After the success of the first mini World Cup held at Dhaka in 1998, the International Cricket Council decreed that the tournament would be held every two years. The second edition was held in 2000 at Nairobi, keeping in mind the governing body’s focus on promoting the game in non-Test playing nations. It came at a time when the cricket world was beset with match-fixing allegations, resulting in life bans for quite a few well-known names. When the eleven participating teams reached Nairobi for the tourney, there were clear changes in most of the squads that had played in the previous competition. Defending champions South Africa were one of the sides to have made key personnel changes. India, too, had a new leader in opener Sourav Ganguly. New faces, new thinking processes and fresher strategies marked this year’s edition.
As there were eleven teams taking part, three were to miss out on a spot in the quarterfinals. Like the previous occasion, 6 teams indulged in a playoff stage, including minnows Kenya and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka caused the first major upset by eliminating previous finalists the West Indies in this stage. Former semifinalist India and the English also made it through after winning their respective matches, and thus the stage was set.For the second consecutive time, India’s first game was against the mighty Australian side led by the charismatic Steve Waugh. Openers Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Sourav Ganguly set the ball rolling with a brilliant 66-run stand for the first wicket. Tendulkar, in particular, was severe on long-time foe Glenn McGrath, and his pull shot for six off the lanky Aussie seamer was easily judged to be the ‘Shot of the Tournament’. Though a mini-collapse occurred, the Indians recovered sufficiently to post 265/9, largely due to a splendid innings of 84 by 18-year old debutant Yuvraj Singh. Showing few nerves, the Punjab youngster was confidence personified as he set about dismantling the fearsome pace attack of the opposition. It was the first time India played a game with a lot of desperation and hunger, as was exemplified by their fielding. Another young debutant, the left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan, also impressed in this game with his searing yorkers and fast pace. Australia eventually folded for 245 despite handy knocks from Ponting (46) and southpaw Michael Bevan (42), and a late charge from Brett Lee (31). And for the second time in a row, the Kangaroos were unable to lay their hands on another major title – they had won the 1999 Cricket World Cup earlier.
Pakistan’s prolific opener Saeed Anwar scored the first century of the tournament as his side chased down Sri Lanka’s meagre 194 without breaking a sweat. Young Imran Nazir also impressed one and all with his quick scoring and powerful hitting. For the Emerald Isle nation, captain Sanath Jayasuriya top-scored with an aggressive 39 while veteran Russel Arnold chipped in with a useful 38. Pakistan’s ‘Sultan of Swing’ Wasim Akram was simply unplayable in this game, as he and all-rounder Azhar Mahmood shared six wickets between them. In other fixtures, SA sent England crashing out of the tournament, courtesy a fine all-round performance from Jacques Kallis, while NZ once again defeated Zimbabwe in the first round itself.
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