Arneeb Mahbub :
March 29, 2015 was no ordinary day in any of the cricket playing countries. It was the only day in history where two co host nations, arguably the best two of the whole tournament, fought in a gritty encounter, on the grandest stage of the cricketing echelon. Australia vs New Zealand was the clash of clashes and the only way the gravity of this match could be beaten is if Brazil and Argentina wrestled in a world cup final at the Maracana or India and Pakistan threw bullets to burn in Mumbai.
Although the performance far less exceeded the hype, the atmosphere both inside and outside the MCG was palpable and the excitement caught the imagination. Any tourist passing by could not help but ask, “what is going on” and “I want to be a part of this”.
Outside the stadium legends like Brian Lara and Steve Waugh were only touching distance discussing who has the better chance of winning the cup. Fans came in droves to buy merchandise and get their faces painted. The shops could do nothing but try and beat the bottlenecking lines of thousands of fans.
There was so much of a turnout that the New Zealand jerseys were completely sold out and a new record was broken for fan attendance in Australia, the official number coming to 93,013.
Inside the stadium, the electricity of excitement was in a constant cacophony of “oos” and “ahhs” and “YAAAY”. This was amplified at the sight of other legends like Scott Styris and Kevin Pietersen casual selfies with eager fans.
The turnout was such that most of the fans who supported other nations ended up supporting New Zealand to counter the Australian army.
Drums and music broke the chorus of “Aussie” chants as the Indian fans who so dearly wanted to see their team play in the final could do nothing more than find an excuse to play the drums and try and break the momentum of the mighty Australians.
Yes, the final did not match the brand of cricket displayed throughout the tournament, but that does not mean that the tournament was a failure.
Any tournament that has close to five hundred sixes is a monument to entertainment and thus should be hailed as attractive advertisement to the sport itself.
Inside the MCG, every fan knew this and cheered every boundary and every wicket. Even great pieces of fielding was praised with loud clapping and love for both teams. At the end of the day every fan that attended had a great time, regardless of the outcome.
I can safely say that I was part of history in arguably the greatest cricket world cup ever played. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has done justice to cricket and will forever be hailed as one of the biggest cultural hotspots for Australian tourism.
