With the score 6/2 in a tricky chase, Australia’s moment of truth had arrived. The team, struggling with self-doubt since several of their stars retired last season, were expected to buckle under pressure. But Shane Watson and Cameron White proved that the old Aussie trait of firing at crunch time hadn’t been forgotten entirely.

Watson followed his match-winning ton in the semi-final with another century knock, sparking off comparisons (at least temporarily) with Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, hailed as a worthy successor to those who saved their best for the worst situations.

And skipper Ricky Ponting was at peace after the realisation that there will continue to be men around him who can be trusted when the chips are down, especially on days when significant silverware is at stake; happy that the Aussie assembly line of champions is still rolling out men with steel in their nerves.

The big picture

More than anything, the Champions Trophy victory on Monday night gave Australia reassurance when they needed it most. On the eve of the title clash, Ponting hadn’t been too keen to look at the bigger picture. He had appreciated the role played by the juniors in his side in ensuring the team had not lost on the road to final, but he had seemed unsure about the ability of his young team to deliver the knock-out punch.

“As I said to Cameron White and Shane Watson, the situation doesn’t get much harder than what it was for them tonight. We lost two early wickets in chase of a low score and we had two relatively young guys at the wicket. To see these young guys stand up and get us across the line has been very satisfying. That has always been the feature of the Australian teams, if the bigger guys don’t perform we always have some of the younger guys who stand up and perform,” a beaming Ponting said after the final.

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