Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

An Unforgettable Tournament.

This world cup will never be forgotten.

Because simply put, the premier event of the International Cricket Council failed to ignite the passion and the zeal of a cricket world cup, say as a football world cup does. True football is a far reaching game, more famous than cricket, more nations play it than cricket. But then the way the tournament was administered, it doesn’t give a very good impression to those nations who are trying to learn the game or even adopt it.

Because even though the stadiums were quite good, well located and the facilities were good enough, the travel arrangements and the spacing of the matches was so uneven that traveling band of fans had to make a zillion arrangements to catch their teams in action. So many of them decided to stay put in one of the islands and then watch the matches that were being held there. If in a world cup, you can’t follow your team around to support it, what’s the point?

Because the ICC designed such a long tournament, that just thinking about it makes you yawn. The group matches were increased by increasing the number of teams and subsequently the number of groups. It is alright to increase the number of teams since this is the showpiece event of cricket, but there could be a more logical planning put in place. The first round of matches took two and a half weeks to be completed. On many occasions only one match was being played per day. This meant that a 51 match tournament took 6 weeks to complete. If the ICC is serious about expanding the game and bringing more teams to the world cup, we need something better than this. In the same scenario, if we had like 32 teams participating as in a football world cup, it would take approximately 6 months to complete a cricket world cup.

Because the ICC is just too greedy became increasingly evident during this world cup. the tournament was too long by any standards and this was done not keeping in mind the interest of the spectators, but its own. Only two matches per day was the limit so as to generate as much revenue from the television audiences all over the world. They have to understand that even the millions sitting at home will only tune in if the tournament progresses at a healthy rate and does not stagnate. Thus atleast the first round matches should have been done and dusted within a week or so. Playing four matches per day that is. They surely had the stadiums available. Which brings us to the on field spectators.

Because the ICC even managed to drive away the coolest cricket fans away from the grounds. They managed to drive away the most fanatic supporters away in India during the Champions trophy by pricing the tickets too high. One thought that they might have learnt their lessons then. But no was the answer as again the ticket prices were exorbitantly high. Rates of the range of 100 US$ per head were common in almost all matches and it was no surprise that the spectators kept away from the grounds. Congratulations to the ICC to have achieved something which is quite difficult in the Carribean, i.e keeping the calypso away from the cricket.

Because this world cup saw two great cricketing powers go down in shambles. India and Pakistan both returning after the first round itself, dealing the ICC and the sponsors a huge loss speculated to be to the tune of Rs.1500 crores. Not to mention cricket lost a lot of sheen in the next few weeks. On the other hand, teams like Bangladesh and Ireland brought a new look to the second round of the cricket world cup showing that the opposition quality in ODIs is just a myth. Bangladesh actually raised a few eyebrows as they highlighted the uncertainty of the game that is cricket, first beating India and then South Africa, and then losing to Ireland, who themselves had already taught Pakistan a lesson or two.

Because the other teams in the fray also managed to catch the headlines as almost all lost form in the middle of the tournament. Though they didn’t exactly choke, the South Africans’ loss of form especially their middle order just became a riddle they could not solve. New Zealand started well and even reached the semi finals only to fizzle out. England and West Indies were, well there to complete the numbers, as they bowed out without ever staking a serious claim to a semi final berth. The West Indian loss hurt the tournament greatly as the home side s fortunes were seen as a last hope to revive the tournament with a spark. While Sri Lanka looked like the only team to mount a serious threat to the Australians, but that debate too was put to rest by one Adam Gilchrist.

Because Australia continued their domination of world cricket by winning an unprecedented third straight title. 28 matches unbeaten in three world cup editions. It will take a lot of brain scratching to find another such run of domination in any other sport by a single team, maybe Ferrari and Michael Schumacher in Formula 1. But in F1, it’s all dependent on the machinery too as proven last year in Japan when Schumacher’s car blew up. Here it’s this team that is the machinery and this machine just doesn’t stop. It’s well oiled and isn’t getting rusted any sooner. Plus the spare parts which will replace the old ones are just as good. This mean machine will continue to roll on many opponents for the years to come. 2011 is merely four years away.

Because sadly too many stalwarts played their last world cup and there was only one sufferer, the game. Inzamam-ul-Haq was the first to go, accompanied by Anil Kumble. Brian Lara was the next big casualty as the West Indians could not even muster enough grit to hand him a final winning good bye. Champions like him deserve to go out on a high and that’s what exactly the Australians gave to Glenn McGrath. The Pigeon could not have asked for more than the trophy and the man-of-the-series award. Cricket is poorer post world cup 2007.

Because the world cup finally came to an end, albeit a dramatic one. Actually many had lost hope it would. But a farce of a tournament ended in a farce. A rain curtailed game, 38 overs a side and the last three overs played out in pitch black darkness, not to mention the drama which preceded that. It proved beyond doubt that the best four umpires in the game and the best match refree in cricket had little knowledge as to the rules of the game. The Australians were shocked to hear that they will have to come out again the next day to bowl 3 overs and it was the presence of mind shown by the two skippers that the match finally ended. The match should have ended earlier when the Sri Lankans accepted bad light and saved cricket from this embarrassment. If the ICC wants to project a good image of the game in countries it is trying to get a foot in, it was a poor advertisement of it.

Because cricket eventually claimed a life. Yes it killed someone for reasons not yet entirely known. And there is doubt if they will ever be known. Was he killed because he was about to blow the whistle on the match fixing saga or was it something to do with the book he was writing on the religion creeping up in the Pakistani team. Or was it merely the act of fanatic fans upset with the loss to Ireland. By the way, Ireland’s national academy was coached by Bob Woolmer under ICC’s programme to increase the game’s reach. Who ever it was, whatever the reason might be, he is gone. The man who gave cricket so much, even his life, it’s such a pity he got only death in return.

This world cup will never be forgotten.

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Australia blow Sri Lanka away……..

Swish, swoosh, zoom, whiz, thump, slam, bang. That’s all the noise the menacing blade of Adam Gilchrist (still a wooden bat) made as it thumped the Sri Lankan bowling to all parts of the ground. After the carnage was over, when Gilchrist finally got out to an unforgettable 149, there was only one question remaining. Why was Mahela Jayawardene smiling after the toss?

The Sri Lankan skipper might have gone out for toss expecting a good day. After all it was the world cup final and they were the second best team in the tournament. But for all the talk about the pitch and its bounce, Jayawardene actually didn’t know what to do. In reality, it was more like he wanted to lose the toss and let Australia decide. His wish came true and one wonders now, is he regretting wishing that?

Of course he is. Take a look at these statistics. First ten overs yielded 46 runs for no loss as Australia batted first in a rain curtailed 38 over game after Ricky Ponting won the toss. There were only two power plays to be executed and the Sri Lankans delayed the second one for nine overs after the first one. End result? Those 9 overs were smashed for 89 runs. No Sri Lankan bowler gave away less than 6 runs an over. Everything they tried went waste. The ball did not swing in the hands of Vaas, Malinga or Fernando. Neither did it spin in the hands of Murali or Dilshan. All it did was visit the boundary in quick succession as the Australian wicket-keeper launched the most brutal attack this (otherwise boring) tournament has seen. Inspite of his indifferent form in the tournament, only he could do it on such a grand stage, what Adam Gilchrist did. He scored a majestic ton of only 72 balls. His first ever century in three world cups played. He ended with 149 runs off 104 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes. A savage batting display indeed.

The Sri Lankans didn’t do much wrong though. They fielded well and even bowled well. The simple fact that Hayden who has notched over 600 runs in the tournament struggled is testimony enough. Or that Ponting and Symonds failed to score at a run-a-ball only shows that it was the special magic of Gilly that failed the Sri Lankans. Not that they could do anything about it. Or that it wasn’t enough to win Australia its third straight world cup.

The only thing that stood between Australia and glory was well, their mental strength. And we know this side is mentally as well as physically tough. But it had been done before. Remember the best ODI ever played? South Africa doing the unimaginable and what bigger stage than the world cup final to do the same but by Sri Lanka. It all depended on how Jayasuriya would play and the support he would be getting from the other batsmen. Well they tried and for a moment, when Sangakkara and Sanath were batting, they were actually ahead of the Aussies on score comparison. However it wasn’t to be. The rain gods intervened and so did the D/L method, virtually putting the match beyond the reach of the Lankans. Almost as if even the Gods wanted Australia to lift the trophy too, such has been their domination.

And so it ended, but not without another twist. This time a farce being played out after the Sri Lankans had accepted bad light. What it shows is that the players have more knowledge about the game than the officials governing it. But let’s leave it to that and look at the positive side. The Australians got to celebrate twice. And if you do think about it, wasn’t it deserved?

Another stalwart of the game walks away into the shade. Glenn McGrath bid farewell to the game and what a farewell it was. A third straight world cup win, four consecutive appearances in the world cup finals, above 500 test wickets, he’s done it all. And to top it up, he was voted the man-of-the-series. We will miss you Pigeon.

29 matches, that’s how long this unbeaten run in the world cups has lasted. The Australians were last beaten in the 1999 world cup by Pakistan in a league match. When the next defeat will come, only God knows. Can we bet on it to be in 2011?