The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup is already entering its second week, and after 10 matches of varying competitiveness and quality, it is difficult to discern whether this World Cup is destined to be a success yet. The fortunes of the tournament lie in the same unsure pensive state as the chances of the team who have dominated so thoroughly over the past decade.
I'm not a man who gets involved in a lot of these fancy new technologies (this esteemed blog aside), but doing the Internet rounds you find certain trending dialogues in social media inescapable. The latest common discourse is that this tournament is already feeling overlong, and that there has been barely any competitive cricket in a week.
Sure, there have been inevitable logistical imperfections such as the ticketing problems for the final in Mumbai, but this is the ICC we're talking about and no Cricket expert would have expected competency from such an organisation. There hasn't been a last-ball classic yet either and we've had our fair share of huge thrashings, but all in all it's been solid viewing. Cynicism seems to be a job requirement for cricket punditry these days. It is the in-thing to pour scorn on every World Cup in the last 20 years because of the minor flaws inherent in the formats and fortuitous happenings of each tournament. In truth, of the last five World Cups, only 2007 left a sour taste in my mouth or the mouths of anyone I know.
As a wonderfully lethargic home pundit, I haven't had to experience the frustration of many (often delayed) flights back and forth around the subcontinent. I haven't had to experience India's stifling heat nor have I viewed the panorama of empty stadiums during neutral clashes. But this is the perspective of 99% of the Cricket fanatics watching this World Cup, many of whom have watched every ball just as I have, even at the late hours the games run to in Australia.
The ten games so far have all had their own unique charms. Only three have had any lasting tension late in the match but you can't expect thrillers every day from any tournament, even that model of efficiency the Football World Cup. These one-sided contests have been somewhat skewed towards the front of the tournament as well. More one-sided humiliations will come, but tight high-quality contests should pepper throughout with increasing regularity. The only real nagging problem with the World Cup is that the top 4 in each group advance to the Quarter Finals, and barring any miracles the Quarter Finalists are essentially a foregone conclusion. But each match can still be enjoyed on its own merits, and there are many marquee clashes to come, starting tonight when India face England in Bengaluru.
As the World Cup goes on, the paths of its participants will start to diverge. Some teams will ride a wave of good form, others will sink into an interminable trough, some should fluctuate wildly. Then there is the major upset or two which always finds a way of happening. The Quarter Finalists may be easy to pick, but their order isn't whatsoever.
As for Australia, they have had two comfortable wins, but still don't look convincing.There have been brilliant patches from the raging pace trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson, and the top order pairing of Watson and Haddin have looked as dominant as ever, but there are still huge questions marks over the depth in either department. Neither Zimbabwe nor New Zealand tested the Aussies, whose basic skills were enough alone to do the job. The first big test will come against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Last night came the first result that could reasonably be called an upset, with Pakistan's 11 run win over Sri Lanka. Pakistan's triumph last night could halt Sri Lanka's rampant ODI confidence, which started late last year with their series win in Australia. Sri Lanka remain favourites for the match in my book, but Pakistan might just have done Australia a great favor.
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