When bowlers didn't have to bat

Ricky Ponting... mission accomplished.-AP

Like Rafael Nadal extending his clay-court winning streak, Team Australia is overpowering all opposition. Australia, by winning its third successive World Cup, has proved that it is the best cricket team by far. Its exemplary batting line-up ensured that the bowlers were not required to bat in the tournament. As a team it deserved the hat-trick of Cup wins.

Sona Balsam, Pollachi.Aussies' open & shut case

Ricky `Punter' Ponting and his bunch of supermen completely dominated the World Cup 2007 in the same way as they did in South Africa four years ago. It was said ahead of the World Cup that the tournament was an open one and the men from Down Under lacked firepower as they had lost two ODI series in succession.

But then it was a virtual rout the other way around with teams like South Africa and New Zealand losing very cheaply at the hands of the Aussies. Though players like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne are no more in the team, the Aussies have enough players to replace them and keep dominating world cricket. Unless rival teams recoup strongly, Ponting and his pals would definitely win again in 2011.

Sudarshan, CoimbatoreHeady variety

Well, this letter is not about the Aussie juggernaut, which ruthlessly mows down the competition time and again, but about one writer of the Sportstar family, who oozed class in his work in the past couple of months or so.

Right from the lead-up to World Cup 2007 till the very end of this mega event, which unfortunately ended in chaos, what emerged was this young sports analyst's unbridled energy, borne out of a great passion for the game. This, laced with sound judgment, made for articles of heady variety. Not always do passion and logic make perfect bedfellows, but they did in his case. This speaks volumes about the quality of the fare he dished out. Even at the cost of sounding repetitive, I would like to say that it is one thing to write about any subject and quite another to do the same enjoying it to the hilt. For, when you enjoy going about your work, you are bound to give pristine joy to others. In this world of sober events, perhaps Sports and Cartoons are the only two areas in the Print media where one can bring out the unspoilt child and still not be out of place.

Well done, S. Ram Mahesh, and particularly enjoyable was your Tour Diary.

Suresh Manoharan, Hyderabad