Long-drawn championships like the cricket World Cup, for instance, march to their own unique beat. Teams can gain or lose momentum, personnel can struggle or soar with form and fitness issues, and the two best units that have withstood these vagaries usually meet in the final.
Obviously, the Men in Blue have kept that sporting cliche ‘law of averages’ at bay so far, registering 10 consecutive wins. Australia, meanwhile, lost to India and South Africa, and when pushed to the wall, roared back with grit and gumption to quell varied rivals.
Pat Cummins and his men have now qualified for another tilt at a Cup that their predecessors won on five occasions, the most by any team in World Cup history. Up against them is the host on a searing run, with Rohit Sharma having a chance to emulate what Kapil Dev (1983) and M.S. Dhoni (2011) achieved — holding aloft the World Cup.
