SR, best 5-35
A Roberts (WI75) - 24 wickets @22.08, 27.50 SR, best 4-40
G McGrath (AUS03) - 28 wickets @20.93, 29.29 SR, best5-71

12th Man - B Stokes

Batting Stats

Top 10 Run Scorers

Player	Runs	Average
M Hayden (AUS07)	1048	1015
R Raja (PAK92)	911	65.07
R Ponting (AUS03)	910	82.73
G Marsh (AUS87)	893	68.69
A Finch (AUS15)	789	78.90
D Martyn (AUS03)	758	75.80
A Gilchrist (AUS07)	738	56.77
A de Silva (SL96)	735	81.67
G Greenidge (WI75)	717	59.75
G Greenidige	707	58.92

Next 10

Player	Runs	Average
D Boon (AUS87)	673	56.08
M Hayden (AUS03)	673	51.77
J Bairstow (ENG19)	660	55.00
S Gavaskar (IND 83)	657	54.75
A Sohail (PAK92)	655	46.79
D Jones (AUS87)	654	59.45
M Clarke (AUS15)	650	59.09
A Gilchrist (AUS03)	645	49.62
A Gilchrist (AUS99)	639	49.15
B Stokes (ENG19)	638	70.89

Highest Scores (one entry per batsman)

Player	Highest Score
A Finch (AUS15)	182
M Hayden (AUS07)	180
D Warner (AUS23)	178
A de Silva (SL96)	173
R Ponting (AUS03)	170
D Boon (AUS87)	167
J Miandad (PAK92)	167
M Amarnath (IND83)	151
J Bairstow (ENG19)	150
V Kohli (IND11)	150

Most Boundaries

Player	4s	6s	Boundaries
M Hayden (AUS07)	142	21	163
R Raja (PAK92)	128	15	143
G Marsh (AUS87)	128	14	142
R Ponting (AUS03)	123	17	140
A Finch (AUS15)	107	20	127
G Greenidge (WI75)	111	10	121
D Martyn (AUS03)	111	9	120
M Clarke (AUS15)	102	10	112
A de Silva (SL96)	97	14	111
A Gilchrist (AUS07)	95	13	108

Miscellaneous (min 100 runs)

Most balls faced: M Hayden (AUS07) - 1015 balls
Most innings: R Raja, A Sohail, J Miandad, I Khan (PAK92) - 15 innings
Most not outs: M Bevan (AUS03), P Symcox (SA98) - 7 not outs (M Ahmed had 6 from 6 innings and was not dismissed at all)
Highest average: R Ponting (AUS03) - 82.73
Highest strike rate: B Hogg (AUS03) - 140.00%
Lowest strike rate: H Tillikaratne (SL96) - 70.83%
Most 100s: R Raja (PAK92) - 5x100s
Most 50s: R Ponting (AUS03), B Stokes (ENG19) - 7x50s
Most Explosive: S O'Donnell (AUS87) - 36% of runs came from 6s

Bowling Stats

Top 10 Wicket Takers

Player	Wickets	Average
W Akram (PAK92)	36	18.83
S Warne (AUS99)	29	28.38
G McGrath (AUS03)	28	20.93
G McGrath (AUS99)	28	25.04
B Lee (AUS03)	27	26.52
M Starc (AUS23)	26	23.19
D Crookes (SA98)	26	28.08
A Javed (PAK92)	26	28.82
S Tait (AUS07)	25	28.16
A Roberts (WI75)	24	22.08

Next 10

Player	Wickets	Average
B Hogg (AUS07)	24	28.96
L Plunkett (ENG19)	23	31.65
J Hazelwood (AUS15)	22	26.18
I Khan (PAK 92)	22	29.27
C McDermott (AUS87)	22	30.05
S Sreenath (IND11)	22	31.64
G McGrath (AUS07)	21	28.05
B Reid (AUS87)	21	33.76
M Johnson (AUS15)	20	33.10
A Roberts (WI79)	20	35.50

Best Figures (one entry per player)

Player	Best	5 WI
G McGrath (AUS99)	7-32	2
D Fleming (AUS99)	6-34	1
D Jones (AUS87)	6-42	1
M Starc (AUS23)	6-43	1
A Roberts (WI79)	6-52	1
J Hazelwood (AUS15)	6-57	1
M Johnson (AUS15)	5-28	1
W Akram (PAK92)	5-35	1
T May (AUS87)	5-53	1
A Rashid (ENG19)	5-57	1

Miscellaneous (min 10 overs)

Most overs bowled: M Ahmed (PAK92) - 147 overs
Most maidens: M Ahmed (PAK92) - 12 maidens
Most runs conceded: T May (AUS87) - 915 runs
Best average: W Akram (PAK92) - 18.83
Best strike rate: W Akram (PAK92) - 22.64
Best economy: G McGrath (AUS03) - 4.29 runs per over
Worst Economy: G Mazwell (AUS23) - 9.24 runs per over
Most Frustrating: A Border (AUS87) - 9% of overs were maidens

Final Things
As usual, all stats from every match can be found on the ATG World Cup of World Cups spreadsheet. All 154 players had every single run, ball and milestone recorded and every stat that can be found using data tracked by CC over almost 90 matches.

The next ATG tournament will most likely shift focus to the domestic scene. What format that is, who is eligible and how it will work is still being planned. I'm open to any other suggestions as well.

And as always, if you have been, thanks for reading.

[CrazyCaptain101]

A fantastic read! I've really enjoyed this. Can't wait for the next one!