A tortuous series of irrelevant preambles is being played before getting down to the real nitty-gritty of the World Cup
CRICKET: Vic Marks
THE match between England and South Africa should have been a crucial, spine-tingling affair, but such is the ludricrous format of this World Cup that it is little more than a form guide.
The world’s premier players gather once every four years for a festival of cricket, the game’s showpiece, yet for the first three weeks of competition the matches are almost meaningless, glorified exhibition games, despite the TV pundits’ best efforts to enthuse us.
Only if one of the four minnows —Zimbabwe, Kenya, Holland and UAE — cause an upset, and there is little sign of that so far, are the names of the quarter-finalists in doubt. This undermines the integrity of the tournament. For example, we should have been transfixed by a contest between India and West Indies, Brian Lara pitched against Sachin Tendulkar, yet it is far more relevant to keep an eye on the progess of UAE or Kenya just to make sure they don’t disturb the old order.
What a wasted opportunity, tantamount to a betrayal of cricket fans in the sub-continent, as well as the worldwide television audience. To cap it all, the matches played so far have been woefully one-sided. We must wait until March 9 and the quarter-finals for the real cricket to begin.
This lamentable situation could easily have been avoided; it is another area where the International Cricket Council, anxious to be rid of their impotent image, might have intervened to ensure a format that offers a meaningful competition from first to last.
The quarter-final stage could have been scrapped; this would have meant that every preliminary game was vital, as each team strived to finish in the top two of their group to qualify for the semi-finals. Or, if this was deemed to deny the organisers too many matches and all the lovely TV and advertising lolly, they should have imitated the system used in Australia and New Zealand four years ago: one league of 10 teams (the nine Test-playing countries plus one minnow, the winner of the ICC Trophy), who would play each other once. The top four would then contest the semi-finals.
As it is, the teams are indulging in a phoney war prior to March 9. The crazy format is highlighted by the fact that Australia and West Indies can forfeit their games against Sri Lanka without damaging their chances of winning the tournament.
There have been some vignettes to savour. The South African fielding has been breathtaking and Sachin Tendulkar, with 290 impish runs in three knocks, has already reminded us that Lara has a serious challenger. Their much- hyped duel in Gwalior never materialised, but compare the two little geniuses in the field.
Tendulkar was constantly animated, cajoling his teammates and forever in conversation with his captain, Azharuddin, suggesting this and that. Lara, in contrast, still looked a forlorn figure, subdued and remote at first slip as West Indies were humbled.
In the same game, Azharuddin, at the age of 33, fielded like a colt and snatched a stunning catch at midwicket, while Anil Kumble produced a masterful spell of aggressive spin bowling. He did not set out to contain but to bamboozle unsuspecting opponents. Magic moments, but how much better it would be if they had occurred in matches that really matter.