“ICC CWC 2015 – Way too long but heating up nicely!”

Mar 01, 2015 Sports

---

Colin E. H. Croft 

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is way too long.  It is all well and good to want to squeeze every last penny to be made from the event, but seven weeks is like trying to kill the real golden goose!
Many initially interested neutrals would probably have lost whatever interest they had by the time even quarter-finals come about, preliminary games taking more than four weeks to be completed.
Even ardent supporters not in Australia or New Zealand would probably only loosely follow their respective teams, then, at Q-F stage, re-begin paying attention as to how their teams would go.
A better game schedule could have been adapted ala European Football’s Champions League!
With host countries being New Zealand and Australia, it would have been apropos to have two preliminary games being played, one in each country, almost simultaneously, at least that same day, even if exact start times could not be contemplated, for time difference reasons of the countries.
ICC could even have scheduled one pool of teams in each country, then have them play against each other there, instead of continuously crisscrossing the Tasman Sea, wasting money and time.  That way, all preliminary games could have been completed in about two weeks.
Then, starting with quarter finals, teams could have been told to play in the opposite country, exchanging teams for countries, so that no one team would have that “home ground” advantage.
Yes, long gone are those days when we played fifteen, sometimes eighteen 50-overs games in twenty-one days, as was done in 1978-79 for Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket in Australia, with West Indies, Rest of the World and Australia duking it out, all at the very top of their game.
No complaints to any Players’ Associations then either about rest and travel days, as PA’s were still in their infancy and, in any case, no-one really cared about how much cricket one played at all.   We were all fit, ready, raring to go, and hungry to play against any of the world’s best cricketers.
You simply played; bowled as fast as possible, or batted with tremendous gusto; then, win or lose – WI won way more that were lost – packed bags, presented yourself to the motor-coach, thence to the airport, flying that night to the next destination, more often than not playing that next day too.
When you eventually got back to one of the major cities or Test venues in Australia like Sydney or  Melbourne etc., after a long so-called “country” trip, you would offer a short “Thank You God” prayer, for, then, you expected much more rest for a set of one-day finals, a “Super Test” or two.
Look, no-one is asking modern cricketers to do similarly, as rules have changed for the better, especially when it comes to players’ injuries and recuperation, but to play just two games in two weeks is not only robbing the public, but could even affect cricketers themselves and their outputs.
When CWC 2015 started, South Africa and Australia were odds-on favorites to reach the final.  That may not be so any longer.  India, defending champions, hit SA so hard, beating them so badly, by a whopping 130 runs, that SA will remember that beating for some time to come.
SA consider the “C” word – ‘choke’ – as semi-abuse, since they have done that often when in commanding positions in previous world cricket events, none more obvious than losing to Australia in 1999.  They panicked then, and lost their best chance, to date, at winning any CWC.
But against India last week, SA did choke, likely overawed by 90,000 of the sold-out 100,000 at Melbourne Cricket Ground fully kitted-out in the blue Indian regalia.  The deafening noises must have gotten to SA’s nerves, for they bowled, fielded, and especially batted like rank novices!
So, now, as WI had beaten up on Zimbabwe, so too did SA eventually also beat up on WI; 408-5.  Incidentally, which was better, Chris Gayle’s 215 or AB De Villiers’ 162 no?
Anyway, either New Zealand or Australia, maybe both, based on form and recent results, will be in the final come March 29, but for Australia to play just two of their first three scheduled preliminary games in the first two weeks of this competition is ridiculous, almost criminal.
No-one, neither players nor spectators and supporters anywhere, could benefit from that!
With their game v Bangladesh washed out, Australia were always going to be at a disadvantage, as incessant practice, fielding and fitness drills could never replace benefits gained in real game play.
New Zealand have had a very good World Cup 2015 to date, with decidedly aggressive batting and bowling, and playing regularly.  They have now played four games in two weeks, which have gotten the Kiwis ultra-sharp, battle hardened and ready for any eventuality.
“Gayle-Force 215”, an innings that was due and set in stone as the king of spades, and a wonderful century from Jamaican counterpart, Marlon Samuels, have whet West Indian appetites for more spectacular achievements, but dangerous India are next, a difficult undertaking for WI.  Enjoy!

---

---