World Cup 2023: Mental monsters Australia's entry into final is no surprise

Australia are into the 2023 Cricket World Cup final. They have played some good, bad, great and poor cricket, and probably they weren’t supposed to reach where they have, but maybe this is the real ‘qudrat ka nizam’. A record eighth final in 13 World Cups. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table They began with two successive defeats; India outfoxed them in Chennai and then South Africa landed a crushing blow in Lucknow. To be honest, it was at this juncture that people started to have that feeling which is as rare as fishes walking on earth. Are Australia going to be eliminated from a World Cup group stage? Are we not going to have an Australian side in the World Cup knockouts? After all they always do.

But as is the case so often with the stubborn Aussies, it hardly matters what you think. What matters the most is what they believe in and Australians’ belief in themselves is unwavering. Seven straight wins in the group stage and semi-finals spot was locked. They weren’t always at their best and sometimes needed nothing short of a divine intervention (case in point being Glenn Maxwell’s freak innings of 201 not against Afghanistan), but they did everything needed to reach the knockouts. Eight straight wins In the semi-final, they were pitted against the in-form South Africa who were on a different sort of redemption arc themselves. If for Australia, it was about resurrecting their campaign, the Proteas were pushing for a cultural change. After four semi-final defeats and the “chokers” tag becoming synonymous to the team’s identity, Temba Bavuma’s men had tranformed themselves into this tough-metal fighter tank which dismantled everything that came into their way. Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen had been so ruthless to the bowlers that leatherhunt became the favourite sport of their opponent. Australia were well aware of the damage South Africa can do and the power they pack. Just before the World Cup, the Proteas battered Australia 3-2 in ODIs after being 0-2 down. They, however, had one weakness. QdK, RvdD, AM and HK can smash you all over the batting first, but second innings is not their cup of tea. As fate would have it, South Africa got what they wanted. Bavuma won toss and opted to bat only for Australia to show they have more belief. The overcast conditions helped the pacers a bit and the South Africans appeared jolted. So much so that they started to bat like they do in second innings. Only 10 came from first eight overs and two wickets were lost. It was soon 24/4 and then 119/6 before David Miller hit 101 and South Africa reached 212. Read | Close but not enough for South Africa as they look to new generation Australia’s main spinner Adam Zampa had zero wickets while Travis Head took two on a surface where the ball gripped. 213 should have been an easy task but the match had all the elements to turn into a classic. Aussie openers, however, were looking for a straightforward win. 74 came in first 10 overs as David Warner and Head went berserk. Then came the 16 overs of hell from South Africa’s biggest weapon — the spin duo of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi. In those 16 overs, runs dried up and wickets (three) fell as South Africa, despite their poor fielding, wrested back the control. Impressive Inglis But just when chips are down, an Aussie or two stand up. Rookie Josh Inglis played a match-defining knock of 28 with strike rate of just 57 to put Australia on the brink of victory. Inglis’ strategy to use the full face of the bat to spinners and not try anything extraordinary helped him succeed where Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell couldn’t. His technique defied his experience. By the time he got out just 20 runs more were needed and despite South Africa’s constant pressure and admirable fightback, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc completed the job as Australia secured the lowest win-margin by wickets (three) to storm into the final. Read | AUS want to take on the best, says Starc on World Cup final against IND Just like the final overs, Australia’s World Cup campaign has been a sojourn of pressure-cooker situations and testing times. But they always found an answer. When they lacked skill, they had belief. Time for the final now! Team India are in an unprecedented form and have the advantage of playing at home, and in front of their own fans who can be both — intimidating and boisterous. Australia though are the best shock absorbers in the world. If the World Cup boils down to just a mental battle, Australia have as much chance as any team, and maybe a bit more.