Sporting An Opinion

Had things gone according to plan in the group stages, Sunday, April 15 would have seen India take on Pakistan in the World Cup. As it turns out, it is going to be Ireland versus Bangladesh! Not to belittle the teams, but the fact is that with India and Pakistan both missing out on the second stage, a lot of the sheen has been taken off the tournament.

In most respects, this seems like a match up of equals, but Bangladesh would have the upper hand having beaten India and South Africa. Ireland did beat Pakistan, but in the Super Eight, they have been thrashed by most teams.

Bangladesh will not finish at the bottom of the table and would like to make sure there are no loopholes in that by beating Ireland. They still have a match left against the West Indies, but no one expects them to win that. Nonetheless, while Sunday’s match won’t exactly be the most exciting of all, it could put up some good cricket.

The real matches of difference, though, are on Monday and Tuesday. Australia takes on Sri Lanka and South Africa faces England. The South Africa-England match is a playoff now with New Zealand beating the Proteas on Saturday but Australia v Sri Lanka is for the top spot in the final standings.

Australia is way ahead on their net run rate and Sri Lanka could well yet take the top spot with two wins; their last match is against Ireland! Australia, on the other hand, could lose both their next matches (against Sri Lanka and New Zealand and well find themselves in second or even third place. But the question is who from New Zealand and Sri Lanka are desperate enough to avoid Australia in the semi-final? A better question, perhaps, would be does it matter?

In the knock out stage (which is really just the semi-final), one bad day and Australia could be out. And most teams making it to that stage would be giving it their all so the possibility cannot be ruled out. For the moment, the semi-final line-up looks to point to Sri Lanka versus New Zealand and Australia versus South Africa (we assume England won’t be able to beat South Africa).

After a crushing defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, New Zealand needs to bounce back quickly to remain in the running for a semi-final berth. Things have not yet become tough for the Kiwis, but their next match is against a resurgent South Africa and it’s not expected to be an easy outing. Stephen Fleming would be worried about the performance of his top order against the Lankans but he will hope to bat second against South Africa considering a battery of pacemen.

For South Africa, team selection will be a bit of an issue with Andre Nel showing form in his last match. But a one-dimensional attack against New Zealand could be trouble and they will want Peterson to play a big part. Graeme Smith was tonked around a bit against the West Indies but that was at the fag end of the match. He will still be looking for consistency and some penetration from his bowlers.

Smith has gone on record to say that he won’t want to worry about net run rate and would prefer to go through with an outright win record, but it’s perhaps not the smartest thing to do. While Smith can ensure his team does their best, he can’t guarantee what happens in other matches. On that front, Stephen Fleming seems to have his plans correct. He is worrying about the net run rate and if not for qualification, it could help ensure they don’t bump into Australia in the semis itself!

The key players for New Zealand would obviously be Scott Styris and Shane Bond while for South Africa, it would be Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock. Similar styles for all opposing numbers and the match does seem like an equal contest on paper. It would finally come down to the planning, pitch and nerves. Who will hold out better?

New Zealand needs this win to ensure they go through while South Africa needs it to keep England away and not make their game against England a playoff. At the moment, it’s just too close to call but one would have to say South Africa; they just seem more aggressive than the Kiwis despite having lost to Bangladesh.

No? We thought as much! There weren’t many on show either. And it was their home tournament; one they expected to do well in. But unfortunately, one again, internal politics and lack of coherence in the team (much like India, really) got the better of them. Brian Lara tried, both as captain and batsman, but after the first few matches, there was an air of resignation around him. None of his young stars had delivered and didn’t even look like they belonged there.

Dwayne Bravo was the next big thing in West Indian cricket but scores of 9, 16, 37*, 18 and 6 (not in any order) hardly indicate the talent that lies there. The 37*, his highest for the tournament, was against Zimbabwe and came in 54 balls. Like most others in the team, Bravo also did not look like he was interested in excelling. West Indies had promised much after their win over Pakistan (the win that came after being mauled by India) but just did not deliver.

One only hopes that players like Bravo don’t go the route some recent West Indian talents have. Franklin Rose, Ricardo Powell and Pedro Collins (where is he?) are a few of names that race to mind. In fact, so strong was Ricardo Powell’s aura that it completely destroyed him! He last played for the West Indies in 2005 (August 7 against India in Colombo) and will perhaps never play for them again. He was in the team for a good six years and some may argue that constitutes a career. On the international stage, though, he should have been able to put in a few more years. He was only 25 when he was dropped and at 27, is still in contention. But when was the last time you heard his name?

Franklin Rose is another such player. A true one-series wonder, he decimated India in 1996-97 and by 2000, was out of the team. Fifty-three wickets in 19 Tests over three years is not a record any international player wants to be credited with. But the problem is that he was never groomed to last on the international stage. Just like Powell and Collins weren’t. Collins is still in contention and with Darren Powell can form a potent opening bowling combination. But are the Windies prepared to take care of them as players and show them how to deal with stardom? It’s all part of the game. And to be fair, they could not handle Lara too well either. It was more Lara being handled by everyone else and keeping his wits about him that let him stay in the game for the last 16 years.

Again one can argue that players like Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle are stars in their own right. No argument. But to move from being stars “in their own right” to genuine stars, they need that final push. They need a winning team. They all have the talent, but they don’t seem to use it at the same time. And to do that for over 10 years is a fantastic achievement!

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Sir Viv Richards has said that he isn’t too thrilled with the way the World Cup has been organised. According to him, the excitement normally associated with cricket in the Caribbean is missing; even at the new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. He said, “Those of us who have played here know what it’s all about; the excitement factor. We are a vibrant people.” There is a lot of criticism about the organisation and despite the best intentions and efforts, it’s just not coming together as yet. Add to that the fact that the Windies will be knocked out soon and the attendances would dwindle further.
 
One team that doesn’t have to worry about getting knocked out is New Zealand and Craig McMillan says he is feeling good about New Zealand’s chances. Can’t really disagree with him considering New Zealand is playing some pretty fabulous cricket. One wonders if even Australia can stop them. McMillan is not getting overconfident, though. He knows there are some big matches coming up before the semi-final and New Zealand could still get knocked out if England can spring a miracle. But there’s more of a mathematical chance of that happening that reality!
 
Meanwhile, the developments in India are affecting the Bangladesh team in the Caribbean! Dav Whatmore’s open interest in coaching the Indian team has irked the Bangladesh board and apparently some players too. It’s not surprising. On the one side, his team’s enjoying their best month of cricket ever, but they are not winning. On the other, a job as the Indian coach would be the biggest challenge he could ask for as coach not to mention the riches it brings along! He is caught between a rock and a hard place and if he is seriously interested (which he insists he is), he had to make his intentions clear.
 
One of the biggest matches coming up is on Sunday between archrivals Australia and England and Australia would be itching to take revenge for the CB Series final loss. That loss sparked off a five-match losing streak before Ricky Ponting’s return brought them back into form and is now back on track to completing a hat-trick. The next three weeks shall reveal a champion but there is a lot of cricket to be played before that. And don’t mind the organisational glitches. Just enjoy!

Will you experience withdrawal symptoms with the upcoming two-day break in the cricket? Or do you think the cricket was never good enough to be addicted to? We are sure there are some who feel that way, but on the whole, it’s been pretty good cricket. If only the atmosphere at the grounds had been the same!

Enough and more has been said about the extravagantly high cost of tickets and how the crowds have found it forbiddingly expensive. Despite the best efforts of the organisers with pools in the stadiums and all being installed, the crowds simply haven’t been there. Not even for the West Indies matches.

The break also offers a good opportunity for officials to recharge before the final leg of the tournament. Once this break is over, the final scramble for the semi-final slots shall begin in all earnest. Australia seems like they will get there on a canter. As will Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa. England perhaps blew their hopes when the lost to Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, one of the two surprise exits in the first round, India, has begun the investigations into the debacle and the results are being seen already! Greg Chappell has already resigned and the race for the Indian coach will hot up once again. Dav Whatmore and Viv Richards have both shown interest but the mysterious ways in which Indian cricket works, it’s best not to make any predictions.

And there is more turmoil in Indian cricket with the announcement of the ICL. But Lalit Modi, BCCI vice-president, has said that the league is not possible without the BCCI support. That is true, but there may just be other ways to get this off the ground. The proposal now also has the support of some former players including Arun Lal. The uncertain days surrounding Indian cricket continue.

And it’s likely to be around for a while.

Subhash Chandra’s googly has landed right on the money and how the BCCI and ICC play it, only time will tell. Whether or not they play it with a straight bat is up to them but gauntlet has been thrown. It is interesting that a similar experiment back in the 70s was by another media mogul Kerry Packer. So the underlying theme of TV rights is definitely one of the factors.

But more than that, what Chandra proposes does hold promise. Whether he can pull it off, time will tell. But for the BCCI, it could not have come at a worse time. With increasing discontent among players and officials, the BCCI is in its worst phase in a long time and maneuvering all this would be a challenge.

As if the existing problems were not enough, Indian cricket’s most non-controversial player Sachin Tendulkar has responded to the allegations by coach Greg Chappell and this will further make things difficult for the board. How will they address all the discontent for comments by Tendulkar cannot be taken lightly. He is not the sorts who speaks out too often and when he does, it needs to be taken seriously.

Coach Greg Chappell’s future is in definite doubt but where it heads with regards Indian cricket will be decided on April 6 when the board meets. And Subhash Chandra’s announcement will certainly add to the agenda for April 6!

Upon closer scrutiny, the ICL proposal is nothing revolutionary. It promises better administration of the game and some more glitz around the sport. How much the fans and sponsors buy into it would depend on how the BCCI responds. Will they join forces or will Chandra be forced to play revolutionary? On face value, playing along seems the best recourse, but the BCCI is not known for towing someone elses line… not even the ICC!

The ICC response is another matter for consideration and a breakaway Indian league stands to affect the ICC’s commercial standing as well. In all this, one hopes the interests of fans and players are not ignored. Tough times ahead and the action begins on April 6. And yes, the World Cup continues!

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.

Every World Cup brings to the fore a new set of stars who one expects will replace some of the outgoing ones. On current evidence, there are a whole of lot of outgoing ones, but not nearly as many new ones on the horizon. Or are there?

Lasith Malinga is undoubtedly the latest bowling sensation to hit the cricketing world. His unusual action with some pretty good control and a heroic effort against South Africa have ensured he is in the news. And the Sri Lankans know that in Malinga, they have a future star and performer. They need to protect him against burnout and ensure he can play as long as possible.

The West Indies may have argued that Jerome Taylor is a new rising phenom but the team’s results are just not good enough. Nonetheless, he is a talent and something of a rarity in the West Indies: fast, accurate and wicket-taking! Another asset that needs to be managed well lest he also go the route some other promising talent did (remember Franklin Rose?).

Of course, more stars are born out of a situation more than choice. By that argument, players like Paul Collingwood, Shaun Tait, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Bond, Monty Panesar, Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith and many others still have a chance to make an impact. They have already done their bit but as we get closer to the part where nerves start to jangle, a player’s character would be tested. Even for someone like Malinga, could he repeat half his 4-in-4 in the semis against Australia? That would be the true test of his character.

It’s not all about the young stars, though. Old hands like Jacques Kallis, Sanath Jayasuriya, Matt Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shaun Pollock have already tasted success. With almost all the above playing in their last World Cup, the scramble to finish on a high is going to be tremendous! Which is where a little help from the younger stars in the team won’t hurt! A couple of exceptional performances from some of the younger players would go a long way and the experience of the seniors could well win the day!

So who has the best combination of the young and the old stars? We would think Sri Lanka!

Two years ago, Bangladesh shocked the world by beating Australia in an ODI. Today, they would be hoping for a similar performance but Australia on current form is the runaway favourite! There are conflicting signals coming from both camps with Ponting dismissing any lack of focus or intensity while Bangla captain Habibul Bashar says that the Bangladeshi gameplan is not dependent on Australia! Strange as that sounds, it may be best for Bangladesh to play their own game!

The Bangladesh team has shown some good batting prowess in the tournament so far and they need to be clear about their plan. Bat first or second, they cannot afford to lose early wickets. At the same time, they also cannot afford to let the Australian bowlers get on top and contain the scoring rate for the pressure created by this would only lead to wickets and eventual annihilation!

Australia at the moment are looking and playing the part of being world champions and Bangladesh is perhaps too small to stand up to them. Heck, even South Africa couldn’t manage that! So long as Australia doesn’t play suicidal, they should win on a canter. But then again, Bangladesh has beaten India and is in the Super Eight at their cost. This could also be a good opportunity for Australia to give some of the other members in the squad a chance. Mike Hussey could use the opportunity to come higher up the order and get a chance to face some more bowling. Andrew Symonds could also use the opportunity to spend some more time in the middle with the bat.

Can Bangladesh even stem the flow of records? In the last six matches, Australia has scored in excess of 300 every time they have batted. If they bat first again, 350-400 is possible. Chasing that down would be nigh impossible for Bangladesh. Their bowling does have some teeth, but not enough to cut through the strong Aussie batting. Masrafe Mortaza would be their best bet for a good start and they do have a couple of handy spinners to make good of a start.

What is Bangladesh’s best result? A win of course, but if they lose (which they most likely will), a margin of under 50 would do them great deal of good. Even South Africa could not bring down the margin of loss to under 50!

England versus Ireland may enthuse supporters of Rugby or even football, but in cricket, on paper anyway, it seems like a huge mismatch. England the powerhouse; Ireland the minnows who are lucky to be here…

Had things in the first round gone somewhat to plan, it would have been Pakistan playing England instead of Ireland. And England may well be relieved about not having to play the Asian powerhouse. But they cannot take the game lightly. They have made the Super Eight without any points having lost to New Zealand and need to beat South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka or Australia. Not easy and they would do well to take two points and up their run rate as much as possible against Ireland and Bangladesh.

For Ireland, this has been an incredible ride. A win over Pakistan and a tie against Zimbabwe means that they have truly earned their place. But they would also do well to ‘know’ their place. Without trying to be demeaning, Ireland are the whipping boys for the six big teams. By that, they should not roll over and play dead and an upset today could well mean goodbye for England. But a repeat of their performance against Pakistan may not be that easy to do.

England’s main problems lie in their batting. So far, only Collingwood and Pietersen have shown any signs of having adapted to the conditions and pressures of the tournament. They need Flintoff and one of the top three (Vaughan, Joyce and Bell) to score consistently and at least bat around Pietersen and Collingwood to ensure that they put up competitive scores.

On the bowling front, things have been marginally better, but once again, there is too much pressure on a couple of guys. Flintoff is almost expected to pick a wicket with every ball as is Monty Panesar. Liam Plunkett has shown glimpses of what he can do but others including Jimmy Anderson need to put up their hand and fast. What are they chances England is missing Steve Harmison?

It’s not a must win game for England from a survival point of view, but it’s a must win game from an advancement point of view. The difference is subtle and England needs to appreciate that quickly. A loss will not knock them out and a win won’t get them through. But one result will push them closer to elimination while the other, closer to qualification for the semi-final.