India’s exit from the tournament is reason enough that many Indian cricket fans would stop following the tournament altogether. I mean, how does it matter to the Indian fan who wins? Only the die-hard will see the key matches hoping for some good cricket. Right? One hopes not, actually. Cricket is so much a part of an Indian that the World Cup is his pilgrimage. And the rude end to this pilgrimage may not be handled too well by most.

In our conversations with some fans, we have found that cricket is today only as important as any other soap opera at prime time. The earlier fights for the remote and control over the TV has reduced considerably. Only perhaps an England v West Indies or Australia v New Zealand match will arouse some good interest. And who can blame them? The time for watching a match live is just too wrong. Most people have to go to work and following it beyond the first innings (that ends at about 10.30 pm) is criminal.

Honestly, this could be one reason that the Caribbean may not host another World Cup for a very long time. It’s not well suited to the large TV audiences around the world. Matches in Australia are no problem to follow for the subcontinent or even England. Ditto for games in South Africa and the games in England may be a bit of a problem for Aussie fans, but they are pretty used to it now thanks to the Ashes!

What has also been disappointing is the lack of crowds at the grounds. A similar problem was noticed at the recent ICC Champions Trophy. With limited venues and too many matches, the cost of tickets can be prohibitive. But the ICC and the organisers did not reduce the cost or even make it free. As a result, the locals have all but abandoned the matches. Brian Lara has already gone on record lamenting the lack of support and with India and Pakistan bowing out, even those who had planned trips to the Caribbean have reconsidered and some, canceled.

While the format would come under scrutiny, it cannot be an excuse for two exits. Upsets are part of the game but one upset cannot decide the fate of a team, right? It happens in tennis with an upset in the early rounds but there are more top players to fill the void in a pool of 128 players in a Grand Slam. If this is the Grand Slam of cricket, two of the top seeds are out and that leaves a small field of six top teams to pull in the crowds. Rather inadequate. With Bangladesh and Ireland, it has also meant that 12 matches have suddenly become one-sided. That translates to 12 days of lost revenue on TV, crowds in the stands and lack of interest.

Will this issue be addressed? Is there an issue to start with? Should the top eight teams be ensured entry into the later stages? The obvious answer is yes, at least until the lesser teams are good enough to put up a fight. There would be many who would not like or agree with this solution, but in a world that comprises eight big names, the securities needed to keep the business going are tremendous. Tough decisions need to be taken and the ICC will need to make them. They don’t have the best track record in this regard, but for once, they will need to do it.