The purpose of having a World Cup in any sport is to bring the best teams from around the world together and get them to compete against each other. One of the aims of the World Cup should also be to have as many meaningful games as possible, so that most of the matches in the tournament are engaging for the viewers. This is something the organisers failed to do during the 2011 50-over World Cup, where they were too many one-sided games for the fans’ liking. Sadly, the organisers don’t seem to have learnt from their mistakes. From what has been on display in the games so far, history is repeating itself.
Just take a look at the Groups: England and India are joined by Afghanistan, Australia and West Indies have Ireland in their group, Sri Lanka and South Africa are clubbed with Zimbabwe while New Zealand and Pakistan have Bangladesh for company. Except for the last group, it isn’t no rocket science to predict which teams will make it to the Super Eights. As such, every second game in the tournament has been very much meaningless so far. India dominated England on Sunday, but in spite of contrasting fortunes, both teams have made it through.
It is a fact that all the four minnows that have qualified for the World T20 deserve their berth. The problem is not with the presence of the lower-ranked teams, but with the way their matches are being scheduled. What is the point having warm-up games when teams know that one win against the minnow in their group will be enough to get them through to the Super Eights. In short, the weaker teams are nothing but punching bags in the tournament. To keep the interest of the viewers alive throughout, it is imperative that better scheduling takes place in the future. There should be a balance between meaningful games andthe presence of minnows.
Remember, during the 50-over World Cup held in the sub-continent last year, most of the matches that featured weaker sides registered very poor attendance, which was a highly disappointing feature of the tournament. It was only when the quarter-final stages of the World Cup began that the crowds started filling the stadiums. The story hasn’t been too different in the World T20, which is currently underway. Considering this is the grandest event in T20 cricket, it is not what should be expected, but the bitter truth remains what it is.
Scheduling a grand event like the World Cup is certainly one aspect the ICC needs to work on. In the context of T20, it is even more important as the game’s governing body is banking upon the shortest format of the game to promote the sport in countries when it isn’t as popular. In simple words, they need to ensure that the quality of the mega event remains competitive even when the no so strong sides are in the fray.
--By A Cricket Analyst
