Epitaph of the Cricket World Cup 2007

The Cricket World Cup is finally over and what a pathetic tournament it was. I'm not saying this because India and Pakistan were bumped out in the first round by minnows. They deserved that knock and it's only going to do them good in the long haul. I feel it was lackluster simply from an organizational perspective. The fans have indicated as much. In the tournament finale, the last few overs were played out in almost complete darkness. This happened when play was resumed after the Australians had already began their victory celebrations. Check out Cricinfo's bulletin on the final match for more details. Based on the management failure during this period, there are rumblings that Malcolm Speed may face a no-confidence motion. So much for a 'gentleman's' game! For an abridged version on the disappointment that was this tournament, check out this article. Excerpt:

In the end, it will be a tournament that will be remembered for the bad, ugly and terrible. A horrible death, under-performances, resignations, sackings, and retirements kept us busy. The legacy of this vast and meaningless World Cup will be despair and emptiness. It couldn't have ended sooner.

Not to take anything away from Australia though. They have demonstrated that they're leagues ahead of any other cricketing nation out there. I wonder what it would like to be an Australian fan knowing that your team could only fail against the most challenging and determined of opponents. They have given a lot to this game and it's only now that we'll start seeing some of their brilliance rub-off on the other teams. Interestingly though, based on the matches played during the last couple of weeks, I would bet even money that the so called minnows of cricket are learning from the professionalism Australia brings to the game. Bangladesh being a notable example: the triumph of team strength against only superstar performers. Pakistan and India would do well to create 'teams' based on the same model. For a more detailed analysis, check out this interesting (albeit loooong) article on cricket in the sub-continent, its past, present and future.

I should also bid farewell to the cricketing giants that will never grace the ODI fields again. Inzamam, Lara, McGrath and Fleming will be remembered as heroes and I'm disappointed that their careers came to an end at this juncture. Finally, I hope they nail Woolmer's murder investigation. If anything good should come out of this tournament, it should be justice to the legacy of the lone-ranger in the Pakistani camp.

permalink 0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment