Cricket World Cup final 2023: Australia def India to claim sixth title, and their best of all

With their incredible upset, Australia has now won a record six World Cup titles – and none has been greater than in the heat of Ahmedabad, writes Robert Craddock. This was their best ever.

This was the best of Australia’s six World Cup final wins – and it served India right for overcooking the goose.

Pat Cummins men walked into the most intimidating setting an Australian white ball team had faced in the five-decade history of the game and brazenly stared down the giants of the game.

Australia won cricket’s 50-over World Cup in a canter in front of almost 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad, where the sound of silence became an eerie and immensely satisfying backdrop to an upset win.

Every World Cup win has its own special story and sense of grandeur.

Australia’s tournament victory over England in 1987 in India was special because it was so unexpected.

Its wins in South Africa in 2003 and the West Indies in 2007 stood out because they were undefeated, England 1999 had a mighty late surge and 2015 in Australia sparkles eternally because it was at home.

Glenn Maxwell and David Warner celebrate with the World Cup. Picture: AFP

But Sunday’s Travis Head inspired victory was surely Australia’s greatest final win and gives an aging generation of Australian players the right to say they were part of not just a good generation but a great one.

After several years of public indifference to the national squad it seems mainstream Australia is again falling in love with its cricket team again.

Former Test great Ian Healy even suggested on SEN radio on Monday that the dynamic Head should be withdrawn from this week’s T20 series in India and brought home to Adelaide to be paraded before his adoring home fans on the circuit of this week’s Adelaide 500 motor race.

Cricket legend Allan Border, who knows from gruelling experience the challenges of facing India in their conditions, was enthralled by the win.

“There’s just something about Australia in World Cups – they just seem to be able to handle the pressure but this win was really special,’’ said Border was captain of Australia’s first World Cup win, also in India, in 1987.

This was a victory plucked from the game’s top shelf. It wasn’t one thing that made it special. It was everything.

Pat Cummins bravery by fielding first at the toss. Heads’ brilliance with a freakish catch then a century. The clever slow balls on the slow pitch. Cummins bowling and bowling changes. Marnus magic. The tailor-made pitch. The crowd.

An epic achievement. Picture: AFP

Planning, poise and exceptional bravery … it had everything.

When Cummins was appointed national captain there was a chorus of concern over whether a bowler should be the first man through the gate because this had never been Australia’s way.

He has not simply challenged history but redefined it.

“I think he will probably look back in 10-15 years after his career is done and dusted and think this is the pivotal moment of his career,’’ former fast bowling star and Fox cricket expert Brett Lee said on Monday.

“Not only from a captaincy point of view but from a personal point of view as well because to beat India in India in front of a big crowd, it’s incredible.’’

As someone who bowled at express pace for almost two decades Lee knows better than anyone the acute physical and mental toll of his profession and he is in awe of Cummins progress.

“I don’t know how he does it but he does it. You have got to give this guy full credit. I think it’s because he’s such a great team man and that’s why people gravitate towards that. They love his style of cricket. He’s very honest. He’s very transparent. But he also backs himself and backs the team.’’

Since the Indian Premier League started in 2008 punters have been predicting that India would one day produce a team with statistical studs from one to 11.

Pat Cummins steered Australia to a mighty victory with astute leadership. Picture: Getty Images

Well there they were. In front of 100,000 fans. On a deck tailor made to their strengths.

Surely this is Australia’s greatest 50 over victory in any game.

The sweetness of it was enhanced because they beat India at their own dodgy deck game.

Ricky Ponting said the Australians arrived at the ground incredibly concerned about the ultra dry pitch.

Local curators pitched up an ugly, slow deck designed to help India’s slow bowlers and Australia responded by dropping their pace, cutting the ball, mixing fast balls with slow balls and throwing the Indians out of kilter.

Australia did their research which showed than spinners and seamers cleaned up in daylight hours at the venue and struggled desperately after dark.

It was compelling to watch highly credentialed Indian batsmen being picked apart, a piece at a time.

Cummins had his best game as captain by boldly bowling first, confusing and confounding the batsmen with his changes of pace and rotation of bowlers with seven changes in one nine over period.

Head, of course, had a stunning presence.

In a way he remains one of Cummins finest achievements for since Cummins took over as captain, he has encouraged Head to be himself and the batsman has surged to freakish heights.

Head is shaping as not simply a star of the present but a fabulous free spirit who can keep the glory years running.