/ 5 April 2007

At last, now the real Cup starts

At last, the real World Cup has begun. Bantamweights and basket cases have been sent home and, after a fortnight of anarchy on the field — and tragedy off it — the tournament now has a chance to settle into some sort of rhythm.

For the front-runners, the coming week will be one of pacing themselves and sticking to the mission.

For Bangladesh and Ireland, invited to stay at the ball after ugly stepsisters India and Pakistan were ejected, the fairy tale is likely to become less magical as defeats pile up, but even if carriages turn back into pumpkins, both teams have already injected a naive energy and optimism into the tournament, a bracing antidote to the cynicism and jaded play that the two Asian teams had been inflicting on us before they departed.

India have gone home to promises of purges, calls for the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, and the launch of a breakaway league, funded by a tycoon. Those international stars who play in it may well find themselves rebels without a cause: Indian cricket seems to be in serious trouble, and that it manages to remain middling at best, given the money and talent at its disposal, suggests that its administrators are among the most incompetent in the world.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has always been a mess, relying on brilliant individuals to float to the top, rather than developing any kind of feeder system. Until six months ago, it was a method that could be humoured. But, given their desperate capitulations this year, it seems that not even the traditional scatter-shot approach can save Pakistan.

Indeed, except that it would cause a small war in the region, the International Cricket Council would do well to suspend Pakistan from the international game until it sorts out the dreadful mess it has made of its affairs.

The ICC is, after all, fond of hammering those who bring the game into disrepute, and Pakistan have been doing nothing else since their tour of South Africa late last year. (If more grounds need to be found, it might be worth pointing out that the polecat Zimbabweans can boast a president fractionally more legitimately in power than Pakistan’s, and a considerably more optimistic squad.)

But all is not rotten in Asia.

Bangladesh will be bowing out of the tournament on Thursday the 19th, their last outing in the Super Eights, but when they go they will leave behind some pleasantly surprised pundits.

Their batting is still profligate when it should be miserly, or constipated when runs are needed, and they lack depth in their bowling, but the wholesale surrenders of recent years seem to have been outgrown.

This is a team that wants to fight, and has finally decided to learn how. More than that, it seems to want to develop its own style of play: fans have been alternately delighted and confounded by the repeated use of a shot that one can only describe as a shovel over short fine leg. It is comical but curiously effective when it comes off, especially on slower pitches. One can’t help wondering if this is going to be coach Tom Moody’s contribution to the international game, much as the reverse-sweep was the darling of Bob Woolmer. I hereby dub it the Bangladesh Bunt, and long may it prosper.

How long South Africa will prosper in this tournament remains uncertain. Before Tuesday’s win over Ireland, Ian Botham opined that there were only three teams in the running — Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka — but conceded that the Proteas couldn’t be written off. No doubt, Tuesday’s result would have left him none the wiser.

As thumping wins go in one-day cricket, it was strangely inconclusive. In fact, despite looking very good, the South Africans failed to answer any of the questions that had been asked so rudely by the Australians a fortnight ago.

Shaun Pollock was blessedly unplayable, but did it count on a rain-bedevilled pitch against amateurs? AB de Villiers is now gunning for four ducks in the tournament, but is it really a bad thing if he self-destructs against minnows if he’s carving up Australians? Jacques Kallis batted elegantly and fluently, but why did he slow down as the victory target approached? Does any of it matter? And should Robin Peterson retire this week, or wait until next week? After all, if he’s not going to get a game against Ireland, he might as well start sending out his résumé.

But for now, let’s take the points and eye that fourth spot: three thoroughbreds and a black sheep might make for fascinating semifinals.