India Wins ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Chasing, the victory target set by the Lankan team, 274 runs to win, the host India lost its two opening batsman, Master and Blaster, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early on but Gautam Gambhir and Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rebuilt the innings and sealed the victory in India's favour by six wickets with 10 balls to spare. With the victory India crowned itself with the prestigious 'World Cup Trophy' at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2 April, business capital of India. Pre-tournament favorites India spectacularly broke the jinx of the nation hosting the final of the World Cup not clinching cricket's most treasured prize in earlier editions.

India rewrote history -- a piece of which they had first scripted 28 years ago -- capping a run that got better and better as the 2011 World Cup progressed.

Clash of Asian Giants

Two Asian teams faced each other in ODI World Cup Cricket final for the first time ever. Since 1992, every final of the World Cup tournament has had one Asian team but never had both finalists been from South Asia. Moreover, this is first time in the ICC Cricket World Cup history that the host country has won the title of 'Championship.' This was the second consecutive final for Sri Lanka, who lost out to Australia in 2007. The country has won the title by defeating Australia in 1996. While India also entered third time in the final of the tournament. After winning the silverware in 1983, India on second time had entered in the final in 2003, but lost to Australia that time. As the victory shot was hit by the Indian captain, frenzied celebrations erupted across the country with people bursting firecrackers, distributing sweets and dancing in the streets waving the tricolour. Ecstatic fans, who had been glued to TV sets since afternoon, spilled into the roads, greeting each other, honking cars and dancing to the beats of drums, choking key street intersections and main thoroughfares. A festive atmosphere prevailed across the country. India's President, Pratibha Patil watched the pulsating final with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Mahinda Rajapaksa. With this, the six weeks journey of the tournament of the 10th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup-2011 came to an end.

Yuvraj Singh, who strode in to strike some imperious blows, was declared Man of the Series for his stupendous all-round effort for the triumphant Indian team. His two wickets in the final made his total tally of wickets soar up to 15, making him the sixth highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He also has scored 362 runs in the World Cup. Indian captain Dhoni was Man of the Match.

Memorable Moments

The tournament has helped create some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport, including one of the most dramatic games of all time, when Australia and South Africa tied the Cricket World Cup 1999 semifinal, and one of the greatest shocks, when India defeated West Indies in the final of the 1983 event. India's star batsman, Sachin Tendulkar was the official event ambassador for the International Cricket Council World Cup 2011. In his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 ambassador he was called upon to promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives for the tournament. Tendulkar’s sixth World Cup campaign finally turned out to be the one he will remember for the rest of his life — 19 long years since the day he played his first Cup match back in 1992.

Semifinals

Chasing, the target set by India, 261 to win, Pakistan fell short by 29 runs in a high-voltage second semi-final match, played at Mohali in Chandigarh. With this win, India not only qualified for the final, but its World Cup record remain intact (India have won all five encounters against Pakistan in World Cup).

The enabled India to maintain its unbeaten record against the arch rivals in 36 years of World Cup history, was the result of some brilliant bowling and fielding show by the home side after its much-vaunted batting line-up had posted a modest 260 for nine to which Man of the Match Sachin Tendulkar made a lucky 85-run contribution.

Sri Lankan team entered for the title clash, outclassing New Zealand by 10 wickets at the Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 29 March. New Zealand were dismissed for 217 in 48.5 overs. After the way Sri Lanka demolished England in the last match, New Zealand needed to post a score in excess of at least 250 to have a realistic chance of stopping the home team from storming into their second straight World Cup final.

After winning the silverware in 1983, India on second time had entered in the final in 2003, but lost to Australia that time. Two Asian teams will face each other in ODI World Cup Cricket final for the first time ever. Since 1992, every final of the World Cup tournament has had one Asian team but never have both finalists been from South Asia.

End of Murali's Magic

One of the finest and at the same time controversial spinners of all time, Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan bowed out of international cricket as highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs though he failed to make any impact in his swansong match -- the World Cup summit clash against India. The 38-year-old off-spinner walked into sunset after an illustrious 19-year career as Sri Lanka lost to India in the World Cup final by six wickets. Muralitharan has already quit Test cricket with a record 800 wickets.

Muralitharan's swansong appearance on home soil could not have been better as he scalped a wicket of his last ball in international cricket, a similar feat that happened in his final Test, in the World Cup semifinal.

Other Highlights

The opening match of the ongoing tournament was played between India and Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla national stadium in Mirpur in Bangladesh on 19th February, while the Final match of the world cup was held on 2 April, 2011 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai city, business capital of India. The tenth edition of cricket's quadrennial showpiece, featured 14 teams, played in India, a dozen in Sri Lanka and eight in Bangladesh. Nine editions of the tournament have taken place to date, with the event being won by Australia on four occasions (1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007), West Indies twice (1975 and 1979), and India (1983), Pakistan (1992) and Sri Lanka (1996) on one occasion. The 2011 Cricket World Cup winning team took home a prize money of US$ 3 million and US$ 1.5 million for runner-up. The 43 days (19 February to 2 April 2011) event returned to the subcontinent after 15 years, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are jointly hosting this world cup. Pakistan was also to host the world cup but lost the opportunity because of security reasons. India hosted cricket world cup in 1987 along with Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1996. The Current world cup is the third world cup for India. India is the second country to host cricket world cup for more times after England, which hosted world cup for four times.

Sri Lankan opener was just three runs ahead of Sachin Tendulkar on the list of the highest run-scorers in the current World Cup, but he took his tally to 500 runs with what was not exactly his most fluent innings in the tournament.

Indian seam bowler Zaheer Khan is the joint highest wicket taker in the World Cup along with Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. Zaheer ended up with a tally of 21 wickets.

Gary Kirsten ended his term as the Indian cricket team coach on a euphoric note, guiding the country to an historic World Cup triumph.

Natural Disasters: Lesson for People

The recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan have once again sent a wave of horror among the nations of the world. As a result of this devastating quake, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes, thousands of bodies have already been discovered and search is going on to find more. The international community is seriously concerned because the recent quakes have also affected the nuclear reactors and there are reports of radiation leaks from some of these reactors. Japan has asked the World Commission for assistance in handling the crisis, so that any possible crisis can be prevented in time.

The way tsunamis and earthquakes have frequently caused destruction in numerous countries around the world during the past few years is something very worrying. The Western scientists and people under their influence have established big research centers and institutions to find out the reasons and causes of natural disasters. Based on their knowledge and ability, they have discovered some of the causes and have also come up with ways to prevent such disasters.

Modern Technology vs Natural Disasters

The surprising thing is that Japan, a country that has made great progress in the field of science and technology, has been hit by an earthquake. All the coastal areas of Japan were made "earthquake-proof" and they even had equipment that can provide advance warning when a quake is on its way. But when devastating earthquake hit Japan, neither were the quake-proof buildings and houses able to survive nor was the equipment able to give any warning. This incident has once again exposed the weaknesses in modern technology and has forced people to think that human wisdom and knowledge is still not as powerful as the forces of nature.

We are not saying that finding out the reasons and causes of these earthquakes and tsunamis is useless or pointless. But what we mean is that in addition to finding out about the worldly causes of such disasters, we should also pay attention to the spiritual factors behind these tragedies that often go beyond human wisdom and knowledge. In simple words, we need to find out the worldly factors that lead to such disasters and take effective measures to avoid those factors.

God and his messenger -- Prophet Mohammad -- has told us everything about when and why such disasters strike humans. The most significant of these reasons are the wicked deeds that bring the wrath of God. We can find a lot of examples of these deeds among the nations that came before us. Earthquakes, storms, floods, and other natural disasters have destroyed countless powerful nations, erasing all signs of their existence. All this was a result of disobedience of God by these nations.

Impact of Vulgarity and Immorality

As far as earthquakes are concerned, it has been said that they occur when vulgarity and immorality are widespread on earth. Now we can see this truth with our own eyes. The "naked" culture of Europe and the West has promoted vulgarity and immorality. Under these circumstances, the occurrence of earthquakes and tsunamis is not something to be surprised about. In fact, it gives us a glimpse of the kind of punishment we will get for our sins.

All of this means that along with worldly causes of natural disasters, we also need to address the spiritual factors behind such tragedies and make sure we follow the commandments of God and his messenger.

Performing Good Deeds

Moreover, such disasters and tragedies are a warning from the nature that no matter how hard the humans work, they can never reverse the unwavering decisions of the nature. When a minor natural disaster can cause so much damage and destruction, is it something hard for the creator of this universe to destroy the entire world? All these incidents take place, so that we can have faith in the day of judgment.

The people who still do not believe in the hereafter or show ignorance in this matter should learn their lessons from such incidents. They should prepare for the life after death before another horrible tragedy takes place and perform some good deeds that can help them avoid God's wrath. Otherwise, natural disasters can have an effect on anyone, anytime. Intelligent people will learn their lessons from such incidents rather than themselves being part of the lessons of history.

Is US on Decline?

The incident of burning Muslim holy book, the Qoran, in the United States is highly regrettable, shameful, and condemnable act. Although it is an incident of isolated nature, it has exposed the mentality and culture of a world power. The protest that should have been expressed against the incident in the United States has not been seen. This incident indicates that the United States is on the decline. The Muslim world should take a strict notice of this incident and pressure the US Administration to take action against the fake and cruel pastor to satisfy the sentiments of Muslims across the world and ensure that no one could even think of desecrating any holy book in future.

Basic Amenities

According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a 15-year-old US student is at 25th place in global ranking of mathematics and at 17th place in the ranking of science. After occupying first place as for number of graduates in a country, the United States is now at 12th place on this count in the developed world. As for high school enrolment (preceding word in English), the United States is at 79th place. As far as basic amenities are concerned, the United States comes at 23rd place in the world. All developed countries are far ahead of the United States in this regard.

According to health figures released by the OECD and World Health Organization (WHO), the situation in the United States is quite surprising and alarming. The United States is at 27th places on account of average age, 18th on account of diabetes, and first in obesity. The US performance has been good in these departments in the past, but not today.

The United States is still at first place in a few matters. For example, it has the highest number of private homes in the world. The highest crime rate in developed countries is in the United States. Moreover, the United States is also the most indebted country of the world. If the United States is facing difficulties today, it does not mean that the United States has committed some blunder. But the reality is that other countries are showing well. Japan has been giving a tough time to the United States for the past three decades. Tokyo has been the world's second biggest economy during these three decades. Rather, it is still the third biggest world economy.

It was said in 1980s that Japan would emerge as the most powerful country in the world. But it did not happen and the United States emerged the most powerful state. Japan is a very small country vis-à-vis area and population. Japan can pose a real danger to any developed country, but has no capability to become a superpower. As far as per capita income in concerned, Japan is much behind other countries. If China is to take over the United States in economic field, it will have to enhance per capita income to one-fourth of the United States, as it will be sufficient for the Chinese people.

Impact on Economy

In his latest book the Civilization: West And The Rest, Harvard University researcher Niall Ferguson writes that what the United States did during the past 500 years has been playing an important role in its development. Mancur Olson had written a book entitled The Rise and Decline of Nations several decades ago, which said that Germany and Japan, who suffered massive destruction during the Second World War, made exemplary development after the war, but the economy of Britain, which was declared victorious in the war, continued to grow weaker and it also lost the status of a superpower. Giving its reasons, the writer said after the victory, the people in Britain became satisfied. They were assured that they are the number one in the world. As a result, the British gave up competition with other nations. The British Government also abandoned the desire of overtaking the others.

However, Germany and Japan, which were completely destroyed in the war, decided to work hard and show to the world their superiority. Both these countries learned a lot from their defeat and destruction. The worst defeat made the Germans to do extraordinary in other fields. Therefore, the Germans rose up and regained their lost status just in four decades through great hard work. The defeat made the Germans to do soul-searching. They analyzed their mistakes and rebuilt all major industrial organizations afresh. They brought a revolution in the education sector and became the world's third big economy.

Changing Times

The United States not prepared to learn anything more. It thinks that whatever it has is enough to keep it on top. It is happy and satisfied with its position. It is not ready to change with the time. It must be remembered that only that nation progresses, which changes itself with changing times. Olson's research says that successful societies gradually start rotting. According to him, its solution is that no society should remain stagnant. Rather it should be flexible so that the changing times could be better negotiated with. It is government's job to make the best preparations for the future. It is also government's responsibility to make considerable investment in fundamental infrastructure and prepare young generation to look after new industries in keeping with changing times.

There is no doubt that the United States faces numerous difficulties. Its problems are also increasing. Analyzing the situation the United States faces today, experts emphasize two aspects. On one hand, is decline in social values and structure. The education system is weak and new generation lacks the spirit of working with full devotion. The political system in the United States has become ineffective. On the other, is there physical structure. Americans have made very little investment in the United States. Debt burden is on the increase and the infrastructure of basic amenities has become quite weak.

Ground Realities

If one sees these things coupled with many other small signs, he will come to know that the United States is fast declining. The US attempts to capture the world are continuously meeting with failures. Its dreams have shattered right from Vietnam to Afghanistan. These wars have inflicted irreparable loss on the US economy. And the US Administration is perhaps unable to realize this loss.

However, China is making a continued progress because of its wisdom and better strategy. If China got a conducive environment in coming 10 years and imperialist forces did not subject it to conspiracies, it will emerge as the world's biggest economic power. The US society is breaking from within as well. The ground realities in the United States are not coming to light. The crimes in the United States have increased to an alarming extent. If the United States did not change its policy of capturing the world, no one will be able to save it from declining.