Two Weeks Of Ennui?

By Gaurang
March 13 2007

So finally after a prolonged pre-game schedule and a nice but overly long opening ceremony, the 2007 World Cup finally gets underway.

On the one hand there is undoubtedly excitement and anticipation, but there is also a feeling of ennui caused by a bloated initial two weeks of competition that should be little more than practice for the top teams.

Though India and Sri Lanka will not have it as easy as the other Test nations as they are in Group B, which is the only group with more than one Test match opponent. However, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise if they get two competitive matches under their belt, instead of two one-sided routs which one would expect when Australia takes on the likes of Scotland and Netherlands.

Adding to this feeling of a fait accompli about the whole first two weeks of the tournament is the ICC’s own published schedule of matches where it has penciled in the names of the opponents in these matches, and sold tickets assuming that the opponents in the Super 8 round will be as planned. If that does not happen it will be a severe jolt to, not only the team missing out, but to the ICC’s coffers, especially if the team that happens to not make it is India. So Indian fans can be virtually guaranteed, as far as anything in sport can be guaranteed, that their team will make it to the Super 8 round.

After that the real competition will begin. The one good feature about this version of the World Cup, which has an all time record 51 games scheduled, is that all the teams that make it to the Super 8 will have played every other opponent at least once, though that was the case in 1992 as well, but with many fewer matches. The greed of the ICC has undoubtedly grown with the amount of money now sloshing around the game, especially from corporate sponsors in India. This is crystal clear when the ICC, as hide-bound and tradition-steeped an organization as any, moved its headquarters from the hoary old Lords Cricket Ground in St. John’s Wood to swanky and tax-free headquarters in Dubai.

So I think I reflect the feeling of lots of fans…let the games begin, only don’t wake me up till April...