What more can anyone ask? The New Zealand cricketers over achieved simply by making the semifinals of the World One Day cricket cup against Sri Lanka.
They then gave of their best and went down fighting. If only one or two of the batsmen had been able to get away and a score of 250 had been posted, it truly would have been game on. All the pressure was on the hosts as the scorching favourites. Like South Africa in the quarterfinals, the batsmen might have choked had the target been just that much higher.
Little New Zealand will always be up against it - just like, say, a Wales, Scotland or Ireland in rugby. As one Indian commentator put it, the whole country has but a third of the population of Mumbai. What small nations can do, nevertheless, is make the most of what they have and bring grit and fight as they scrap to score or prevent every run. That is what New Zealand did in the last two games, and that was what had been missing during the dismal days of the recent loss 4-0 to Bangladesh and the whipping from India.
Perhaps the influence of new coach John Wright is coming through because that is his character and the way he played the game. Perhaps, too, a little luck came in to play. Winning tosses and batting on such slow wickets gave New Zealand its best chance.
The World Cup with its minnows and its forgiving format for the leading teams meandered for weeks before surging to life in the quarters. The old powers of Australia, England and South Africa fell short and it was left to New Zealand to hold the flag as the sole nation from outside the Indian subcontinent. In this, the new age of cricket, it seems fitting that a team from that part of the world - where cricket is followed with such enthusiasm - will triumph. For many of us, given its once-upon-a-time easy-beat status, given its comparative small size and given the heartache and violence of its recent political past, Sri Lanka will be the sentimental favourite.
Will the World Cup of 2011 be 50-over one-day cricket's last stand in the face of the popularity of twenty/20? Or does the cup represent one-day cricket's solid comeback. Because of the dramas of the present cup, the interest around the cricketing world, and its comparative depth, it appears the obituaries for this form of the game have been premature.
While New Zealand has been down the ranking for many a year in test cricket, one-dayers, as exemplified by the repeated semifinal appearances in World Cups, used to be our forte. Hopefully, New Zealand can start climbing the ladder again. No-one should expect the team to win consistently against the leading nations. But if a sports team like the Black Caps can achieve regular victories and can play with determination and fight we should be satisfied.
Cup overflow
Confirmation of the relocation of Christchurch Rugby World Cup games, including one to Dunedin, while sad for Christchurch rugby fans, is good news for our city. Forsyth Barr Stadium - finally confirmed yesterday as the Dunedin Rugby World Cup venue - will now host four games instead of three, gaining two England matches and losing a Scotland game to Invercargill.
Dunedin, which will now see three England games played in the city, will become home away from home for a large contingent of England fans who will spend a good portion of September in the South supporting their side.
Their presence, and that of supporters from Romania, Ireland, Argentina, Georgia and Italy, which together will spend a total of 53 team-nights here, will enliven the city.
There will be costs associated with the additional fixture, but this should be more than amply compensated for by the presence of supporters who will prove a boon to all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industries.
The arrival of the teams in the city, and in particular of the English team, along with numerous high-profile supporters - perhaps even royalty - will ensure that for a month or so our town will be in the spotlight. The Rugby World Cup is the biggest sporting event ever to be hosted in New Zealand. Yesterday's announcement means it just got even bigger for Dunedin.
