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World Cup: Waugh takes honours in battle of style

Australia (258) beat India (242) by 16 runs

In the greater scheme of things, Australia's 16-run victory over India under the pristine lights at the Wankhede Stadium last night may do nothing more than confirm their justifiable rating as likely top dogs come Lahore on March 17.

Then again, it might make a fearful dent in local confidence. India had won the previous three encounters between the teams over this distance and thought something of themselves. Now they are not so sure.

Whatever, the World Cup needed this wonderful match, needed the exquisite batting of Mark Waugh and Sachin Tendulkar to live up to its billing, needed the leg spinners Shane Warne and Anil Kumble to attack and bamboozle, needed a nail-biter that took the exhilarated and loud full house to the wire.

Praise be for the new pitch, which was a belter that offered something to everyone. First to find out was Australian captain Mark Taylor, who won the toss and promptly hit a series of offside strokes off front and back foot that gave his team a rollicking start.

Mark Waugh joined the fun with a couple of easy cover drives and Manoj Prabhakar was removed from the attack after four expensive overs. Javegal Srinath might well have been rested, too, so severe was Taylor on anything short of a good length. One pull shot, straightish over mid-wicket for six, convinced Mohammed Azharuddin that the time had come for Kumble, and the trump card fired his darts with typical accuracy.

For a moment Taylor stood still but a thin nick past slip got him on his way again - he passed 50 in 61 balls - and the promising but punished Venkat Prasad was cut viciously by both batsmen. The hundred came in a 21st over and then surprisingly, from the next ball, came Taylor's wicket when he thumped a longhop into the greatly relieved hands of deep mid-on.

Though the figures do not prove as much Venkataphy Raju, the under-rated left-arm spinner, put the brakes on Australia who threatened something mammoth.

There is much to be said for bowlers going on the attack in one-day cricket, for resisting the obvious, for surprising batsmen and thereby altering the odds.

For half-an-hour in the middle of the innings India got nice and aggressive, posting a slip and a silly point as Raju found some turn and Kumble found plenty of bounce, and whizzing throws into the wicketkeeper's gloves just to let Australia know they had the stomach for the gruff world of the modern limited-overs game.

Waugh was after the Indians, scything at everything

It was good stuff and might have won them the day but for the even temperament of Mark Waugh, who let the dismissal of Ricky Ponting to a thrilling catch at backward cover and the unfortunate run-out of his brother from a deflection by Raju which caught him out of his ground, go over his head while he continued in his own glorious style.

Waugh made 130 in quick time against Kenya last Friday and his rich innings here included eight fours and three sixes, the last of which was a violent flat hit down the ground the minute Srinath was recalled.

Waugh was after the Indians, scything at everything and it took a fast throw from deep square leg to beat his risky second run when little else would have done the trick. After he left, Australia collapsed in strangely frantic fashion, running each other out like lemmings and managing just 27 for the loss of seven wickets during the final five overs, the most galling of which was the last, bowled by Prasad, which took four wickets and cost just a single.

With Craig McDermott on his way home - the unknown South Australian Jason Gillespie is his replacement - and Paul Reiffel looking after a niggling hamstring, Damian Fleming's lovely fluid action took centre-stage.

Aday Jadeja was trapped at the crease, then Vinod Kambli played all around a corker of an inswinger and lost his middle stump. This left India seven for two and Tendulkar, the darling of Bombay, with a frown. His response was to set about Glenn McGrath, whose first three overs cost just a single, with grievous intent.

The points went to Warne, the runs to Tendulkar

Considering the expectation of his people, the freedom of Tendulkar's stroke-play was staggering. He batted on the seat of his pants and took his delirious audience with him as McGrath was withdrawn after two further overs for 27.

Then came the over of the match. Warne took his time, kept the magical little batsman waiting in fact as he rehearsed his action, and saw his first ball, which was short, smashed back over his head for four. Third ball Tendulkar drove into Stuart Law's diving left-hand mid-off and out again, fifth ball was edged past slip for another boundary after a wild swing, and sixth ball he played and missed at a snorting leg break. The points went to Warne, the runs to Tendulkar.

His fifty came from only 41 balls and though Azharuddin dragged a wide ball on to his stumps with a sloppy stroke, another Bombay boy, Sanjay Manjrekar, in his first game of the competition, quickly found his timing and gave Tendulkar exactly the organised support that he required.

These two young guns put on 73 in 16 overs but were subdued by the unlikely off-spin of Mark Waugh and the crafty wrist-spin of Michael Bevan. These two give Australia a fresh dimension and it was Waugh, who broke the girls' hearts by luring Tendulkar out of his ground, with a wide would you believe, to give Ian Healy the sort of stumping chance he so relishes.

From here India might still have won but Manjrekar's shoulders are not so broad as those of his young vice-captain and Warne, who bowled nine overs for 18 after that unlucky first over to Tendulkar, was a bit much for the lower order. India's late, near desperate search for victory were squashed by outstanding outfielding and by the bowling combination of the ice-cool Steve Waugh and the efficient Fleming.

Rightly, Mark Waugh was chosen as the man of the match but Tendulkar had taken the breath away and again reminded one of the unique talent which makes sport so special.

Man of the match: ME Waugh