ICC Champions Trophy 2009: Revival of the 50 overs format

The Knockout stage

Australia, buoyed by thrilling win over Pakistan, came out all guns blazing in the first semi final and thumped England by 9 wickets to reach the final. Having bowled out their traditional rivals for a competitive 257, Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting made a mockery of the run chase. Both posted attractive hundreds during a record 252 runs association as Australia overhauled the target with more than 8 overs to spare. In the second semi final, the Kiwis continued to punch above their weight and pulled off a 5-wicket win over Pakistan at Johannesburg to setup a trans-Tasman final.

The Aussie bowlers continued their impressive show in the final and restricted New Zealand to 200/9. There was an initial stutter in the Australian reply but Watson, once again, showed his utility as an opener and brought up his second consecutive unbeaten hundred to help his side become the first team to successfully defend the title.

Notwithstanding the off field troubles which almost threatened to scrap the event, the sixth edition of the Champions Trophy was a resounding success. With matches taking place at the start of the season, there was plenty of help for the seamers and the whole tournament saw an even contest between bat and ball, and often it was the team playing better brand of cricket on the given day that came out on top. More importantly, life was breathed back into the 50 over version of the game, the bread and butter for ICC since the 1970s, which seemed to be on the verge of extinction.