The Only World Cup We’ll Win?
England World Champions?!
I appreciate I’m a little late in blogging about this considering the final happened last Sunday. Anyway, last Sunday saw England take on the old foe Australia in the final of the World Twenty20 (T20). Both teams were the pick of the tournament along with Australia being undefeated and England losing just the once on their march to the final. The question would be who would come out on top.
I didn’t get to watch the whole match as I was playing cricket during the final. However from what I did see and from what I’ve read it was a cracker of a final. Watching Australia’s innings during tea I was surprised at the risky runs they were taking and the many chances England had at running out the Aussies early on. While we did get one we could’ve gotten many more and I wonder if that was nerves for the most part? I was also impressed by the hunger England showed and I think that’s what helped a great deal as England wanted it more than Australia. I hope the England football team can show the same amount of hunger when they take part in the World Cup!
The only other major talking point of the final was the “Englishness” or lack thereof of England. It’s interesting to see that from a batting point of view, England’s main weapons were not English born. Pieterson and Kieswetter and South African and Eoin Morgan is Irish and has even played against England! It’s certainly a sticky subject for many pundits in the game. Some don’t care and others think we’re treading a fine line. Personally I don’t mind it too much, the selectors have picked the strongest side and the fact that some have adopted English nationality shouldn’t be a problem. They played with passion for the cause and gave everything whilst playing for their adopted country. I’m sure if you asked any England football fan if they would have minded Giggs playing for England I know for a fact none of them would. I know it’s harsh on some of the English talent in the county game being overlooked and a foreign national being picked ahead of you. At the end of the day England went to the West Indies determined to win and picked a team the felt could do it and that’s fine by me. The fact that it had a foreign element shouldn’t matter unless it gets silly and that’s not likely to happen. It certainly says something when, even when we win, we find something to complain and be disappointed by.