A Dream Team August 16, 2007
Posted by chitranshu in Sports.3 comments
Once again, I am back on my blog after a long time, this time in the garb of a cricket lover. It’s been a roller-coaster ride in the last few months for Indian cricket fans, with the World Cup debacle, the drama around the new coach, a few redeeming victories against Bangladesh and South Africa, and now the Test series victory against England, but instead of talking about any of these things (about each of which a lot has been and is being said and written), I am going to indulge in some cricket fantasy in the run-up to a hectic ODI season for India – an all-time ODI Dream Team.
Why ODI? Because for a Test Dream Team, I mostly agree with Richie Benaud’s Greatest XI (except that maybe Muttiah Muralitharan could figure in it instead of Shane Warne) and his shortlist for it, and the other form, Twenty20, is not old enough. For ODIs, I searched around for any existing ‘Dream Teams’, but all I found were time-specific or country-specific ones. So here’s my attempt at one.
Firstly, the criteria:
1.) Statistics (average and strike rate for batsmen; average, economy and strike rate for bowlers). Especially in ODIs, the strike rate assumes as much, if not more, importance as the average. Also, for batsmen, the runs scored per innings (whether out or not out) instead of the actual average, so if a lower middle-order batsman has a very high average due to many not-outs, because he acted as a ‘finisher’ in an exceptionally successful team, that has to be taken into account.
2.) Length of career, so that short-lived thunderbolts, or new players with blazing statistics, do not get more credit than they should.
3.) Fitness and other issues which keep a player in or out of the team, which means injury-prone or controversy-prone players, especially among fast bowlers, lose out.
4.) General reputation as a player, overall utility, and the balance of the team.
5.) Lastly, the player should have played ODIs, which means that even if someone believes Sir Don Bradman would have made a great ODI player, he cannot be considered.
So, based on these criteria, here’s a shortlist, divided according to playing role, with the number in each category being approximately three times the requirement:
Openers: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Sanath Jayasuriya, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Matthew Hayden
Middle Order: Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Abbas, Dean Jones, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kevin Pietersen
All-Rounders: Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock
Wicket-keepers: Adam Gilchrist, Mark Boucher, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Spinners: Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble, Saqlain Mushtaq
Fast Bowlers: Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Glenn McGrath, Joel Garner, Allan Donald, Brett Lee
And now, let’s look at these categories one at a time:
Openers:
Four of the choices in this category become obvious simply because they made up two of the most successful opening pairs in ODI history. Sourav Ganguly with Sachin Tendulkar, and Gordon Greenidge with Desmond Haynes. Sanath Jayasuriya’s huge impact on the role of an opener and the ODI game in general can not be overlooked either. His batting average is on the lower side, but his bowling abilities more than make up for it. And of course, a major component of the invincible Australian team is their opening combination. Adam Gilchrist anyway appears as a wicketkeeper later, so Matthew Hayden had to be in.
Mark Waugh was a close contender, but his statistics were not as good. Saeed Anwar was another close call, for in the mid-90s, he was one of the best in the world, but he could not sustain that for as long as any of the names in the final list. Slam-bangers like Virender Sehwag, Mark Greatbatch, Navjot Sidhu, Shahid Afridi did not have good averages, and some old-timers with great averages, like Glenn Turner, were just too slow.
Finally, out of these six names, Greenidge and Haynes lose out because of their low strike rate. Though it can be argued that they played in an entirely different era and that they could have adjusted to the modern game, it must be remembered that both played into the early 90s, and were not able to stop the slide in West Indies cricket. Also, while both were important members of Clive Lloyd’s team, they were not as dominant as Tendulkar and Ganguly have been in the Indian team. Ganguly loses out for two reasons – poor fielding and a lower strike rate than Hayden, Sachin and Jayasuriya. His technical weaknesses and temperament can also be counted, but he seems to have worked on those fronts.
Out of the remaining three, it is a really tough call, but eventually, the two players with the longest careers and more versatility (i.e. bowling skills), make the final cut: Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar.
Middle Order:
This was probably the toughest category to deal with, both for the shortlist and the final names. The sheer number of contenders is so high that I had to just go to the record charts and look for the top few names in batting averages. If that meant forgetting some names altogether, it was for a good reason – their averages were not good enough. That should more or less explain the shortlist. And if there are still some doubts left, you are free to comment.
Out of those who made it, Kevin Pietersen will probably have to wait a little longer. Maybe, in a few years’ time, his name will appear at the top of all record charts and in every dream team, but for now, he has to wait. Ramnaresh Sarwan just made it to this list because of his high average and his importance to the West Indies team, but he cannot go further in the face of such stiff competition. Dean Jones also just made it due to his high average, but not any further. Brian Lara may have been an exceptional talent, and the highest Test run-getter, but his ODI record is simply not as good.
Out of the remaining five names, Zaheer Abbas’s strike rate was exceptionally high for his era, but the number of matches played was not as much as any of the others. Not his fault that they didn’t play too many ODIs back then, but that still leaves some doubt over whether he would have been able to sustain these statistics for 200-300 matches. Vivian Richards simply has to be in, because of his high average, high strike rate, better bowling ability, and exceptional fielding. Ricky Ponting is in for pretty much the same reasons, except the bowling. The remaining two names, Kallis and Dravid, are similar in many aspects, like a strong technique, patience and ability to anchor an innings, and a cool head. Eventually, Kallis wins because he is also a useful bowler.
So, the final cut: Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Vivian Richards.
All-Rounders:
Four of the names here are almost always thrown up in a discussion on a Dream Team, and the competition between them is as fierce as it was when they played for four different countries in the 1980s. The other two, Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock, along with Jacques Kallis, were the backbone of Hansie Cronje and Bob Woolmer’s South Africa in the 1990s. Cronje and Woolmer died tragic deaths, and Lance Klusener just fizzled out as abruptly as he had burst onto the scene, but Shaun Pollock goes on and on and on, and makes it to the final list.
That leaves just one name to be chosen out of the Big Four. Richard Hadlee may have been a great fast bowler, but he was not the best batsman among these four. Ian Botham’s first few years in international cricket were exceptional, and his bowling or batting statistics alone at that time would make the case for a great player, but the latter half of his career was equally mediocre. The remaining two names, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan, have many similarities. Both are considered the greatest all-rounders ever (if not the greatest players) in their countries, both led their teams to World Cup glory, both began as medium-pacers and moved on to become all-rounders. Kapil Dev once hit 175 not out, but Imran Khan played in that same tournament as a pure batsman. It’s a close call, but finally, one name wins due to better statistics.
The final cut: Imran Khan and Shaun Pollock.
Wicket-keeper:
Besides the four names here, we can make a long list of keepers who tried to become batsmen, batsmen who tried to become keepers, keepers who were sent up the order as pinch-hitters, keepers who were great ’sloggers’ or ‘finishers’, keepers who grafted their way to a rare century, and so on.
But which wicketkeeper-batsman has played for a top team for more than a decade, and it’s no longer surprising if he hits a 50 in 25 balls? Mark Boucher.
Which wicketkeeper-batsman has scored so many Test double hundreds that he can pass off as a pure batsman in any team in the world? Kumar Sangakkara.
Which wicketkeeper-batsman emerged from a second-rung domestic team and burst onto the international scene with 183 not out, the highest ever ODI score by a keeper? Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
But who was the first star wicketkeeper-batsman who made it absolutely necessary for all the other teams to search for keepers who could bat, who opens the batting for the best team in the world, and it will not be surprising if he becomes the first ever batsman to score a double century in ODIs?
Adam Gilchrist, and he’s the one who makes it to the final list.
Spinner: Three of those names are anyway considered among the best spinners ever, but in the mid-to-late-1990s, there was another name who fought with them for the top slot, Saqlain Mushtaq. He faded away for some reason, Shane Warne ended his ODI career to prolong his Test career, Anil Kumble did the same this year after a bad World Cup, but there’s just one name that goes on and on. He may opt out of an ODI often, but at least he’s not given it up completely. And he’s comfortably ahead of the others in the record charts: Muttiah Muralitharan.
Fast Bowlers:
Here again, there was a long list of contenders, so long that to sift out the pretenders, I just consulted the record charts. So out of the West Indian pace attack of the 80s, Roberts, Holding, Croft were all good, but the name with the best statistics was chosen – Joel Garner. Malcolm Marshall had surprisingly bad figures for ODIs, compared to his Test record. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis made it straightaway by virtue of being at the top of the record charts for ODI bowlers. The spearheads of 1990s South Africa and 21st-century Australia, Allan Donald and Glenn McGrath, also had to be in.
And we need at least one brash super-fast bowler. Jeff Thomson was just too long back to have played a significant number of ODIs, and so was Dennis Lillee. In the present era, Brett Lee is not as controversy-prone as Shoaib Akhtar or as injury-prone as Shane Bond, so he makes it ahead of them.
However, in the final cut, it is better to be precise with your control of the ball and have the ability to fox the batsman with variety, rather than try intimidating him with your speed, stare, sledging, height, appearance, or a deadly bouncer/beamer or toe-crushing yorker. And coincidentally, the two names who make it, one left-armer and one right-armer, were known for precisely that, variety and control: Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath.
So, here’s the final list:
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Vivian Richards, Adam Gilchrist, Imran Khan, Shaun Pollock, Wasim Akram, Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn Mcgrath.
Good depth in batting (upto No. 9), nine players who can bowl, two exceptional fielders (and no really bad ones among the rest). And yet, if you make another dream team with eleven other players (from the above shortlist or elsewhere), it will be difficult to predict who will win on a given day. That is the ‘glorious uncertainty’ of cricket, and more so of the one-day game. You are free to comment. 
India @ Doha 2006: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly December 15, 2006
Posted by chitranshu in News, Sports.1 comment so far
Finally, the 2006 Asian Games draw to a close. It has been a reasonably successful outing for the Indian contingent, with the medals haul being the best ever at any Asiad apart from the 1951 & 1982 editions that were held in India. It could have been better though; my friend Vishwakant had said about two weeks ago that we can expect to get “at least 15 golds” this time. So why did we finish with just ten, and why does a majority of TOI readers still feel that ‘sports in India has reached its nadir’ (according to a poll on 12th Dec., 2006)?
Before trying to look for answers, and ending up criticizing everyone related to Indian sports, let’s look at the brighter side, The Good.
India won 54 medals this time, second only to the 57-medal haul from Delhi 1982, and it was also one of the few occasions when the gold-medal count reached double figures. And contrary to popular belief (about the nadir etc.), India’s performance has been improving consistently since Beijing 1990, where we finished with only 23 medals, just one of them gold (in kabaddi). I distinctly remember my parents saying then that like hockey, kabaddi will also cease to give us gold medals once other nations learn to play it (which would happen in about 10-15 years).
It has been 16 years since, and not only has India won its fifth consecutive gold in kabaddi this time, but it has also, in the meanwhile, produced new sporting heroes like Jaspal Rana, Leander Paes and Vishwanathan Anand (whose successes have inspired an entire generation of shooters, tennis and chess players respectively, the three sports that accounted for seven of the ten golds this time). Two of these heroes were there at Doha, and were at the top of the podium on half of the occasions when India’s national anthem was played out.
Besides these Indian strongholds, there were a few other feel-good occasions like Pankaj Advani and Ashok Shandilya battling for gold and silver in the billiards singles, and the chess team assuring themselves of gold even before the last round had been played. There were a few unexpected medals too, in obscure places like the equestrian and rowing events, which made up for quite a few unexpected losses, The Bad.
One of these was in the semifinals of the billiards doubles, where Geet Sethi and Ashok Shandilya went down to an unknown pair from Myanmar, and had to be content with the bronze. The performance of the snooker players, too, was below par. In shooting, a little more was expected from Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Anjali Bhagwat. In women’s hockey, some consolation came in the form of a bronze, after the losses to Japan and China. The boxers and wrestlers too turned in a substandard performance. And no one even noticed what happened in weightlifting, or volleyball, or swimming. While these sports might not have contributed medals in the past anyway, a lot was expected from athletics, in which India had won seven golds in Busan in 2002. This time, we had to be content with just one, in the women’s 4X400 relay, an event in which India has done well since the days of PT Usha.
I have deliberately postponed discussion on men’s hockey to the third paragraph, The Ugly. A few days before the Asian Games, we heard that Viren Rasquinha, along with some other well-known players, has been dropped from the squad, and some obscure players included instead. On being asked about this, Mr. KPS Gill retorted that he will only discuss Indian hockey. Perhaps Viren’s name sounded too foreign to him, and he believed that only those who have the surname Singh can be a part of ‘Indian hockey’. On being told that Viren is from Mumbai, which is very much in India, Mr. Gill retorted again, ‘Did you watch the match between India and China’?
Well, I must really compliment the ex-Supercop for his art of deflecting questions. Meanwhile, we were expected to go through the torture of watching India lose to a team coached by someone who learnt hockey in India itself, about a decade or two ago, and ‘know more about hockey’ before we could dare to ask questions on it. So now, should we master the art of fast bowling before we question Irfan Pathan’s lean patch, or the straight drive and the square-cut before we point a finger at Sachin Tendulkar? Doesn’t the very fact that Mr. Gill, in his capacity at the helm of the hockey federation, is a representative of a ‘democratic’ Indian establishment, render him answerable to the people of India, irrespective of their knowledge of the game?
I believe the problem is not just with one person or one organization, it is with the whole ideology of ‘controlling’ sports through ‘boards’ and ‘federations’ made up of former bureaucrats and others trained in the art of ‘controlling’, instead of ‘managing’ and ‘promoting’ them through an association of former players and professional managers. The IHF or the BCCI are not the only ones; even Jaspal Rana came out in the open with criticism of the ‘authorities’ once he had resurrected his position as the poster-boy of Indian shooting. And if we look at the life of almost any Indian sportsperson, we will find an example of some cruel joke being played with a career or an ambition, and the talent being wasted.
Such organizations for overseeing sports can, if they do their job with honesty and passion, either take a country to the dizzying heights of sporting excellence, as happened with the Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War and after that with China, or they can completely smother even the existing talent, if they become dens of corruption like they have in India. A better option, in post-liberalization India, would be to let go of these ‘controls’. In any case, most of the Asian Games medalists this time have achieved their success on their own, and in spite of these federations, or in some cases due to being employed in establishments like the Army.
Indian sports has not reached its nadir now, but it already did so about two decades back, in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and subsequently embarked on an upward path parallel to that of the post-liberalization economic growth. This ascent can be further accelerated if the vestiges of bureaucratic control are removed.
Meanwhile, India’s most popular sport continues with its ups and downs, oblivious of the world around it, and is presently in a trough similar to the one it found itself in against New Zealand in early 2003, months before the last World Cup in South Africa.
And mind you, India’s national sport is not following any of these trends, for it has only been on a downward slide since 1964, and has not yet touched its nadir. That will probably be achieved only when India reaches the heights (depths?) it has achieved in the ‘beautiful game’, unless Mr. Gill and Co. decide to quit, or someone else throws them out.
Meanwhile, the drama between the two giants of Indian tennis continues to be played out under full media glare. One has brought success in partnership with everyone from Ramesh Krishnan to Sania Mirza, and the other initiated India’s success in the Grand Slams with the French Open mixed doubles crown in 1997, and both have a right to their respective egos. I just hope there was a bit more compatibility, though.
Anyway, at least they are leaving behind a sparkling trail of success for others to follow. Now, if only our occasional Olympic silver or bronze could be turned into gold…
For The Love Of The ‘Beautiful’ Game July 9, 2006
Posted by chitranshu in History, Sports.1 comment so far
The FIFA World Cup 2006 is drawing to a close. All the teams that I supported, at some stage or the other, (like Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Argentina, Spain) have bowed out. Few would have predicted at the beginning of this tournament that France and Italy would face off for this year’s title. Yet, stranger things have happened in this festival of ‘the beautiful game’. Before the curtains fall on this year’s World Cup extravaganza, let’s have a look at the way this tournament has shaped up over the years.
Prologue: Until 1928, the Summer Olympics used to be the biggest stage for the world’s footballing nations. After that year’s edition, FIFA realized that the Americans (who have always been crazy about weird games that no one else in the world plays) might decide not to include football in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. An alternative tournament, a World Cup of football, was therefore proposed.
1930 – Uruguay: This little South American nation had won the 1924 and 1928 Olympic gold medals for football, and they were also about to celebrate the centenary of their independence in 1930. Quite naturally, they were awarded the privilege to host the first World Cup. The Europeans protested, since it was too much trouble for them to come down all the way across the Atlantic (after all, the Great Depression had taken a toll on their economies). However, FIFA persisted, and in the end, 13 nations participated in the First World Cup in Uruguay. The home nation managed to beat neighbours Argentina in the final, to win the first World Cup. The Americans proved that they did play football (or soccer) after all, finishing third, while Yugoslavia finished fourth.
1934 – Italy: To pacify the Europeans, FIFA decided to hold the second tournament in Italy. Now, the South Americans protested, with the same excuses. They were not united, though, as Brazil decided that their love for football was above all else (Brazil are the only nation to have participated in every World Cup tournament so far), and came all the way to take part. However, the tournament was dominated by European teams, and hosts Italy beat Czechoslovakia in the final. Another notable moment of this tournament was the ‘blitzkrieg’, where German Ernst Lehner found the Austrian net within 24 seconds from kickoff, prophesying the speed with which Hitler was about to eat up Austria, in a few years’ time. It was the first time Germany was participating, as they had been too broke to go to Uruguay in 1930.
1938 – France: FIFA had promised that the tournament would be held alternately in Europe and South America. However, in 1938, they decided not to cross the Atlantic, and instead, just crossed the Alps and went to France. The South Americans continued their boycott, while Italy maintained their dominance, beating Hungary in the final this time. Coach Vittorio Pozzo of Italy became (and remains to this day, as Perreira and Scolari have seen their teams exit this time) the only coach to win two World Cup tournaments.
1942 & 1946: Nazi Germany had laid a claim to host the next World Cup, but World War II intervened. In any case, FIFA were looking to fulfill their promise by awarding the right to host the next World Cup to Brazil, so Hitler would have been disappointed anyway. Meanwhile, Ottorino Barassi, the vice-president of FIFA and the president of the Italian football federation, hid the trophy from the Germans in a shoe-box under his bed. After the war was over, the trophy was taken out and given a new name, the Jules Rimet trophy, in honour of the legendary president of FIFA who completed 25 years in office in 1946.
1950 – Brazil: Germany, which had broken up into two countries and was under Allied occupation, was not allowed to participate this time. FIFA compensated the loss by mending fences with the Football Association, enabling England, the birthplace of modern football, to participate in the World Cup for the first time. However, Europe was in a mess after the war, and so, Brazil got the opportunity to host this tournament without much ado. Incidentally, they were also the favourites, as they won all their matches convincingly, to book a place in the final against Uruguay, who were only a shade of the great team from the 1920s. The final showdown took place at the great Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with an attendance of about 174,000 (still a record). The crowd was to be disappointed, however, as Uruguay pulled off a surprise 2-1 win.
1954 – Switzerland: The World Cup moved back to Europe, and to this little nation that had been unaffected by the World War. This tournament turned out to be among the most eventful in history, seeing a record 5.38 goals scored per match. Some samples: Hungary beat debutants South Korea 9-0 (still a record for the largest victory margin) and hosts Switzerland were beaten by neighbours Austria 7-5 (highest goals scored in a World Cup match). This tournament also featured the infamous ‘Battle of Bern’ between Brazil and Hungary. However, it reached a fitting climax when West Germany, still recovering from the War, beat favourites Hungary in the final, in what came to be called the ‘Miracle at Bern’.
1958 – Sweden: The tournament stayed in Europe, contrary to South American expectations. The host nation performed well as usual, as did many other European teams, especially France with Just Fontaine in their ranks. Fontaine finished as top scorer in the tournament with 13 goals, still a record, and one which seems most unlikely to be broken. However, France were beaten in the semi-final by Brazil, who went on to beat Sweden 5-2 in the most high-scoring final ever, with a 17-year old Pele scoring two goals. This was the only time that Brazil managed to beat France in the World Cup, and also the only occasion when a South American team won the Cup in Europe.
1962 – Chile: Finally, the tournament returned to South America, and Brazil continued their dominance. However, Pele’s role was severely restricted in this tournament, because of injuries inflicted by opposition players, and he finished with just one goal. Meanwhile, Czechoslovakia’s Vaclav Masek set a new record for the fastest goal, scoring within 15 seconds from the kick-off against Mexico. His team went on to face Brazil in the final, and eventually lost 3-1. Brazil became the second team after Italy to win two consecutive World Cup titles.
1966 – England: Finally, the tournament came to the birthplace of modern football. It is often said that the English invented football, but the Brazilians perfected it. This time, however, the Brazilians were not in top form, and Pele again managed just one goal in the tournament. Other biggies also faltered, like Italy, who lost ignominiously to debutants North Korea and exited after the first round itself. The Koreans attempted to shock another debutant team, Portugal, with a goal by Park Soong-Jin within 23 seconds from kick-off, but the Portuguese recovered. In fact, they proved to be the real discovery of this World Cup, going all the way to the semi-finals, and the legendary Eusebio finishing as top-scorer with nine goals. The final showdown took place between England and West Germany at the Wembley, and the hosts won 4-2 with one of the most controversial goals ever giving them the lead in a closely fought match (The goal/save in the new Adidas ‘Jose+10’ ad is said to be inspired from this goal). The hosts were also involved in another controversy when, after their match with Argentina, their coach ran onto the pitch and stopped his players from exchanging jerseys with their bitter opponents. This tournament is also remembered for the disappearance of the World Cup trophy with just a few days to go for the matches to begin. Luckily, the trophy was discovered by a dog, ‘Pickles’, wrapped in a newspaper and hidden in a garbage bin.
1970 – Mexico: The World Cup moved to a new continent, and Brazil returned to winning ways. They were coached this time by Mario Zagallo, a member of the 1958 and 1962 Cup-winning teams, who thus became the first man to win the Cup as a player and as a coach. After two lacklustre tournaments, Pele was in top form, scoring four goals in this tournament and ending his World Cup career with 12 goals, coming within a whisker of Just Fontaine’s record. Pele was assisted by a host of other great players such as Rivelino, Jairzinho, Gérson and Tostão, and the 1970 Brazilian team is widely regarded as the best ever. The tournament’s top scorer, however, was West Germany’s Gerd Muller, who finished with ten goals. The final was between Brazil and Italy, both looking to win their third title, and Brazil eventually prevailed 4-1.
1974 – West Germany: After exorcising the ghosts of the War, West Germany finally had a chance to host the World Cup. The rejuvenation of the host nation also manifested itself in a new trophy (the current FIFA World Cup trophy), which replaced the old Jules Rimet Cup, which was given to 1970 winners Brazil to keep for posterity. In the group stages of this tournament, Yugoslavia beat debutants Zaire 9-0 to equal the record for the worst drubbing. Meanwhile, Gerd Muller added four more goals to his tally, beating Fontaine’s record for most World Cup goals. The top scorer, however, was Poland’s Grzegorz Lato, who finished with seven goals as Poland finished third. The West Germans, coached by Helmut Schon (who still holds the record for most matches and most victories as coach in the World Cup) and captained by the legendary ‘Kaiser’ Franz Beckenbauer, faced their Dutch neighbours in the final, and managed to win the World Cup for the second time.
1978 – Argentina: After losing bids previously to the likes of Mexico and Chile, the Argentineans finally got to host their first World Cup. At home, they proved to be more than a match for their opponents, reaching the final for the first time since 1930, and eventually beating Netherlands in the final to win their first ever title. The Dutch, unfortunately, became the first team ever to lose in two consecutive finals. Meanwhile, the hosts were aided by a string of superlative performances from Mario Kempes, who finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals.
1982 – Spain: There are many things to be remembered about this tournament. Firstly, very much like 2006, the Brazilians were hugely favoured to win this time. In fact, the 1982 Brazilian team is generally regarded as the best ever not to win the World Cup. They thrashed all their opponents in the group stages, and all seemed to be going well, when the Italians, recovering from a domestic scandal similar to the recent one, beat them 3-2 in the second stage. Paolo Rossi, whose suspension had been cut short so that he could participate in this World Cup, scored a hat-trick in this match to pack the Brazilians off. He finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals. Meanwhile, in the group stages, Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 to equal their own record for the biggest victory margin. Another ignominious record was set by Italy’s Giampiero Marini in the semi-final against Poland; he managed to anger the referee within one second of kick-off and earned a yellow card for his efforts. Also, Pele’s record for being the youngest player at the World Cup was broken by Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland, who did not manage to break, however, his records for also being the youngest goal-scorer and the youngest in a World Cup final. On the other hand, Italy’s legendary goalkeeper-captain Dino Zoff became the oldest player to play in a World Cup final, aged over 40 when his team beat West Germany, winning their third World Cup while denying the West Germans a similar achievement.
1986 – Mexico: For the first time ever, a country was given a second opportunity to host the World Cup. This time, the hosts were coached by Bora Milutinovic, who was to go on to coach four other teams at the World Cup, to create a unique record. However, this made little difference to the Mexicans’ performance. The tournament is actually remembered for Diego Maradona and his Argentinean side, who won their second World Cup title in a span of eight years. En route to the final, though, they created much controversy, especially in the match against bitter rivals England, where Maradona scored his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal. The match is also remembered for what is widely regarded as the best ever World Cup goal, as Maradona beautifully tackled five English players before finally netting the ball. England had some consolation, though, as Gary Lineker finished as top scorer with six goals. Meanwhile, the West Germans became the second team after the Netherlands to lose in two consecutive finals.
1990 – Italy: The tournament returned to its original European hosts after a gap of 56 years. This tournament turned out to be the most low-scoring ever, with an average of only 2.21 goals scored per match. Even the final was decided by just one goal, as West Germany, led by Lothar Matthaus, beat Argentina 1-0 and avenged their defeat in the 1986 final. The Germans were coached by Franz Beckenbauer, who became only the second man after Mario Zagallo to win the Cup as a player and then as a coach. Meanwhile, the hosts finished third, with Toto Schillaci finishing as top scorer with six goals. Another team from this tournament to be still remembered is the ‘Indomitable Lions’ from Cameroon, who shocked Argentina in the opening match and signaled the arrival of African football on the world stage.
1994 – USA: Goodbye Italy, Hello USA. FIFA’s decision to let the World Cup be held in a country largely indifferent to football was generally criticized, but in the end, this tournament turned out to be the most watched ever. Roger Milla came out of retirement to lead his Lions for one last time, and in the process, broke Dino Zoff’s record of being the oldest player at the World Cup. In his last match against Russia, aged over 42 years, he also became the oldest goal-scorer. However, his lone goal was just a consolation for his team, as Russia’s Oleg Salenko netted five goals to break Just Fontaine’s 1958 record of four goals in one match. Russia did not progress beyond the group stages, but Salenko’s six goals in three matches were enough to allow him to share the Golden Boot with Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov, whose team went all the way to the semi-finals. Brazil’s Romario tried hard to catch them but finished with five goals. The final showdown took place at Pasadena between Brazil and Italy (a lot of us must be remembering that), and it became the first final ever to be decided on penalties, with Italy’s Roberto Baggio sending the ball over the crossbar to gift Brazil their fourth World Cup win. Another memorable moment from this tournament is Bebeto’s famous goal celebration, dedicated to his newborn baby.
1998 – France: This tournament saw the switch from the 24-team to the current 32-team format. Brazil were again the favourites, and their road to the final had few obstacles. Netherlands were back in their old form after a gap of two decades, and managed to finish fourth, after losing to debutants Croatia in the third-place playoff. Croatian Davor Suker finished with six goals to win the Golden Boot. The eventual champions, however, were hosts France, who beat favourites Brazil 3-0 in the final to claim their first ever World Cup title, with two of those goals coming off the head of Zinedine Zidane. This was also the first time that the ‘Golden Goal’ rule was tried out, and the first ‘golden goal’ was by France’s Laurent Blanc, which packed Paraguay off in the round of 16. This tournament also saw the last of German greats Lothar Matthaus and Juergen Klinsmann, and some dubious moments involving the ‘young guns’, like the sending off of David Beckham and Ronaldo’s convulsions causing him to miss the final.
2002 – Japan & South Korea: For the first time, the World Cup was hosted outside Europe or Latin America. Both the hosts proved to be quite a force at home, with Japan reaching the second round (after an indifferent performance on debut in 1998), and South Korea going all the way to the semi-finals, dashing Italy’s hopes en route, much like their northern neighbours did 36 years ago. Among other underdogs who did well were debutants Senegal, who shocked France 1-0 in the opening match and dismissed Sweden with a golden goal in the second round, and Turkey, who reached the semi-finals and eventually finished third after Hakan Sukur scored within a record 11 seconds from kick-off against South Korea in the third-place playoff. France’s first-round exit, without winning a match or even scoring a goal, marked the worst-ever defense of a World Cup title. Brazil were back in the final, this time against Germany, and ultimately prevailed 2-0 to win their fifth title. Also, their captain Cafu became the first player to play in three final matches. Ronaldo’s two goals in the final broke the six-goal jinx, taking his tally to eight goals in the tournament and 12 goals in all, tied with Pele in the tally of top World Cup goal-scorers.
2006 – Germany: After the ‘World Cup of the underdogs’ four years earlier, this tournament saw few upsets in the initial stages. Also, after an unusually high-scoring opening game, this tournament has turned out to be quite a low-scoring one. Meanwhile, the Germans have shown uncharacteristic enthusiasm while hosting this World Cup, and while supporting their own team. On the other hand, the refereeing has been quite controversial, with an unusually high number of cards given out. In the later stages, we have seen some unexpected results, and now comes the grand finale. Will it be a last hurrah for Zizou and his ageing warriors, or will the Italians succeed in winning a fourth title?
