Absolutely Plumb
Created | Updated May 3, 2007
The Cricket World Cup 2007
The World Cup's been going on so long I can't actually remember where I live. And if I do find the right front door, no-one there will recognise me anyway. Not with this Crusoe-style beard and straggly hair.
— Tom Fordyce, BBC online live coverage
At last, it's over. Eight weeks ago, the sixteen teams forming the World Cup groups played their first warm-up games in the Caribbean and a treat seemed to be in store. What cricket lover could resist the appeal of two months of cricket in the West Indies, with an apparently wide-open competition and the added appeal of watching David Gower grow more orange by the day? Hot favourites Australia had just been beaten in their own backyard by an improving England. South Africa, India and Sri Lanka all looked in great shape, appearing to be peaking at the right time. New Zealand and the home nation couldn't
be ruled out. The spectacle of watching Lara, Tendulkar, McGrath and Murali battle it out was mouth-watering. By the end, though, it was cricket at its worst: a shambolic, rain-affected final with an all-too-predictable result, plenty of dull games that failed to raise the pulse and a notable lack of sparkle from the game's major stars.
There was little that will stick in the memory for long, at least on a positive note. Ireland's wonderful draw with Zimbabwe — the game of the tournament — and victory over Pakistan. England's last-ball defeat to Sri Lanka. Dwayne Leverock. There were moments of individual brilliance, too: Lasith Malinga's four wickets in as many balls, Herschelle Gibbs' six sixes in an over, Shane Watson's direct hit from the deep. Most of the CWC was entirely forgettable, though. Too many games were one-sided, partly due to weather and pitch conditions, and too few top performers really performed. The murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer rightly threw a shadow over proceedings. And the whole circus was just far too long.
Part of the responsibility must lie with the ICC. When Malcolm Speed himself says there were problems, you know they must've been bad. To accommodate TV, only one game per day was scheduled after the first round, guaranteeing that interest quickly waned. The tournament was organised with the clear intention that the eight top nations would compete in the 'Super Eights' — a plan scuppered by the heroics of Ireland and Bangladesh. These two went through at the expense of Pakistan and India. The absence of the latter nation was a major blow, especially as India accounts for 70% of international cricket revenues and it seems almost certain that the tournament will be re-organised to try to avoid their early departure next time around. The timetable was drawn out unnecessarily and the large number of meaningless games and one-sided 'contests' left viewers searching for their remote controls. Even the final, contested between the two teams most fans would have considered the best bets for the final anyway, limped to a farcical conclusion.
The ICC has a clear decision to make. Is the World Cup a showcase for the best teams in the world to decide who is the best one-day team of all, or is it a way of spreading cricket throughout the world? If it is the former, the number of minnows taking part must be reduced. With all due respect to the handful of cricket fans in the Netherlands, Bermuda and Canada, their presence in the World Cup detracted from the tournament. Cannon fodder doesn't interest viewers of the big teams, nor promote cricket in the country taking the battering. If the purpose is to expand the number of cricket-playing nations, there must be a way to allow a very limited number of teams to qualify, perhaps the best two associate nations. This year's World Cup seemed firmly caught between the two, not knowing whether to play on the front or back foot so to speak, and we all know the consequences of that.
An uncompetitive format, a dithering governing body and a dearth of genuine excitement do not make a world championship in any sport. If cricket seeks to broaden its appeal, it needs to find a much better way to do it.
