London: ‘A new world champion for certain’, declared cricketer Ashwin Ravichandran as England posted an emphatic win against Australia in the semis on Thursday to enter the finals of the Cricket World Cup after a gap of 27 years.
The last time they reached the finals was in 1992 when Pakistan defeated them by 22 runs.
A new world champion for certain. #CricketWorldCup Well done England.?
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) July 11, 2019
Ravichandran’s Tweet following England’s victory in the knock out stage summed up the general mood in social media and among cricket pundits, that of England being the favourites to lift the World Cup in the finals on Sunday.
They take on New Zealand at the Lords on July 14 (Sunday).
The nation, which gifted cricket to the world, had almost faded into oblivion since the 1992 World Cup.
In 1996, they were trounced by Sri Lanka in the quarter finals. The 1999 world cup, followed by 2003, 2007 and 2015 proved much more disastrous for the team as they were knocked out in the group stage itself.
Should the team win the finals on coming Sunday, the victory will do a world of good for the game of cricket itself. For, the sport is rarely followed by the youngsters in the country today.
