New Zealand through to final after clinching thriller against India

It probably would not have happened in any case, but even so, India were getting perilously close to winning the hearts of neutrals. Then Goliath did as Goliath does. A superpower superpowered.

Before or during a World Cup, a Bangladeshi cricket fan inevitably has to decide which team they will support once Bangladesh are out of the equation. For a large majority, it's not India. The richest board in the world, the one that has most sway over the ICC -- these qualities do not endear a team to neutrals in sport, where level playing fields are integral to the game's integrity. To bastardise a saying, Indian cricket is so outsizely powerful, only a mother can love it.

Which is a shame, because over this World Cup, India were building a narrative as powerful as those authored by the Australians in 2003 and 2007, and the West Indians in 1975 and 1979. In those four tournaments, there was very little doubt from the start that if these teams played even close to their potential throughout the event, they would win it without much trouble.

There is a different kind of charm to these tales, as opposed to India and Sri Lanka's underdog miracles in 1983 and 1996, or Pakistan's rabbit-out-of-the-hat sorcery in 1992. What India had been doing, like those legendary Australian and West Indian teams, was show the audience the hidden chamber, the trap door that makes the magic trick possible.

Enough with stretched metaphors. The point is that in the narrative arc weaved by India till the end of the league phase, it mattered not if there was mystique in the form of thrilling wins or an unlikely rally. Their tale was of a team so dominant that they were becoming the story of the tournament.

Can anyone stop India? Will India finally have an off day? Can their bowling attack actually be bested by any team in the modern game? Is the seemingly inevitable, inevitable?

The ultimate frontrunners in cricket, in terms of heft behind oaken boardroom doors, were becoming the ultimate frontrunners on the field. And a fascination had begun to take hold to see whether the lab experiment of pouring money, thought, expertise into a cricketing culture over decades would culminate in one of the most comprehensively dominant World Cup performances in history.

Those questions of a paragraph ago were all about on-field matters, and not the usual suspicions that India were being favoured.

That, unfortunately, is all in the past. India eventually did what India does – the oaken doors opened, closed, the ICC harumphed in private, acquiesced publicly, and India had their way.

The pitch for the semifinal between India and New Zealand in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium was switched at the last moment from a fresh one, as planned, to one that was used twice before in the tournament. The fresh one was at the centre of the pitch, a position usually reserved for the most important match to be played at the venue, in this case, the semifinal.

A used pitch, with wear and tear from previous matches, will aid spinners, and India have a deadlier arsenal in that department. A fresh pitch, which usually plays true and favours batters throughout and, given the strength of the two teams, produces a level playing field.

According to the ICC's playing conditions for the 2023 World Cup, the relevant ground authority – the Mumbai Cricket Association in this case – is responsible for the preparation and selection of the pitch. The ICC also has an independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, to work with the groundstaff, presumably to ensure that there is no undue advantage enjoyed by the home side in a global tournament.

ICC said after the semifinal started that changes to planned pitch rotations are common and this one was made on the recommendation of the venue curator "in conjunction with our host", and that the independent pitch consultant had no reason to believe the pitch won't play well.

But according to the Daily Mail, pitch consultant Atkinson speculated in a leaked email whether the pitch for the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday "will be the first ever ICC CWC final to have a pitch which has been specifically chosen and prepared to their stipulation at the request of the team management and/or the hierarchy of the home nation board."

Good thing he's independent.

So, with this revelation ends the illusion. The questions are not cricketing anymore. They are not even questions anymore. The narrative that seemed thus far to have been woven by superb bowling, near flawless batting and a seemingly bulletproof team has now been adulterated by "the hierarchy of the home nation board".

Turns out that there was a trap door beneath the trap door, and the lever was wielded by people not on the stage.

That is why it is hard for a neutral to support India -- unlike those West Indian and Australian teams, there will always be a suspicion that their dominance is not purely a cricketing one.

This time it is especially sad because it could have been.

Daryl Mitchell completed a fine hundred only to see two wickets fall quickly at the other end as New Zealand's quest for a record-breaking World Cup semi-final win over India suffered a major setback.

Mitchell came in with New Zealand 39-2, chasing a huge target of 398 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

But he responded with an 85-ball century featuring eight fours and five sixes, his second of the tournament against India following 130 in a four-wicket pool defeat by the unbeaten hosts in Dharamsala.

Together with New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, he put on 181 for the third wicket to give the Black Caps hope of a second successive World Cup semi-final win over India following a 2019 victory in a rain-affected match in Manchester.

Star batsman Williamson, however, fell for 69 when he flicked Mohammed Shami -- who had dropped him on 52 -- straight to Suryakumar Yadav at deep square leg.

Two balls later, 220-3 became 220-4 in the 33rd over when Shami had Tom Latham lbw for a duck, with the paceman having taken all four New Zealand wickets to fall.

The most any side have made batting second to win a World Cup semi-final is New Zealand's Duckworth/Lewis adjusted 299-6 against South Africa at Auckland in 2015.

Expectations were high ahead of the World Cup in England but upon the team’s return home yesterday, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza spoke of his disappointment of not meeting their own expectations in the coveted tournament, although he lauded the poise from the youngsters.

Aside from Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman and Liton Das, all of whom are currently on vacation, the rest of the Tigers departed from Heathrow Airport on July 6.

Following their quarterfinal exit in the 2015 edition, the Tigers left for the ongoing World Cup with high hopes of reaching the semifinals for the first time in history.

The accumulation of experience and the fact that the team won their first multi-nation tournament just ahead of the World Cup during a tri-series on their tour of Ireland, where they beat West Indies in the final, provided the team with impetus going into the showpiece event.

Expectations were further justified when they began their campaign with a win against South Africa. However, results did not go their way when it mattered most. Given the format, where all ten teams played each other in the group stage, it was always going to be a tough ask. Yet, the Tigers finished well below the expected mark, ending in eighth place after having targeted a semifinal berth.

“We went there with expectations and from that point of view it is disappointing. If we look at the whole World Cup and how we played, if some things went in our favour, we could have played the semifinals. Overall it was a positive experience but at the same time, the expectations were higher and from that point of view, it was disappointing,” Mashrafe told reporters yesterday upon his arrival at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The close defeat to New Zealand and the washed out match against Sri Lanka certainly played a hand but Mashrafe took responsibility nevertheless.

“As a captain, when the team does not fulfil expectations, then I will have to accept criticism. Of course I am taking full responsibility and at the same time it is normal that there will be criticism anywhere in the world after a big tournament,” the inspirational skipper added.

While his disappointment was evident when he suggested that ‘the chips were down’ in crucial matches, Mashrafe spoke highly of the youngsters’ efforts and said they should not be blamed, adding that some could match the levels of the current Big Five.

“It’s always the young players who are particularly blamed. Those who are seniors now, they were young once and not as consistent as they are now. The youngsters now are playing with a level of consistency and under a kind of intense pressure that we did not have to face when we were young,” Mashrafe said, referencing younger players like Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehedi, Mustafizur and Liton Das.

“So, they cannot be blamed unilaterally. They tried very hard. It is a big stage and it is not easy to perform here. I am hoping that with more experience they will reach the levels shown by Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Riyad.”

Lack of consistency played a key role for the captain in their campaign, which could have ended differently. However, Shakib Al Hasan performed magnificently throughout the tournament and the captain duly credited his star all-rounder.

“Shakib was outstanding. Shakib, Mushfiqur [Rahim], Mustafizur and Saifuddin played outstanding cricket. The others performed less consistently. At some particular points we needed luck to be on our side but that did not happen.”

Rohit Sharma became the first player to hit five centuries in a single World Cup as India cantered to a seven-wicket win in their final World Cup group match against Sri Lanka yesterday.

The opener smashed 103 off 94 deliveries as semifinalists India chased down their target of 265 in 43.3 overs to end the group stage with seven wins, one defeat and a washout.

Sharma’s opening partner KL Rahul top-scored with 111 as the pair put on 189 runs for the first wicket to put India in complete command.

Man-of-the-match Sharma reached his milestone with a boundary off Kasun Rajitha to pass the mark set by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who scored four hundreds at the 2015 tournament.

His century came off 92 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes.

Sharma was dismissed shortly afterwards, caught by Angelo Mathews off the bowling of Rajitha.

Known as the “hitman”, Sharma leads the current World Cup’s run-scoring charts with 647 runs in eight matches after hitting his third successive century.

“I’m just trying to go out there and do my job, I’m not thinking of milestones,” Sharma said.

“If I play well these things will happen on the way.

“I have learned from my mistakes in the past. I don’t go into a match thinking of hundreds. Every day is a new day.”

He is only the fourth batsman after Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden and Shakib Al Hasan to score more than 600 runs at a single World Cup.

Tendulkar, India’s all-time record run-scorer in one-day internationals, tweeted his praise for Sharma.

“3 consecutive 100s and 5 in a single @cricketworldcup is just phenomenal, Rohit,” Tendulkar wrote.

Rahul registered his first century of the tournament but was caught behind shortly before the end of the game off veteran paceman Lasith Malinga -- playing his final World Cup match -- after hitting 11 fours and one six.

Skipper Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 34 and Hardik Pandya hit the winning runs to give India a chance of finishing above group leaders Australia, who are playing South Africa in Saturday’s later match at Old Trafford.

“We wanted to play good cricket but we didn’t expect to do this well heading in to the semis,” Kohli said.

“That’s what hard work gets you. I am really proud of this team as a captain, they are amazing people.

“More or less everything is set for the semis but we don’t want to be one-dimensional. We need balance in the side. We are very happy.

“England or New Zealand next? The opposition has never mattered. We don’t focus on what they bring to the table. If we play well we can beat anyone.”

Earlier, Mathews hit his third one-day international century and put on 124 runs for the fifth wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne (53) to give Sri Lanka a respectable total after they were reeling at 55-4.

Jasprit Bumrah returned impressive figures of 3-37 in his 10 overs as India, who had already qualified for the semifinals, restricted Sri Lanka with some quality  bowling.

The 1996 champions finished their World Cup campaign with three wins, four defeats and two games ending in no result.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne said Sri Lanka would take stock as they try to build for the future.

“After this World Cup we have to think about what we have to do and what we got wrong. We will talk to the selectors and find some new talent,” he said.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham on Sunday said his team's 3-0 Test sweep in India was one of the "greatest series wins" for the country.

The Black Caps won the third Test by 25 runs on Sunday at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium to hand India only their second series whitewash at home.

New Zealand - cricket's perennial underdogs -- turned around their fortunes from a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka in September to make India suffer their first Test series loss at home in 12 years.

"It's obviously a great moment for New Zealand cricket, probably one of New Zealand cricket's greatest series wins I think," said Latham.

"Again, all we can do is keep playing cricket and keep playing our brand of cricket. We've felt a lot of support over the last couple of weeks, which is really special."

New Zealand host England for three Tests starting November 28 in Christchurch followed by matches in Wellington and Hamilton.

Latham said: "We've got three more big games back home. We've got sell-out crowds in a couple of the games, which is all you can ask for from a cricketer's point of view."

Mumbai-born New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel stood out in the final Test with a match-haul of 11 wickets with his left-arm spin.

He took five in the first innings and then six to help bowl out India for 121 in their chase of 147 and Latham praised his match-winner as "fantastic".