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Monday, June 21
Perfect end to ten-month campaignIn September last year the Australian cricket squad and its support staff met in Brisbane for a training camp to prepare for a grueling ten-month campaign of international cricket. The culmination of three days of intensive training and preparation was this large piece of white paper fondly known as "The Road to Lords". On a pyramid was drawn the tours and steps of the last ten months with the pinnacle being yesterday's monumental final at the Mecca of cricket. Since arriving at the training camp the Australian cricket team has competed in the Commonwealth Games, played Test series' against Pakistan, West Indies and England, and one-day series' at home, in Pakistan, the Caribbean and of course in England. By any standard this is a massive workload and considering every one of these has been won or at least drawn, it was understandable why the emotions were running so high last night. Like an angry hurricane Australia destroyed Pakistan yesterday by playing an awesome brand of ruthless one-day cricket. From the moment Mark Waugh took a spectacular catch at second slip to start off proceedings, the well prepared, disciplined, determined and extremely talented Australian cricket team charged toward the final destination of their pyramid. The fielding was brilliant, as was the bowling. Led by Shane Warne, who is unstoppable when he has a sparkle in his eyes, and with Glenn McGrath in equally destructive form, the Pakistanis had no hope of surviving the brutal onslaught. Obviously 130 runs is never enough, but to rub salt into the deep Pakistan wounds, Adam Gilchrist showed total disdain in clubbing an irreversible hole in the target. After a slow start to the competition Australia must be applauded for their courageous fight back in winning seven games in a row. Considering the competition, and the nature of one-day cricket, this is an outstanding achievement by a team who now stands tall in the enviable position as the number one playing nation in both forms of the game. Huge congratulations must go to Steve Waugh and his World Cup champions who fly back to Australia today for what will be a heroes welcome reserved for kings. Every accolade they receive will be deserved, as will be the very well earned rest with families who have almost become strangers.
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