World Cup leaves sour taste
It was a deeply frustrating World Cup - the third in a row that has spectacularly failed to live up to its billing - and one that will be remembered more for events off the field than glorious deeds on it.
The mysterious death of Bob Woolmer some time during the night after Pakistan’s shock defeat to Ireland, devastated the tournament. Even now it still seems incredulous that such a universally liked and respected man might have been murdered because of his involvement with cricket.
We still don’t know the outcome of the police inquiry in Jamaica, which completely overshadowed the World Cup – but early in the piece we were treated to two firsts: Herschelle Gibbs hitting six sixes off the unfortunate Daan van Bunge in St Kitts and the wild-haired Lasith Malinga almost routing South Africa with the first instance of four wickets in four balls in international cricket.
Oh that England could have produced anything remotely as entertaining or productive. They were insipid and uninspired, and their campaign was poorly planned. A miserable winter ended with the resignation of the coach, Duncan Fletcher.
Although their win over West Indies was one of the highlights of the World Cup, the quality of English cricket – and particularly its attitude towards one-day cricket finds itself under review - just 18 months after the triumph of winning the Ashes.
And that’s not all that’s under review. The format of the tournament, and the petty rules that stifled the natural enthusiasm of Caribbean cricket lovers, need to be urgently addressed.
Forty-nine days is far too long - there was no momentum for the players or the supporters - and after weeks of empty stands because of overpricing, the ridiculous rules that even included the need for conch shells to be registered before being blown were revoked.
You won’t find Ireland or Bangladesh complaining about any aspect of the tournament but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going.
But the so-called minnows took their chance with Bangladesh beating India and South Africa, while Ireland then comfortably won the showdown between the two. That win - and the earlier one against Pakistan - should do wonders for cricket on the Emerald Isle.
The bottom line is, however, that there was not nearly enough exciting cricket played and the whole thing took far too long. Worse still the farcical final, which could have been played over two days, remember, was an embarrassment to anyone associated with cricket.
What an appalling advert for the game it was - and those responsible must never be allowed to administer a cricket tournament again.
Jonathan, your on-screen anger at the end of this farcical apology for a cricket match was entirely appropriate.
This world cup has been a disaster of organisation from start to finish, and once the rain had intervened during the final one feared the worst....and that was what we got.
It was nothing short of a joke , and cricket will take years to recover its dignity.
Complain about this postC'mon Aggers, tell us what you really think....
Harsh but fair - the worst WC to date.
I'm sure you meant to congratulate Australia on a wonderful achievement, just slipped your mind?!
However, I disagree strongly with "but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Arrant nonsense.
Complain about this postSorry Aggers but what was wrong with the 99 world cup? The final was poor, but Aus-SA x 2? And less time was loss to rain than this time. As for the crowds...
I think the Champions Trophy needss to be turned into the World Cup so we play at least every two years getting rid of some of the meaningless one day tournaments and series in the process so that this does not mean even more cricket.
Cricket needs event marketing, but not like this. Nuture both the roots and the on-going development of the game.
Complain about this postA 38 over match is not the same as a 50 over match. Australia may well have won, equally convincingly, a 50 over match, but that is not the point. Some articles state that 50 over innings over two days were ruled out by ICC because TV companies would not relay live the second day's play, with a consequent reduction in the earnings of the avaricious ICC. It is just shameful that money should be more important to the ICC than a properly played World Cup Cricket Final. ICC mandarins should hang their heads in shame.
Complain about this postGood Call Aggers. Heads have to role for this and especially making that final into that farce it was. They should make a law now where Semis and finals have to be 50/50, regardless of the possiblity that "people" (probably the fatcats at the ICC) have planes home the next day. That final was so devalued by it being 38 over match.
At least one positive though, 4 best teams made the semis and the two best teams made the final and probably the best team won the game, although under favourable conditions to them.
Complain about this postYes, the final was a fittingly ridiculous and embarrassing end in some ways to this tournament, but I will always remember Gilly go berserk against the best attack in the tournament.
For an Oz fan, that was worth watching as much as anything else in the whole inept tournament.
Complain about this postAgreed.
The one thing that needs also to be mentioned is how excess cricket dilutes the excitement of the world cup. In 2011, there should be no high-profile cricket for at least a month leading up to the big event. That will create an apetite for the big event.
The organization of this event was a disaster. Malcolm Speed, Percy Sonn and the rest of the crew should resign if they have even a shred of honor.
Complain about this postHOW, UTTERLY DREADFUL AND SHAMELESS OF 2 'MINNOWS' TO DARE EVEN TURN UP TO THE WORLD CUP TO START WITH!! AND TO TOP IT BY ACTUALY PLAYING DECENT CRICKET, PLAYING AS A TEAM AND EVEN DARING TO BEAT TEAMS RANKED HIGHER THAN THEMSELVES (INCIDENTLY HOW MANY TIMES DID ENGLAND PERFORM SUCH A FEAT) IF YOU DONT WANT TO HAVE ANYONE BUT THE GOOD TEAMS IN IT, THE ICC COULD HAVE JUST GIVEN THE CUP TO THE AUSSIES AFTER THE OPENING CERIMONY AND EVERYONE COULD HAVE JUST STAYED HOME INSTEAD OF WASTING 7 WEEKS ON THE THING!!
IF CRICKET ISN'T PREPARED TO HAVE UPSETS YOU COULD HAVE JUST HAD AUSTRALIA vs S.AFRICA (1st vs 2nd) AND LEFT IT AT THAT
Complain about this postWhere were the Steel Bands,Rum Punch,and everything else one associates with the West Indies? Once all the fun is taken out of the procedings,the tournament is bound to be a first-class flop,which it was.
Complain about this postThe ICC should hang their heads in shame for wrecking the whole thing.The endless quest for money is behind it all.
I wonder what Len Hutton would have thought..!
It seemed to me that, about two-thirds through the SL innings, that everyone - umpires, administrators and not least the team themselves - believed that Australia SHOULD win the world cup, no matter what. After the first rain-break - when the rain had been pouring for approximately 20 minutes already before the covers came on - the decision should have been made to halt the game and continue the next day. Why was there so much pressure to keep the game going? And who on earth plays cricket in total darkness?? That reminds me of when I was a Scout, playing over on the moor until 10.30 at night, barely being able to see the ball in the murk.
OK, Australia were fantastic in their innings, I won't take that away from them. But they never had the chance to be challenged. Look at it like this - Man United and Chelsea in the Champions League final. Man U score 4 in the first half, and Chelsea 1 in the next 35 minutes of the second. Then the floodlights get turned off, players ordered not to kick the ball too fast, and the scores readjusted to "make it fair". Man U win, 2-1. How fair is that? Would that situation ever arise in footall - or any other sport?
Complain about this postWhy is it wrong that India and Pakistan were knocked out? The Football Cup allows for cup upsets; it means bigger teams have to prve they want the cup, and it's a chance for these 'minnows' to show they can play a bit of cricket. And Ireland and Bangladesh fully showed they could play cricket, so deserved to go through.
Complain about this post"but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Sorry, Aggers you are wrong. This is eaxctly what all world cups are about - whatever the sport. Taking yor chances and playing above yourself. No team has the right to progress if they don't produce the results on the day. If all the "seeds" go through at the expense of the "minnows" what incentive is there to develop their game.
Some of the big seeds being knocked out was the injection that this tired format of "seeding" needed - otherwise the minnows are only invited to be cannon fodder.
I bet this has done wonders for grass level support in Ireland & Bangledesh and hopefully will see long term sustained improvements in te quality of the game they play. Remember that Sri Lanal was not so lomg ago a minnow too.
Complain about this postGet over it ! You state in similar vein of Englands reference to the 1966 world cup win in football when you write 'Although their win over West Indies was one of the highlights of the World Cup, the quality of English cricket – and particularly its attitude towards one day cricket finds itself under review - just 18 months after the triumph of winning the Ashes.'.....what you omit is that they were then thrashed 5 nil in an ashes series so your comment is hardly relevant.........stay with the current or at least the recent past . One off old stories do not win matches
Complain about this postYes i agree the world cup as a whole has not lived up to any expectations.....its seems to me that there was a carnival atmosphere only in about 2 or 3 games including the final. secondly the it didnt help the fact that pakistan and india got kocked out pretty early, which from a neutral's point of view, left the world cup without that extra spice. maybe this can be a lesson to pakistan and india, they need to get select the right players, who can field also, because their fielding has been poor over the last few years. you just need to look at sri lanka and how far they have gone and learn from them.....
Complain about this postWell done aussies!
JA is spot on-WTF!
Complain about this postIndeed, a farcical finish to the World Cup. It took a similarly farcical event in 1992 to bring in a better way of dealing with interrupted games. Hopefully this final will help get the 'reserve day' uncertainty looked into.
Complain about this postThe ONLY reason this World Cup was interesting was down to the likes of Ireland and the other minnows. The forumalted, unimaginitive play of the major nations really showed a lack of passion.
So for people to say the tournament should be modified to exclude these developing nations is a crime. It should be a level playing field for all, not seeded, not ranked, nothing.
Their inclusion was the only reason to get excited about it, the chance of a shock is what makes all World Cups exciting, in any sport.
Ashley
Complain about this postThe captains should have been given the final say in the cirrcumstances. It's about the players and spectators , not the administration and some sacrosnct rules. It's just a game for heaven's sake.
Complain about this postFurther, there should clearly have been some contingency plan for poor light. Never mind the rain. For goodness sake, there aren't that many htings to consider wnhen staging a cricket match. Ask any phys ed teacher about planning for bad weather. Basic!!
I do agree. The final was kind of rushed thru for some "unknown" reasons. If the World Cup final can not be played to its full quota of 50 overs, I do not see how the champions come out of this reduced game?
As usual Toss becomes virtual winner. No other team have ever tested aussies batting under stress on a 300 plus run chase.
A real champion side should have been tested on all counts but no team in this World Cup could do that before rewarding them the tag of Champion.
They may even win 2011-2015 world cups without any proper test.
Complain about this post"..but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Sorry Aggers, but that makes no sense at all. It may seem like a strange concept, but if you don't beat the teams in your group (even if they are Ireland or Bangladesh) then you don't deserve to go through to the next stage. It's elementary, really.
Complain about this postwatching australia play is so much like watching roger federer play. its boring, not because they dont play amazingly well. but because you already know whose going to win and that gets boring after a while. its not even about making records and all, because the bottom line is, like the author said, it didnt go any good to the game. it was boring, there was no intensity to it, the kind you'd associate with the worldcup anyway.
Complain about this postNow we learn that Rudi - the most senior umpire - had suggested, according to Mr. Crowe that the match be continued on Sunday with just three overs to go.
Why in heavens name didnt they stop the game when the rains came pouring down and allowed it to continue the next day instead of having Sri Lanka bat in dismal weather with the atrocious light when the players let alone the ball couldnt be seen.
What a farce! A disgraceful ending!!
Complain about this postThe whole format has to be changed and the venues chosen with greater consideration of the weather. And for our collective sanity please stop this ridiculous Duckworth system. If its 50 overs then play 50 overs - not 38 and then reduce it to 36!
The final was a total farce, and the tournament not much better. However, I don't think it's the fault of the organisation that India and Pakistan were knocked out, they simply weren't good enough. Moreover, the lack of exciting games was merely because of the gulf in class between Australia and everyone else, and the other 3 semi-finalists and everybody else bar Australia.
Complain about this postEngland were poor, but when you consider that they were involved in 2 of the only 3 exciting finishes in the tournament, that's not too bad, and when we're ranked the 7th best ODI team in the world, finishing 5th could (almost) be considered an overachievement
End the Super 8s stage - too many games that individually mean little or nothing. Instead, the top two from each group should go straight into one of four knock-out quarter-finals. Then the semis and the final itself.
That could take two weeks off the WC and make every game after the group stages a 'must win'.
Complain about this postThe last match was meaningless because of the weather conditions. The result of the final should be declared nul and void. In no way was it a fair or valid victory for Australia.
If there cannot be a replay, let Australia and Sri Lanka share the trophy
Complain about this post"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going"
Once again, this pathetic excuse is used. What is the point of allowing the minnows to turn up if they have absolutely no chance of reaching the latter stages. What do you want, fixed matches with pre-determined outcomes?
India and Pakistan lost their matches fair and square, it is their fault and not the job of the organisers to ensure that they do through. You should be giving congratulations to the minnows on their excellent performances and overcoming the odds.
Complain about this postTotally agree Jonathan. Ridiculously long and generally totally unmemorable. One of the key pleaseures of watching cricket in the caribbean is the genuine passion, mixing and liveliness of the local supporters who know more more about cricket than some suit at the ICC will ever know. This seemed to be stifled out of them at every oppotunity.
Malcolm Speed must be one of the most out-of-touch and incompetent administrators in world sport - not just for this World Cup but about everything else he touches. Hope he has the decency to go.
Complain about this postExcellent article by Jonathan Agnew, the whole event was dreadful, poor wickets, poor entertainment, poor umpiring and organisation. The final itself should be a celebration of the game, entertaining and filled with fun and skill, my god, what a let down.
Complain about this postThe players and the administators will need to take a long hard look at themselves, the game and quickly.
Totally farcial end to the 'Olympics of Cricket'.
Thank goodness the best team won.
Must ensure that the World Cup is only hosted by nations that can provide day/nighters. Love the West Indies, they have provided the life line and all the excitement during my youth, but the final must have been capable of being played under lights. Sri Lanka must have been given the opportunity of finishing the game off with a chance, if not diginity (which they scored 11 out of 10). That way we can do away with the gooseworth-dorthlewis system.
Complain about this postWe are a lucky bunch, win, lose or draw. Cricket is such a great game!
Prior to the World Cup one of the hopes that many held was that the tournament would act as a catalyst for a revival in the fortunes of West Indian cricket.
Many fondly remember the wonderful cricket played by the West Indians in the not too distant past and their unique supporters who transformed cricket matches into carnival events.
Recreating this and ensuring that there are a breadth of teams capable of challenging for the title of World Champions or the number one ranked Test teams can only be good for the sport.
To reinvigorate cricket across the islands and stem the tide of sports such as basketball which are competing for athletes then the tournament needed success on two fronts 1) exciting cricket and 2) wide access for West Indians to attend matches and fall in love with the game.
The quality of the cricket has ebbed and flowed as one might expect in a tournament of such length but it would be a real shame if a generation has been 'lost' to the game due to the restricted access which Mr Agnew speaks of.
Complain about this postThe D/L method should only be used when no more time can be allowed in which the match could be completed.
If over 2 hours of rain delayed the start of the match, and it had to be played in one day, then why not reduce the overs for both teams. This must be fair to both teams because the decision had been taken before play started.
As for playing in the dark, it is beyond belief that this should have happened.
Complain about this postJohnathan
I fully agree with most of your comments here, but one you make to me is totally out of order. How can you possibly think that the minor nations can improve if we are going to create a world cup where they have no chance of causing upsets and progressing to the next rounds. Can you imagine the FA cup without the minnows or the Football world cup without the small country upsets over the so called big names? It is up to the major teams to BEAT the minor nations and if they fail and get knocked out then that is their fault and they should accept it.
Well done Ireland and Bangladesh.
Chris
Complain about this postI know one day cricket is just a bit of fun (or at least that's how it is treated in England) but I think for a World Cup final as much should be done as possible to give each side an equal chance.
A rain break affects the batting side far more than the fielding side unless both batsmen are fresh at the crease. It takes time for a batsman to get his eye in and every time he comes off he has to do this again.
Thought should be given to how the batting team could be compensated when they have to come off for rain. Maybe an adjustment to the DL calculations or an extra over for the batsmen to get their eye in again.
In any case Sri Lanka were at an obvious disadvantage having to restart their batting effort after rain breaks.
Complain about this postYes many things were wrong with this World Cup (including the way the end of the Final was played) but don't you think you might have mentioned something about the one team in the tournament who showed everyone how cricket should be played? Or perhaps a small comment on one of the greatest one-day innings any of us will be priveleged to see?
As for England, all I can say is that players and commentators both have lived up to the phrase of whingeing poms...
Complain about this postJust a farce! the final & the whole tournement.
Complain about this postI've never been so bored with cricket, & the highlights !! Please BBC, thinkl off the working man. We need to sleep, highlights at 11.30ish the norm. Just as farcical as the cricket
so the umpires act with indecision when enforcing the rules of the game! what do you expect when time and time again the icc doesnt back them. give them a break. the icc is the joke here. they let players and tv dictate everything. umpires enforce rules to the letter, its is up to the players to show the character. thankfully the 2 captains didnt take their sides from the field in protest.
Complain about this postThe Aussies deserved to win, they were too good for any of the teams.their approach to the game is mature and they are very professional and consistant. They are an incredible side, congratulations Ponty and company. Well done Mr Heyden and Mr Magrath, you left an unforgetable mark. For the younger crop please take it even higher, we are behind you. It always feels good to watch such fascinating cricket!
Complain about this postOnce again an article that sums up a lamentable World Cup that will have done wonders to put off many would be cricket supporters for ever. Congratulations then to the ICC, Australia, and the Caribbean weather for contributing to what should be the demise of the tournament in this form. Looking back, it has been a wash out for 7 weeks, apart from too few memorable moments, and the emergence of Bangladesh, Ireland, and a resurgent Sri Lanka, who could have run the Aussies close in the final, but for the rain, bad light, and a dreadful umpiring decision against them. Why was Glenn Mcgrath allowed to bowl in bad light when this is not allowed in test matches? Is this how the Aussies want to win, with all their talent?
Complain about this postIn any event, the tournament should be shorter with less overs per side, like the final, then it can become more exciting, in the same way as 20/20 cricket is taking off around the world.
The cricket purists may not approve, but the faster version of the game is here to stay and is the only way to attract more supporters and players. Otherwise, the ICC and Australia will have got what they deserved, a pointless tournament with a devalued prize, and less supporters, particularly in the West Indies, where they were not even allowed to celebrate at the matches in their own uninhibited, inimitable way.
Televison and everything else seems to have overtaken the staging of the world cup final. I, like Jonathan Agnew, failed to understand why the game was not played over two days?
The final should be over the 50 overs and nothing less. If it takes two days then so be it. Has the ICC lost it totally?
Complain about this postI agree with most of the comments above but two things (1) Why have a second day if you are not going to use it? - HOw many overs need to be lost before you go it to the next day?
(2) "a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
JA is totally wrong - If India and Pakistan did not play well enough to win their group games then Tough!
Complain about this postGood god! Was that match yesterday really a part of the same 'world cup' that Bob Woolmer was a part of?
But that was months ago.....
Complain about this post"...but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going"
Yes, that exactly how this world cup was designed- for India and Pak to to beat Bangladesh and Ireland respectively. You cant make it easier than that for the two Asian giants.
Complain about this postThe only thing that can make the tournament better is reducing the field. What's the sense in trying convince ourselves that including teams like Netherlands and Canada will help make cricket more popular in these countries (which itself is debatable), when the price you pay for that is a reduced interest in cricket in the major cricket playing countries? Is a lowered interest in cricket in the West Indies really a fair trade-off for an increased interest in cricket in Bermuda?
It's time the ICC took a step back and re-evaluated it's objective of globalizing the game. Spreading the game can wait. Keeping interest alive in current cricketing countries should now be the priority. Urgently.
Dear Jonathan
I agree with you fully, but how are we going to get rid of such incompetents as Speed an co.
In a professional organistaion, they would be forced to resign.
It seems that they are allowed to continue in high paid jobs without having to bear any responsibility for their numerous failures.
Complain about this postI'm sorry Aggers - but the reason that India and Pakistan went out was because they were not good enough. End of story. The world cup is not solely there for the big boys - it is also supposed to be there to help in the development of the game and in that regard it seems to have been fairly successful eg the success of Ireland and Bangladesh.
What I do agree with is the farcical situation that developed in the final - that was not good for cricket.
I know also that people do not like the ease in which Australia have dominated this tournament (i don't) but credit should be given where it is due - they are easily the best team in the tournament and deserved to win.
Complain about this postWhat an appaling advert for the game of cricket this World Cup was. As a cricket fan I feel so let down that the ICC could take what is the most wonderful sport and turn it into a laughing stock. NEVER should those involved in this dreadful fiasco be allowed anywhere near the sport again and yes that incudes you Mr Sonn and Mr Speed.
How can you take a World Cup to the most joyous, spontaneous and beautiful parts of the World and squeeze every last drop of excitement and passion out of the sport. I feel ashamed of this fiasco and as a cricket lover so so angry that those in charge of its showpeice occasion are so incompetent.
Complain about this postI'm inclined to agree, minus the point about India/Pakistan being "allowed to exit early". That's ridiculous. It worked exactly the same as any tournament does - if you don't win games, you don't go through. Simple. What are you suggesting - that the "non-minnow" teams get more points for winning? Crazy.
Complain about this postI've criticised your rather wayward punditry and derogatory comments about the minnows in the past, however, this piece is absolutely spot on. Well said Aggers.
Complain about this postThe way the final ended was farcical. But that f-word could be used about a few things involving the ICC and Messrs Speed and Sonn. The ill-considered restrictions on what could be bought into the ground and the branding police preventing paying customers (that's a phrase Messrs Speed and Sonn should learn to understand and respect) from bringing in their own refreshments if they were not made by a non-approved organisation are two clear illustrations why the ICC is incapable of running a world cup. Hell, in my view it is incapable of running the sport but that's a different debate.
However, I must take issue with your comment "...it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Why is it a dreadful error? Please elaborate on this statement. This is supposed to be a world cup, not a closed shop like the Americans' "World Series" baseball.
India and Pakistan may well have been guilty of arrogance and not respecting their opponents in Bangladesh and Ireland. The Spirit of Cricket says that:
"The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:
Your opponents
Your own captain and team
The role of the umpires
The game's traditional values"
(Maybe someone should devise a Spirit of Cricket Administration for the halfwits at the ICC.)
If you don't play good enough cricket to beat your group opponents then you don't go through, *regardless* of how much money that teams's sponsors have paid that country's cricket board.
But I'm sure the ICC will fix the rules and grouping systems to make sure that doesn't happen again. Money talks and the ICC loves and needs money.
So ends my interest and following international cricket. The ICC is interested only in money, screwing the paying public out of hard earned cash by putting on mindlessly long one day tournaments. It's in a mess now because it is committed to this senseless cycle. Only if people say "enough is enough" and stop following, watching through pay-tv, buying overpriced merchandise and attending games will the ICC recognise there is a problem.
Just in case you think I'm being unduly harsh on the ICC, in response to the (justified IMHO) treatment he got in Nasser Hussain's excellent autobiography "Playing With Fire", Malcolm Speed said: "I am not going to comment on the book. I don't even read cricket books."
The man at the head of the world game doesn't even read cricket books? And people wonder why the game is in such a mess...
Complain about this postAs usual, the umpiring was not consistant, the correct call would have been to stop the game the moment the shower started. Thereby protecting the pitch and also the D/L target would have been reduced to a 'fair' target.
As Sri Lanka were still in the game at that point the target would have been something like 90 off 10 overs with 8 wickets in hand.
Wonder if test cricket will now be played in 'bad' light - if last night wasnt danagerous and unfair what is ??
The best bit was the booing when the ICC officals were introduced - take the hint guys !!
Complain about this postTo suggest that India and Pakistan should have been in the super eights regardless of their initial performance does immense injustice to the efforts displayed by Ireland and Bangladesh. Such a view is as money driven as the organisation of the World Cup.
Equally, to suggest that the final was altogether a farse is an insult to the Australians, who have shown the world how professional cricket is to be played and are a real credit to the sport.
Complain about this postI can't for the life of me understand why at least the final shouldn't be played as a "best of three" series, since the whole tournament can be decided either by the win of a coin toss, bad weather, or worse, the ineptitude of the match officials.
Australia were the best team but in a one-off situation even they could easily have been beaten.
Many sports use a "best of" series to determine the true winner (eg, NBA Basketball), so why not world cup cricket?
Good coverage by the BBC though, telling it like it is after the ludicrous final.
Complain about this postWhile I think there is nothing wrong with Ireland and Bangladesh qualifying - a fantastic achievement indeed - the format of the tournament needs looking at when, six weeks into the tournament, you are still getting games are all over before lunch, as happened twice with Ireland a couple of weeks ago.
You should not get so far into a turnament and still have such one-sdied fair. The league format was too long and it needed to get down to knock-out cricket a lot earlier to make it exciting.
Complain about this post"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
I was under the impression that sport was about the contest, taking part and with both sides having the opportunity to win, if they choose to take it. This is part of the reason why cricket shall never again replace the likes of football or cricket in terms of mass appeal or popularity.
Complain about this postWhen unpredicted or unexpected results occur in football they are celebrated and lauded upon by the neutrals. No-one will say that a team should be allowed to still be in a tournament based on reputation alone and cricket lovers only seem to be happy when the obvious, predicted result is the outcome.
Jonathan, there's a sure way to ensure that Pakistan and India don't get knocked out before the World Cup gets going. It's called match fixing, but most of us fans would prefer that we didn't see that happen.
Congratulations Australia. The gulf between you and the rest of the teams is indeed enormous.
Interesting to note that apart from Sri Lanka replacing the West Indies, the semifinalists were identical for the ICC Knockout competition in October and this World Cup.
The fact that Pakistan and India could not make the semifinals of either tournament show just how poor both of those teams are.
Complain about this post100% in agreement with Jonners. I shall very quickly forget this WC except the fact that a good and decent man may have ben murdered because of his involvement with cricket. A sad comment on life in general nowadays.
The ICC need to take a long critical look at itself and some heads within this rotten organisation should resign asap.
Complain about this postAt 09:35 AM on 29 Apr 2007, Roger Coasby wrote:
"The last match was meaningless because of the weather conditions. The result of the final should be declared nul and void. In no way was it a fair or valid victory for Australia.
If there cannot be a replay, let Australia and Sri Lanka share the trophy"
YOU'RE KIDDING? Australia were undefeated (including a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka in the Super 8 stage) while Sri Lanka lost 3 matches. That is all that I need to tell me that the Australians were far and away the best team and the worthy champions. How hollow for Sri Lanka if they were to share the trophy with the team that trounced them twice and which has not lost a world cup match stretching back to 1999. That would be an insult to both Sri Lanka and Australia. The result was fair - both teams played under the same rules and if Sri Lanka were good enough they would have won on the day under the rules agreed to by all.
That's sport. Deal with it.
Complain about this postAll these people saying the game should be played again and that it wasn't fair. It wasn't at all fair on the Sri Lankans but if it had been your team in the Oz position I can't imagine that you would have wanted it played again or declared null and void and you would have been talking about your opener's innings in breathless terms.
One of the CB trophy final in Oz games was completely hamstrung by the weather as well and I didn't hear any English fans saying that it should be replayed!
They need to change the organization of this more than anything else. At least the best team in the tournament by a country mile DID win.
I don't mind JA not congratulating the Ozzies, after the winter and the Ashes, he can't possibly have wanted them to win this and like the rest of us, he was just hankering after a decent game.
Complain about this postI whole heartedly understand your anger and frustration Aggers. What a tragedy this World Cup has been.
Cricket has, and always will be my favourite sport, and my heart bleeds for the damage this competition may have done for its future development worldwide.
Overshadowed by the harrowing murder of a team coach, empty stadiums, under cooked and under performing major teams, a ridiculously drawn out schedule, and the most farcical final in sports history, the administrators of the ICC should be brought to account for this disaster.
I take issue with your statement concerning Bangladesh and Ireland, as both teams fully deserved their place in the latter stages, and as for England; yes they were dreadfully poor, but I frankly didn't expect them to get any further in the tournament than they actually did.
I congratulate the Australian side, who are extreme professionals and overcame the amateurs who ran this tournament, and along with the Irish and the Bangladeshi's they offered the few bright highlights from this debacle.
World cricket has without doubt been dreadfully wounded.
Complain about this postI wonder what responses we'd be reading if Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first.Eventhough the Sri Lankan captain said he would have probably fielded he was only talking through his hat because he lost the toss.It was lucky for Sri Lanka it was a rain reduced match because if you consider the way the Aussies batted Sri Lanka would have been chasing 400+ for sure.
Complain about this postThis final was actually VERY close. I believe despite Gilchrist's mighty innings which was a joy to watch, Sri Lanka effectively only lost by 15 or so runs... rewind to the ball which saw Jayasuriya fall and the D/L total jump to 169-3..... what if...
Clarke drops one in short, Jayasuriya stays back and defends away into the offside, then takes the next delivey straight back over Clarkes head for four, before dispatching the final ball of the over through the offside for four. 153-2.
Some good running brings 2 off the first ball from McGrath then an crackerjack drive past the bowler for four from the new Warwickshire man. As the rain starts to fall, Jayawardene just gets a lucky edge which beats Gilchrist, third man can't cut it off at the boundary and .. oh my goodness... we're off the field. Bucknor and Dar are calling for the covers with S/L ahead of the rate. Well Ponting has seen the scoreboard, he is talking to Dar ,but some concerned looks on Aussie faces at the moment. Not sure the crowd realises that with Sri Lanka 162-2 and if it stays like this they will be the winners of this world cup...
Now how much complaining would there be then?
The Cup as a whole has been poor in a lot of aspects, and the on-off confusion later was appalling, but for anyone in command of the cricket rules, it was an exciting finish to this point and was VERY close to going the other way!
Congrats Australia, and Ricky Ponting - brave and clever decision to bring on Clarke to force the mistake - it could have easily backfired!
Complain about this postI dont agree with your views on India and Pakistan. You cant get an easier round than this. They are expected to be in the final 8 without any difficulties! I am from Bharath (India).
I feel that Indians are not good at playing Cricket and they must stop playing it for a while. If Imran Khan takes over Pakistan Cricket he can produce some of the best talents in Pakistan and make them to beat Australia like he did it in 1992.
World Cup finals must be played to its full quote of 50 overs. You MUST stop playing cricket when there is a heavy rain unlike yesterday where SL was forced to play when it was raining like hell!
FYI, for once India and SL shared the Champion Trophy (hosted in SL by ICC) due to rain.
Complain about this postFor all those who are talking about a best of 3 etc. Sri Lanka had the chance to see how they measured up, and learn lessons from facing Australia in the Super 8s. It was a meaningless game (except for Australia who were always going to play hard to protect that cup winning record) and a perfect chance to test themselves and learn lessons.... instead they chose to rest their key bowlers (Malinga excepted) who then disappointed no finals day. If Gilly&co had hammered them in that game, I'm sure they would have found plans for the final! Strange decision that!
Complain about this posti agree a lot with what aggers has said but not with his comments on the format. the first round could have been played over a week then a break then the super eightsgives the minnows a goal to aim at
Complain about this postAustralia in all aspects of cricket are the best. There is no doubt about it.
Complain about this postEverything they do in cricket is the best.
1.Australia got the best cricket structure in the world.
2. They got the best cricket facilities in the world.
3. They got the best and huge cricket grounds in the world.
4. They got the best cricket coverage (channel9) in the world.
5. They got the best Cricket commentators in the world like Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, etc.
6. hence there is no surprise if there team is best in the world.
Aggers, please clarify your statement 'but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going.'. Do you mean that they should change the group stages so that they are more interesting?
Complain about this postIndia and Pakistan were deservedly removed from the tournament due to playing terrible cricket. (England were lucky to avoid the same fate). If you don't want them being eliminated, and the word of cricket spread to other countries, then don't invite the minnows to the party. The problem is, that the WC would have been far less enjoyable without them.
As far as the format goes, why weren't two matches played every day during the group stages? The 'Super 8' has to go. Even my enthusiasm was virtually lost by the time the semis eventually rolled round. If the ICC insist on having all the 'top' teams play each other at least once, then why not simply have one big Super League with the top four/six going into a play-off.
And now, the final. What a joke. The overs should not be reduced in a final. It should go to the reserve day and beyond if necessary. TV companies should not be allowed to dictate how any sport is run. Maybe the final needs to be a three match series like the NatWest and CB series are. It seems to work quite well there, but then they are not organised by the ICC.
Complain about this postwhen it's all said and done.... Let's just stop and marvel for one second:
THREE-PEAT to the Aussies!
Boo-yahhhh!
Even if you think it's boring to watch them dominate, you can't blame them. The other teams out there have to step up and match the standard they have set. Otherwise it will just be second rate
Complain about this postThank goodness the whole thing is over. The whole tournament has basically shown what rot one day cricket is. Welcome back Test Crciket. If only there could be a moratorium on one day cricket for the rest of the year, talk about overkill.
Complain about this postAll people who are suggesting Australia won the world cup on the toss of a coin WAKE UP. Adam Gilchrist was the difference. If he hadn't played that innings, the result would have been a lot closer. At the end of the day, the best team won.
Complain about this postI think everything written above is 100% right. To have a world cup that has felt like it has been going on for months is never a good sign. Most people knew the outcome would be an Oz win, not one team pushed them at all the whole tournement. Its a sad state of events with English cricket, but the same could be said for all the major sports in this country. Money is not going onto the grass roots and the young players are not coming through. I love watching cricket, and the Ashes win seems like a memory I am going to have to remember for a long time, cos I can not see the English beating the Oz again. Sadly this world cup will be seen in many peoples eyes as a complete waste of time.
Complain about this postCouldn't agree with you more Aggers. The administrators are a joke.
Complain about this postThis was supposed to be a Windies World Cup and instead it turned into a soulless one sided romp for one of the sets of white anglo saxon toursits who dominated the sparse crowds in the big new grounds.
True I would be happy had England won, but I would like to think I would be able to acknowledge the bigger picture.
World Cricket is only going to be healthy if Australia are challenged more regularly, and if the fat cat businessmen who dominate the running of the game are replaced by some more open minded types.
Jonathan,
Although I agree totally with your opinions on the failings of the organisers of the world cup tournament this year, I'm afraid I can't agree with:
"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going".
If Ireland are going to qualify for the world cup, why shouldn't they have the chance to knock out a so-called heavyweight and attain the opportunity to play the greatest countries in the world? They played three games each. That shoul've been enough to see them through. Pakistan should've beaten Ireland but they were complacent and Ireland played well. The same goes for Bangladesh.
England are ranked quite highly currently in the world of football. Would you say that if they had a bad day and a team like Sierra Leone or Luxembourg beat them, that England should still go through? No. They blew their chance.
The test-playing nations didn't have to qualify for the tournament, so why should they automatically be handed a ticket to the next round? If this were to be the case, make the tournament consist of 12 teams and have a "super-12s" round. I even give the ICC permission to use that name (!).
Really enjoyed your comments over the last 7 weeks Aggers....and I'll always listen to TMS instead of watching live on sky any day....
Complain about this postThe taste depends upon the slice selected and personal predilection of the savorer. Let us not ignore that while many other teams couldn't summon the concentration, keep the desire, or produce the skills over the entire length of the tournament, there were some who did it.
In this test of endurance, the most determined and skillful team prevailed.
Why were they few people watching at the grounds?
We have heard about the high cost of the tickets, but that surely isn't the only reason. You may know better than I, Mr.Agnew, but maybe the tickets were already sold out via the internet and agencies to fans who didn't turn up after their teams fell out rather unexpectedly. I have seen people trying to auction away tickets on internet auction houses for peanuts in comparison to their original price. So the ICC could not re-sell property already sold temporarily just to fill up stadias.
I agree about the length of the tournament causing a mental "disconnect" with earlier matches - much like an frequently interrupted reading of a thriller.
This WC has had its moments and none as precious as a team winning it thrice in a row. What must have gone into it? Can we comprehend it, or imagine it to be some mysterious hoodoo because we cannot? Maybe it is simpler to call it all boring.
Where is the old-fashioned appreciation? Looks like most of us have forgotten how.
By the way, I am not an Australian!
Complain about this postOh come on Agggers, I'm angry England got knocked out as well, but that shouldn't take away the fact we've seen some magnificent cricket in this tournament.
It's not the organisers fault that Pak and Ind got beaten by minows, they should have just played better cricket. Same with England, I so badly want to blame other things like you are, but the fact of the matter is, we simply didn't have the bottle and didn't stand up and be counted for.
Yes the rules were too strict at the begining, but when they were relaxed, the Carribean atmosphere came back to the grounds.
You got to hold your hands up and say well done to the Aussies, they've been a class above all tournament and we were privelaged to see one of the greatest world cup final innings (Gilly) ever seen.
Apart from the final few overs, the final was running smoothly, even Sri Lanak admitted the weather didn't really play a part in their loss, they were simply outclassed by now World Cup champions Australia.
I do agree that the final few overs were just very badly organised, when the batsman went off for light they should have just had the presentation ceremony then, but its typical clueless ICC.
An enjoyable World Cup tournament, that provided us with great entertainment, I'm confident England can get back on track and mount a stronger challenge in the next World Cup.
Complain about this postThe match result should read 'Australia won the toss and decided to win' as any team batting first would have won that final.
Complain about this postAt last somebody has said sack the organizers. That is a start but Mr Speed was confidently defending the mess even a couple of weeks ago.
This sick idea that more money is better is the key failure.
Huge international names sponsoring it and dictating terms for their megabucks was the root of all of the other problems.
The stadia were universally unfilled due to the sickeningly expensive ticket price (a lot more than Lords for an unshaded seat without replay screens).
Complain about this postOn the farce front don't forget the back to front wearing of non-CWC-sponsor-logo'd current national team shirts to get through 'security'.
Remember the forfeiture of water purchased outside the stadium(St Lucia, to my certain knowledge) to get through 'security'. This was to allow the CWC approved suppliers to charge up $7EC for a half litre(c£1.50) they promptly ran out of water and food(Eng v NZ) Furthermore they then removed the tops when selling it to prevent use as missiles, so you couldn't then put bottles down or in a rucksack for fear of accidental spillage.
SACK THE BLASTED LOT, RETAIN ANY BONUS THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN DUE, AND GET A PUBLIC LIVE APOLOGY FOR THE SAKE OF THE FANS.
What a wonderful opportunity missed, principally through greed and the self deception that more money is better.
"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going"
It would clearly be an even more dreadful error for *any* team to be guaranteed a place in the 2nd round regardless of whether they win or lose their matches in the 1st. There's a recipe for meaningless games if ever I heard one.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I quite liked the format of this tournament. If they could have got through the super 8 stage quicker - say by playing two games each day instead of one - and not made such a monumental balls up with the ticket pricing it could have been a great tournament.
Oh well, at least the best team won. Australia completely dominated every game they played and are worthy winners - hopefully some other teams can up their game enough to challenge them in the next one.
Complain about this postI take great issue with the following: "it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
India and Pakistan have no divine right to proceed past the group stage. All India had to do was beat Bangladesh and Pakistan had to beat Ireland. Simple as that. They didn't so they deserved to go out. This sentiment that India and Pakistan were hard done by is wrong. They weren't - they were let down by their players who didn't seem to care about playing for their teams.
Complain about this postI agree with Aggers point of view, it was a rather disappointing world cup. Although on the field it was probably one of the best in terms of performances and even though India and Pakistan left early the on field performances of the minnows really added something to the tournament.
I think something has to be done because the ICC and cricket depends hugely on the revenue from the sub-contentient, sounds unfair but you have to try and keep those billion or so fans interested in the competition if cricket is ever going to ge the good coverage it lacked during the latter stages of the world cup.
The length of the tournament is also too long, and the final well great display by both teams but the end of the game was far from satisfying, and i am sure health and safey would have had something to say about it. Also where were the floodlights?! not being funny but if you are redeveloping the majority of the grounds why not install some floodlights, if Essex can afford it I'm sure the ICC can give the West Indies money for it.
rant over
Complain about this postI understand the final ended in less than ideal circumstances, but why should it be played under different rules to every other one dayer in recent memory ( as most bloggers above are suggesting). Th DL system has been in place for many years now and any target worked out under this method is a fair target based on the run rate of the side that batted first. Sri Lanka had fine conditions up to the time Dilshan got out. Admittingly after one rain delay. The fact that the target seemed beyond reach is down to the skill and effort of the Australians. Jayawardene at the start of play said he was happy to back second with DL likely to come into play. His only problem was that the supposed best bowling attack in world cricket then got hammered by the Australains. If it had gone 50 overs, the Aussies would have scored almost 400. and the Sri Lankans would not have got anywhere near that. It might sound arrogant, but it is not as if the true World champions did not win.
Complain about this postWhilst I agree that the world cup has been awful I disagree entirely with your comment regarding India and Pakistan.
The group stages were in now way different to the football world cup, which offers the opportunity of lesser sides progressing into the second round. The fact is neither India nor Pakistan deserved a place in the super 8s because they played badly.
However, I feel the issue with Ireland and Bangladesh progressing occurred because of the nature of the Supers 8s as they simply can't be expected to compete with bigger sides in 7 games. This is the area that needs to be addressed for the next competition, not the involvement of the minnows - otherwise what incentive is there for cricket to develop in the more minor countries?
Complain about this postAbolish the 50 over World Cup and replace it with a 20:20 World Cup.
Shorter format. Shorter tournament. More exciting. Greater crowds.
Complain about this postIf it was not for the minnows, i think i would not have watched the world cup.
Complain about this postI think the world cup ended and was won by both minnow teams and the other should be ashamed of them selfs
As for the final, well what a let down the icc cant expect people to pay, watch and put up with this sort of farcical. (lets make them play it agian)
What A JOKE!!
"...and particularly its attitude towards one-day cricket finds itself under review - just 18 months after the triumph of winning the Ashes."
I am an Australian and reading this blog and in particular the paragraph that this quote was in is one of humour. I can't believe you English are still talking about the Ashes win almost 2 years ago. Since the win what has England done in the World of Cricket?
Can I remind you, that you lost the last 5-0. Take some advice from Australia, yes we lost in 2005, but then won everything right up to the Commonwealth Bank Games, in which yes England won. (I guess that would be the next dream that will live on for years.)
As soon as the Aussies lost in 2005, they went to work, to win them back A.S.A.P, which they did. They did the same after the lost in the World Cup final of 1995. Stop living in the past and realise that England need to do some major work. The Australian Summer that they had was a joke, the world cup an embarrassment to Cricket. But I guess you won the Ashes, in 2005 and in the 1980's, so let that memory live on and not the real game of cricket!
Complain about this postThe major difference between English and Australian Cricket, that we (Australian's) live to win at all costs, home or away. England Cricket, well i guess the very first quote sums up your attitude.
how was england's win a highlight?
it was a pointless dead rubber match between two pathetic teams.
Complain about this postWith it being a World Cup, why weren't some of the stadiums floodlit?
I stayed up until 6.30am today to watch it live in Hong Kong.
Farce indeed!!
Complain about this postI agree with aggers completely.
Complain about this postThe world cup was a disaster from start to finish and after 3 in a row that have been very poor, perhaps it is time to call a halt to the whole procedings?
I see that Duckworth/Lewis is coming in for a bit of stick in these comments.
To all the detractors, I say this - it was the rules that were at fault, not the D/L system. OF COURSE the final should have been played over two days in the situation, but this is a rare situation.
And why don't you find a better way of setting targets in rain affected matches.
The finest minds in world cricket have tried and failed for years and years. The thing is, that D/L is the best possible lest we start to play indoors
Complain about this postIt ended in the way everyone knew but didn't want to say. The Australians were just too good..still
Complain about this postim not sure if anyone has suggested this yet but why not just play 20-20 games in the world cup. it would be quicker and a little more exiting.
Complain about this postI cannot believe people are blaming Australia and saying they should be ashamed!
Ashamed of what? Being light-years better then any other team on the planet?
Yes, how very dare they...
Complain about this postVery few significant moments but disgrace and disaster to international cricket. CWC= Cricket Worst Cup.
Complain about this post"What an appalling advert for the game it was - and those responsible must never be allowed to administer a cricket tournament again."
I agree with these comments 100% - the organisation of this world cup was terrible and never allowed players and spectators to be become involved. There were far too many meaningless matches - how can you have a tournament with only the the semi finals being two knock-out matches!!!
Great performances by Australia and Sri Lank, the others "must do better"
Complain about this postWhy are there not qualifying rounds for the Cricket World cup? There should be a system similar to football where the big tournaments have group stages months before the event. I know the smaller sides have qualifying but maybe the test sides should be involved. That way the tournament will be shorter and the big teams will not be knocked out in one off games. The group stages could be played 2 years before the tournament, much more sensible and it works for football.
Complain about this postWhat if Sri Lanka had batted first? I do believe the Aussies were the best team in the tournament, but with the farce at the end if the teams had been reversed would we now be looking at a Sri Lankan Victory?
Also strongly disagree with your comment aggers "You won’t find Ireland or Bangladesh complaining about any aspect of the tournament but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Complain about this postThe both deservedly got knocked out from very poor performances and just because their a big cricket nation they should not be given ANY sort of advantage, cricket should not turn into a Elitist sport it does not have the mass support capable of doing that
Jonathan just likes a bit of a moan about everything doesn't he? Lets get a bit of perspective. England were never a good team going in to the tournament. No amount of staying off the sauce, and changing of coaches, will change the fact, that they are poor one day team, with key players missing. So why does this guy write article after article, trying to find complex answers to a simple equation? The final wasnt great, but either outcome would have been unsatisfactory, so Johnathan would have moaned either way. The unjustifiable ranting of the English press is getting a little tedious and melo-dramatic, it really does need to stop now.
Complain about this postI agree with most of Jonathan's views except 'it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going.'
I feel all teams need to perform and 'deserve' to be in the super eights. No team should be able to assume that all they need to do is show up to get there. I'm afraid as an Indian, I have to conceed that my boys (and the Pakistanis) did not deverve to get there and power to Bangladesh and Ireland. Popularity and commercial interest in the subcontinent is not enough and teams need to qualify on their cricketing credentials.
Football is able to accept big teams being eliminated in the first round (e.g., France in 2002) and we should be big enough to accept this as well.
Complain about this postAgree with most of your comments 'Aggers' there's no doubt this World Cup has done precious little to further the game to pastures new and very little also to those already converts to the game.
Complain about this postI do disagree though with your comments that something has to be done in the games format to prevent the likes of India or Pakistan being eliminated too early,upsets are part and parcel of any World Cup whatever the sport,and while we may miss the opportunity because of this of seeing a few great players in action any sport has at sometime to offer the opportunity of a 'Minnow' to play above themselves and as we have seen do it better on the day than the Big Boy's.
As an overall view I do believe too much International cricket is played,it is overexposed and as a consequence if a tournament such as we have just had in the W.I.with all its problems
will not serve to ignite peoples enthusiasum to see it again quickly, but more likely than not it will encourage them to find another way to enjoy themselves.
As a suggestion I would like to see every 3rd or 4th cricket season based on perhaps the Northern Hemisphere season to be a blank International Season,it would release all international players to have one full domestic season,give them a break from the grind of the International regime and the opportunity to wet the appetite of the cricket supporter to perhaps see something or someone new.
I still think if we had a 50 over a side match under normal circumstances, the outcome might have been different or we could have a competitive match due to many reasons like,
Ball was soft due to moisture and soft ball is hard to hit, Sanath Jayasuriya's dismissal on a ball that kept very low and after his dismissal the required run rate according to stupid duck worth Lewis method increased and etc.
ICC shouldn't use D/L method in finals (quarter, semi and the final itself) it’s not fare for the teams and not good for the fans of cricket even for the globalisation of the game.
Any way I don’t want to take any credit out of Australia’s remarkable success but this world cup was the worst (no doubt about it).
Complain about this postIF CRICKETERS HAVE THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL STAMINA TO PLAY FIVE-DAY TESTS THEY CAN SURELY ACCOMMODATE ODI's IN QUICK SUCCESSION.
LIMIT THE NEXT WORLD CUP TO EXACTLY A MONTH - APART FROM WARM-UPS.
THE THREE GROUP GAMES - ASSUMING THERE WILL STILL BE FOUR GROUPS OF FOUR TEAMS - COULD BE PLAYED OVER 10 DAYS LEAVING 20 FOR THE SUPER 8 STAGE OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE CALLED.
AT LEAST WE WERE SPARED THE ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE - A PLAY-OFF BETWEEN THE BEATEN SEMI-FINALISTS FOR THIRD PLACE. HOW DID THEY OVERLOOK THAT ONE ?
Complain about this postAggers is quite right about it being a shameful end to the tournament. Though Gilchrist's superb innings was probably match-winning in any circumstances, we shalll now never know. We must be careful though to separate our ire for the ICC from any feelings towards the Australians who were easily the best team throughout They can after all only beat the teams they are pitted against. Congratulations to them but I'm sure that they too would have preferred to bowl Sri Lanka out in 50 overs and not win in the face of these rumblings of discontent.
As to India and Pakistan's early exit - they have only themselves to blame and no tournament should be designed to allow no 'minnows' to progress. That after all, is the romance of sport (Yeovil Town against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter final would be every much as big a draw as Chelsea v Arsenal), especially given the English love of the underdog.
Incidentally, I appear to be the only one around who liked the World Cup going on so long. For those of us hard at work all day it was a treat to come home each evening and have a TMS broadcast to listen to and see the highlights each night. It has bridged us from spring to summer now: oh that sitting in the garden with my transistor radio tuned to crackly long wave yesterday and bringing back memories of childhood summers, I could have listened to a less TV-money/scheduling motivated charade and mockery of our beautiful game.
Thank you TMS; P45s all round to the ICC.
Complain about this postyeah totally agree with u, aggers. for those who scoff at his minnows remark did u actually watch ireland & bangladesh play? most of their cricket in the super 8s were appalling. two of ireland's games finished before lunchtime. and bangladesh were rolled over by 10 wkts & 9 wkts. very uncompetitive cricket.
next time instead of super 8s, why not have 2 groups of 4. top 2 of each go to a semi. straightforward.
Complain about this postJonathan,
Sorry you feel this way old chap. Yes, the WC was not up to our expectations but then what to do ? At least the right team won, go Aussies go !
Complain about this postYes - a hopeless World Cup. Far too long, ridiculous crowd entry restrictions, grossly overpriced beyond the reach of most local cricket fans, very few genuinely exciting games - perhaps 4 at the outside, several senior cricketing nations playing way below an acceptable standard, too many teams competing, and a final pioneering night cricket without floodlights. Bermuda's participation was the equivalent of San Marino playing in the World Cup football finals.
Suggestions for improvement next time. Have a preliminary ICC Trophy competition among the minor ICC nations such as Holland, Ireland etc and the winner of this competition joins the 11 other main one-day cricketing nations (including Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya) for a 12-team World Cup. Split the 12 teams into two groups of 6, with teams ranked 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 in one group and the other teams in the other group - essentially a Super Sixes to start. Then semi-finals and final: 33 games in total. If one game from each group is played each day, then the whole competition could last about 3 weeks.
Ensure that at least half the tickets are reserved for the local population at affordable prices, with a maximum allocation per household. Have sensible security regulations without absurd prohibitions on drinks, tee-shirts, musical instruments etc. For the semi-finals and final, have a reserve day and allow it to be used if there is any interruption in play - this final was really devalued by the stoppages and overs reduction.
Oh, and scrap the ICC Champions Trophy - there is no need for that competition and the World Cup at a time when far too much cricket is being played.
Complain about this postInteresting article and well written.
Complain about this postOnly one problem: why have a tournament that isn´t competitive? If Pakistan and India aren´t competitve then it has to be bye bye. It is their problem not the competition´s. Nobody would be interested in watching or competing in a tournament in which you are not allowed win because your country is not traditionally good, or worse you are not allowed lose because your country has a good tradition
Forty-nine days is far too long - there was no momentum for the players or the supporters - and after weeks of empty stands because of overpricing, the ridiculous rules that even included the need for conch shells to be registered before being blown were revoked. Perfect this is definatually the reason for a bad world cup
Complain about this postIt is truly appaling that on field umpires, and I assume the rest of the match officiating team don't know the simplest match regulation. That said, the media should stop pressing that point and celebrate the brilliance of Australia, and the bravery that Sri Lanka showed in the early parts of the run chase, when victory was not unimaginable.
In the end the World Cup was a flat affair really, it never really caught fire. Its unfair to blame that on the achievements of Ireland or Bangladesh. I think much of it has to do with over long format, not enough games had much riding on them, and the tournament didn't build up in the way a football or rugby world cup does. I think the Super 6/8 round doesn't really capture the imagination, mainly as it takes too long. Perhaps a system of 2 groups of 6 in the first round, with positions defining the quarter final line up, and then a straight knock out would be better?
Complain about this postThis is 'the third in a row that has spectacularly failed to live up to its billing'.
Gee, who won those three tournaments?
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
Complain about this postI think some of the comments on this page are pretty harsh. As someone who actually spent two weeks in Barbados I say that I thought the atmosphere was wonderful there was plenty of rum punch and the final England game againsnt West Indies was a cracker that was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
Yes the cricket could have been better but i have never been to an event where as visiting supporters we were given a true and sincere welcome. Surely the best place in the world to watch and enjoy cricket
Complain about this postAgnew's is right that this was a dreadfully disappointing World Cup and (of course) that England were poor throughout. Nonetheless they did manage to particiapte in two of the best finishes - perhaps partly because they weren't quite good enough. Over 90% of the Super Eight/Finals matches were pretty much one-sided - it's become as interesting watching Australia win this stuff by huge margins as it is wondering which English football team will win the league/cup etc etc. I wonder whether the longer limited overs game has much of a future - after all they've thought up every wheeze possible to make it exciting but frequently it just ain't.
Complain about this postWhat absolute nonsense, to claim that ... "it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going"
catch yourself on...if teams don't perform well when they need to, you can't just change the structure of the tournament just to help them out. unless of course you don't really want the sport to develop that is and its popularity to increase.
it is of course true that the world cup did not live up to its billing. however, it is clear to see that for many people, the only real interest in the tournament came from the performances of teams like ireland and bangladesh, as well as their enthusiastic support.
Complain about this postCouldnt agree more Jonathan-Malcom Speed has a lamentable record (and Im an Aussie)his work ethic and decision making reminds me of the English cricket team.
Complain about this postA great shame for the Caribbean which needed this world to boost cricket in the region yet so many of these colourful musical people werent to bring instruments in or simply couldnt afford to go.A disgrace but who cares about the locals Malcolm when there are the corporates to worry about. A world cup so long and with so little cricket Ive found myself more interested in the battle between Man United and Chelsea and I dont support either club.
Hi Jonathan;
Complain about this postThanks for the reports you keep posting for us cricket lovers. Am a big fun of Australia and please give those guys some credit. They were so so so so good that the other teams couldnot match up with their standards. Often times, when one is so so good the others buckle under the heat because they can't handle. Its what exactly went on with the cricket world cup. We hope next time round others shall have caught up such that we can get the entertainment we so desire though abit of flashes in some matches were displayed.
For all cricket lovers, hurray and keep it coming.
Cheers all.
i agree totally with everything in this article bar one point: i don't see what the problem with india and pakistan going out is. it's the beauty of a cup format that teams have to play consistently throughout the tournament, giving up-and-coming teams the chance to cause upsets when faced with the complacency of the established nations. it's great for world cricket that teams like ireland and bangladesh can be given that chance and that the sport is not seen to be completely closed.
Complain about this postAggers, you have just hit all the nails on all the heads. The way the tournament ended epitomises everything that went on before it. Well done to Australia, the best team by miles won and thank god they were there and playing like they did. The rest of the teams were disgraceful. Because of the poor standard and form shown by all the other teams, we even started saying that New Zealand were contenders to win, doesnt that show how far we all are behind the aussies. No offence to Ireland or Bangladesh but they dont make for exciting cricket matches.
Complain about this postI love cricket, have actually followed all of it and I AM GLAD ITS OVER.
Terrible World Cup.
This is a World Cup that will be remebered for all the wrong reasons - not least the WICB's attempt to fleece the fans with unrealistic prices.##Thank goodness England went out when they did. They were nowhere near good enough. Finally, Michael Vaughan looks as though he's something of a myth as an outstanding captain.
Complain about this postClowns of the ICC cricket board including their president should be blamed for a so poor world cup arrangement.It is a disaster.Most of the matches were played with so poor public attendence. The stadium was full only in the finals.
Complain about this posttotally agree with aggers! But one thing that gets on my nerves is yes the minnows beat the big guns, but in super eight matches how many victories did they see. its good for the minnow countries but not for international cricket being watched by millions worldwide.
Complain about this postSuper 8 without India and Pakistan is NOT a super 8 and I'm an England fan. Both these team would have got better and challenged the other teams in the later stages. Ireland getter through was a waste - pointless games, I and thousands of other didn't pay money to travel and watch games last 2 hours. The Caribbean locals were alowed into these games free at 11:00 on game day - when they arrived the game had nearly finished - scrap all the rounds the 10 best teams over the previous 4 years compete against each other - this is qualification for the world cup.
Complain about this postF1 was boring when Michael Schumacher was dominating, David Hamilton started with three podium finish, it is a great sport now for the Brits. Aussies are so professional and dominant that their game is one sided most of the times and hence it may look boring.
Complain about this postIf England had reached semis or the finals, the world cup would have been an interesting one for Andrew & Co.
Just because England did not qualify in the last 3 tournaments does not mean the cup is boring.
Last WC was a great success in India as it reached finals.
I can't comprehend what I saw yesterday and I feel cheated to the extreme. Yes, Australia deserved to win as they were the better team throughout the tournament. But to win the Final in the dark was a farce. I was in the front row of one of the stands and could not see the ball for the last ten overs, let alone the final three. I feel for Adam Gilchrist - his innings was stunning and a joy to watch, but the manner of the win undervalues the innings, the match and the tournament.
Complain about this posta dark tourament for sport, ended in the farce it deserved in the dark.
Complain about this postIndeed, Johnathon - as if we England fans aren't already embarrassed enough at the tawdry and eminently predictable debacle which was England's 'campaign' - yesterday was an additional embarrassment for all involved in cricket. What a very sad end to a very sad competition. Well done to Australia who ruthlessly and brilliantly destroyed all before them. The blip (theirs and ours) of 2005 seems oh so far away.
Complain about this postAggers I've been agreeing with you about the appalling quality of this world cup all the way through, but, if India and Pakistan turn up and fail to beat Bangladesh and Ireland then thats there own fault not the fault of the world cup organisers.
Complain about this post"Appalling advert for the game" - well-said, JA, that sums up this World Cup in an unregistered conch-shell. Not Australia's fault that they were unbeatable - congrats to them. (Though said through gritted teeth.) Congrats, too, to Ireland or Bangladesh; sorry, Aggers, but it was India and Pakistan's own fault for not getting into the last 8. But overall, a damp squib.
Complain about this postThat also goes for the BBC's late-night highlights programmes; I don't want to see the presenter on the beach or somewhere 'exotic' every evening; I don't want more than a few seconds of pre-match analysis and not much after, either - as a cricket-lover, I love watching cricket, and that means what happens ON the pitch.
Thank God this World Cup is over.
"You won’t find Ireland or Bangladesh complaining about any aspect of the tournament but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Nonsense. If you'd replaced India and Pakistan in that Pakistan with West Indies and England, people would laugh at you. Nobody would seriously suggest that England and West Indies should have the rules changed to minimise their chances of getting knocked out so why should Pakistan and India? If the argument is that they are both top teams then one would question their record against the best sides in recent years. India in finals? There's a joke in itself. In terms of important silverware the West Indies have won more in the last few years than India with the Champions Trophy victory in England and reaching the final of the last tournament. Pakistan have been playing dreadful cricket for a fair while now and can't really claim to be one of the top elite sides in either form of the game right now.
I suspect your opinion, which has been much stated in previous blogs, is based on the idea that Pakistan and India should have been in the next round because they attract huge support and that would have brought more flavour to a drab tournament. On that I agree. I also feel that had the Super Eights been replaced with a straight knockout, nobody would be moaning so much as Ireland would have been knocked out in the quarter finals and the argument of too much boring cricket couldn't be used. Frankly after seeing Pakistan play like men with no talent in South Africa, I don't think they would have added much to the mix in terms of challening Sri Lanka or Australia.
There are several different issues here. India and Pakistan looked like jaded hasbeens living on former glories. They looked like relics, a mirror to how the England football team looked in the 1970 World Cup. Their lack of performance is their own doing and their own problem to solve. The World Cup schedule is for the ICC to sort out. If any international coach had adminstered a team as badly as the ICC administered the World Cup, there would be dismissals and resignations going on. The like of Percy Sonn and Malcolm Speed need to have some kind of critical review into their own performance.
I've said previously that I'd have a longer group stage scenario of four groups of four teams, each team playing each other twice so each team plays a total of six matches. That way, the Associate sides get plenty of cricket and no major side can get knocked out through one loss to an Associate side. From there, you go into a straight knockout. Less matches played, more intensity, less mucking about. You get your TV audience, you get the Associate sides playing good cricket over a sustained period and you keep the competition at a decent intensity for the professional sides. The Super Eights format is flawed, dull and needs to be scrapped.
Complain about this postWHat a disgrace for the WC final to depend on the good behaviour of the weather. Unbelievable that the Sunday wasn't left open to ensure it would be a 50 over match. Who are these clowns organising such a joke?! And if anyone argues time constraints-this during a 50 day tournament. Pathetic.
Complain about this postJonathan,
Your kind words about Australia winning are generous in the extreme. That you could pause in your rant to acknowledge the clear champion of the tournament is much appreciated. It also balances the angst you so clearly express.
Also, thanks for marginalizing teams like Ireland and the like. There is no place for such teams in the World Cup. If they are allowed to play then it should be as a short warmup before the real games.
Suitable oppponents for them would include Canada, Bangladesh, and England.
Complain about this postWhen England beat Aust in the triangular series I thought it was a good thing for Aust as the real prize is the WC, however not sure how any team is supposed to be able to time their run given it goes on for so long, I am just glad in the end,despite the weather, Lewis Duckworth system, that the best team won.
Complain about this postNot sure why you'd want minnows playing good teams, all that's going to do is to make the odds go out a long way for various bookmakers, say 100-1 or something, meaning throwing a game makes it that much more attractive to someone involving in something illegal.
51 matches of which probably only 4 (the final, the semis and the England SA game) really had any edge to them. The whole tournament was set up to drag as much money out of the poor punters as possible (and failed to spark their interest).
Next time, I suggest three groups of 6 teams on a normal round robin basis. That's three times 15, or 45 games in all, with the top two in each group plus the two best third placed teams going straight through to the quarter finals. That would be 7 finals matches making 52 in total, but as thr group stages could be completed in 3 weeks, the whole competition would come down to a month or so.
Plus the desperation to get the best possible results to gain the best third place spot would put an edge on more games.
Complain about this postOf all these issues, the worst seems to me to be the fact that the tickets were not affordable to most local people! For whom was the tournament taking place?
Complain about this postJonathan, I agree with you on most points but I dont think teams like India and Pakistan should be favoured. No other sports tournament works that way. Very frankly, if Pakistan cannot beat Ireland then they dont deserve to progress.
The thing that upset me most about this WC is the increasing encroachment of on-field advertisements. How long before the whole outfield is covered? It is pure greed which allows for this and it spoils the aesthetics of the game. Watch the old matches on ESPN and see how much more beautiful they were. The ICC should not allow banner ads on the field of play.
Complain about this postI thought that the tournament WAS designed so that India and Pakistan were almost assured of a place in the super8s. It required that they beat teams like Ireland, but they blew their chance, and Ireland took it.
Apart from a bye, not much more could have been done.
By insisting that India and Pakistan have a right to progress, you are siding with the money-grabbing organisers and TV companies whe are merely chasing TV ratings in the sub-continent! What kind of competition is that?
The best team still won.
Complain about this postI agree completley with the comment below. whats your suggestion aggers, give them a passport too the super 8s? a very arrogant comment, and im suprised BBC let you say that.
"However, I disagree strongly with "but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Complain about this postArrant nonsense.
In a way, it was most appropriate for such a disaster of a tournament to end in this facical way. At least the two best teams of the tournament reached the final and the four best teams reached the semis.
The Super-8s has to go. Replace it with quarter finals. Price the tickets reasonably for local fans and get rid of the totally ridiculous and petty rules over sponsorship and food and drink. Also, why on earth have an ICC Trophy which is another world cup anyway?
One final thing - how on earth can you build new stadia for a major crocket tournament and not include floodlights? That is simply crazy!
The idiots running the ICC should be made to personally refund money to fans who were so terribly ripped off by this money-grab.
Complain about this postI stopped following cricket closely around 2002, only returning to enjoy the Ashes success. I think it's naive to heap all criticism onto the World Cup itself, but rather look at cricket as a whole. The empty stadiums were an absolute joke considering this is supposed to be the sports showpiece event. You would never see an empty stadium at a football world cup. I think this is the price you pay for holding the final in a fundamentally 3rd world nation with corrupt and deluded organisers interested in extracting as much money as possible. Realistically, are Indian and Bangladeshin supporters going to afford such astronomical prices? And i agree about Aggers regarding the tournament format. Cricket struggles anyway for top quality nations, so seeing Pakistan and India go out before the tournament really gets going is a joke. Yep, I'd rather see Younis Kahn and Youhana along with Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid playing.
But cricket in general is a sport in decline. Well, in my opinion, has it ever been a top sport? It doesn't deserve its place as ranking alongside football and rugby. County Cricket is a farce, you're lucky to see 100 people at a ground for some matches, and we're heavily reliant on foreign influence for flair and panache. As for international cricket as a whole, aside from the Ashes, there aren't many gripping Test Series. Test Cricket in general can be desperately boring. Block. Block. Block. Defend the new ball. Wait for spectators to fall asleep.
All i'm saying is, don't expect a glorious World Cup from an average sport.
Complain about this postNot the best of the tournaments. But I strongly disagree with some of the comments. The format of this world cup may have been somewhat lengthy, but was I think much more fair. One day international cricket necessarily incorporates quite a bit of luck in terms of winning or losing a match. The outcome of a tournament that decides a world champion must therefore eliminate as much of the luck factor as possible. In this view, I would have even preferred seeing a best of three in the finals and the semi-finals.
Conversely, there are situations where it is just not possible to blame your luck for losing a match. Take the case of India and Pakistan, for instance (and I am an Indian myself). If these two team are good enough to come any close to winning the world cup, one would expect them to have standards that would enable them to get past lessor teams such as Bangladesh and Ireland no matter what bad luck befalls them. No offense to either Bangladesh or Ireland, I though they played some very interesting cricket.
In the final analysis, any other result than Australia wining would have been a big farce. Just looking at the statistics and the huge margins by which they one every single one of the games ought to tell you something. Sure the Sri Lankans were good but only good enough to be the runner ups.
Complain about this postI agree with most of your points there Mr Agnew. However, the constant criticism of Bangladesh and Ireland making the Super 8's ahead of India and Pakistan is quite honestly shameful and leaves a taste in the mouth as sour as the final itself.
All the teams knew the passage for qualification, this is (supposed to be) sport, and if the "heavyweights" of india and pakistan cannot raise their game to beat the "minnows" then it is their own fault and they dont deserve to be there, what is it with this sport i love, that constantly tries to keep it an exclusive club. Hopefully India and Pakistan and all the other "big" teams who failed to perform in the tournament (ENG, WI) will look at their game and improve it and not take their place for granted. After all, if you dont win a game you dont deserve to go through. end of story.
And lets face it, Ireland going through to the Super 8's was just what cricket needs a reordering in the otherwise predictable cricket world.
Complain about this post"You won’t find Ireland or Bangladesh complaining about any aspect of the tournament but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
If anything, it was already set up for them to progress but both teams lost to so-called minnows.
Complain about this postAre you suggesting it should be fixed so Pakistan and India make the latter stages just because they have a large following and pull in massive TV audiences?
I know, let everyone play off for the right to meet Pakistan and India in the semi-finals. Then if either of them loses, keep playing until Pakistan and India reach the final. Then make it a best of three ...
Jonathan Agnew’s report praises England for one game in a morass of mediocrity, notes that Ireland and Bangladesh “took their chances” and ignores Australia’s achievement as a whole, one of the great one-day innings in particular.
Australia was stunning and deserved to win. Good for them, their skill, the organisation of and attitude to the sport and their supporters.
As for ICC being at fault for devising a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going, that is just silly.
The relevant question is why India and Pakistan produced performances that allowed them to be knocked out?
ICC deserve all the criticism they are receiving but while we’re looking at the world governing body plus the leadership and organisation of English cricket, can we also look at the broadcast media coverage and consider whether it’s time for another clean out of the sort that took place on TMS when Fred Trueman and Trevor Bailey were dropped?
Cricket is a technical game and commentary benefits from input based on a sound understanding of the technicalities involved but it also needs broadcasters that can correctly identify players in the field, read the scoreboard and talk about what they see in an interesting way, which goes beyond knowing the colour of a bus driving down the road or carping about the rigours of flying between Caribbean islands.
Second, am I alone in thinking that having played cricket at a first class/international level let alone having been a captain guarantees nothing in terms of broadcasting ability? True, SKY money attracts the big names so we can listen to TMS without having Nasser lecture us about whatever aspect of the game he has prepared for that day but if the best the old pro’s can deal up is “….at 47 for 5 what they really need now is a partnership…” then roll on Ant, Dec and Jonathan Ross.
There were a lot of low points in this World Cup but one of the lowest was hearing a TMS commentator in conversation with the summariser belatedly interrupt their musings about whatever it was to announce, “….he’s bowled him…” Shame he hadn’t been paying attention or we would have know who “he” and “him” were: it’s not just the ICC that is complacent and muddle-headed.
Complain about this postThe whole damned thing has been a serious pain in the arse for some time. Cricket used to be a mind-game: what intelligence is there in thirty-eight overs of slog? Those of us who can only get Radio 4 LW have to suffer what even your own commentators declared to have become a total and utter farce, without being given a hearing. Was this really worth a man's life? It's time to stop this, once and for all.
Complain about this postMove on Aggers...what is it with you lot. You won the ashes in 2005 and haven't been able to comprehend what has happened since. I've been following the debate on 606 and reading the various associated BBC blogs and the overwhelming impression I have is that.
Complain about this posta) The Australian team is the luckiest in history. For a marginally talented lot everything seems to fall just right for them.
b) For some reason the Australians seem to get preferential treatment from the umpires. Dodgy umpiring decisions always go their way and against their much more talented opponents.
c) The Australians are the bully boys of world cricket (the implication here seems to be that they wouldn't win if they didn't bully opposition teams into submission and that their overly aggressive behaviour somehow equates to cheating).
d) It was much better in the 70's and 80's when the West Indies dominated World cricket ...why oh why can't we turn back the clock to a more civilized time when Australia was regularly and soundly defeated by England et al.
However the fact is Aggers that this is 2007 and despite the head in the sand attitude adopted by many who populate this site, Australia are the best cricket side in the world (in both forms of the game) and history will show that this side is right up their with the best cricketers ever.
If cricket is to prosper and grow as a sport then why not use the Australians as a benchmark, adopt their methods, be professional, analyse their game and hand them back some of their own medicine, not whinge, whine and blame everything but our own inadequacies every time Australia wins something be it at cricket or anything else. Grow up folks!
Completely agree, except about devising a format where there shouldn't be the remotest possibility of the likes of India and Pakistan from being kicked out early. The upshot is saying to the Associate teams that you can turn up for the first half of the party, but then you have to leave I'm afraid! Doubt if that would then do much good for cricket in the Emerald Isle etc.
My biggest concern is what the people of the West Indies feel, after being over-priced and over-regulated out of their home tournament.
Complain about this postno offence to ireland (bangladesh has the population and appetite for the game and will become a force )but their status in international cricket reamins at 0 because frankly no one watches cricket in irealand. Ever wondered why over a billion people want to watch pakistan v india and why hardly anyone was interested in ireland v bangladesh or ireland v australia. do the math, ireland is never really ever realistically going to make it because all their players runaway to england and for very good reason!
Complain about this post100% correct. Dull, dull, dull. Although England may play boring cricket, they were involved in two of the best games of the tournament.
Complain about this postWhy do we need the D-L rule when each game had two days scheduled??
Why couldn't we have two super-8 games per day? Surely with some floodlights they could stagger the games.
Is there some way of handicapping the Aussies? They get 40-overs while the opposition get 50?
A disappointing world cup is at last over. Most players have retired/will retire before the next world cup. Let's hope that the next world cup will be enjoyable with new players.
Complain about this postIt seems almost astonishing that ANYTHING could have been organised more badly than this tournament has been. EVERYTHING has been incredibly poor (except having Ireland involved), and we all know that the ICC has this horrific habit of justifying their incompetence in terms of how much cash-flow has been generated.
In contrast: Yesterday, I went to watch a local 3rd XI match on a beautiful day in a lovely ground surrounded by cherry trees in blossom - I took my girlfriend, who has never seen a match before, and she's now in love with the game. After a crap World Cup, it reminded me how perfect cricket can sometimes be, and I'm so glad that we didn't have the option of watching Australia/Sri Lanka on Sky.
Complain about this postaggers there are several things I agree with your article, I feel that the whole worl cup is a farce. the best team in the world has shown why they are so good and have shown that on any surface in any condition they can still prevail and show the rest of the cricketing world how cricket is played
I am an indian supporter and though there was alot of commercial interest form the indian subcontinent, the world cup was lost almost immediately once the paks and indians left. the world cup should not be designed for the sucess of these teams but for the people where the world cup is hosted.
In my opinion the ICC are more interested in the short term option of how much revenue can be hgained. cricket is after all entertaiment based and that shgould be at the fore front of this all. If the icc presume that people will singularly turn up just to watch non-interesting cricket then they will sorely be mistaken.
Ireland and bangladesh fully deserved their places in the super 8's but would they not have benefitied playing in a mini league before the super 8's where the so called minnows of the game play in a syled playoff system and then allow the top 2/3 to enter the super 8 matches. Wouldn't this allow for all the unpredictability and then also have more meaningfull games. I don't feel that the organinsers of this event got all the decisions right.
It's sad once my team left I sort of lost all interest in the game, but seemed alot of other people dis as well and that is what needs to be adressed not the revenue that was lost but the people who watch the game
Complain about this postAfter this World Cup farce, should we not seriously examine the possibility of dropping the cricket World Cup as a showpiece event?
After all, things are just getting worse and worse with every administrator bringing in his own agenda items to the table, to the utter detriment of good cricket and entertainment.
Complain about this postaustralia's dominance in the cricket has made the cricket the most boring game.
Complain about this postbest way to make it interseting again is to start a worldcup of the teams without australian participation .
if australia is in the competition we know the result,there is no competition to australia.
FIRST OF ALL,COGRATS TO AUSTRALIA.THEY DESERVED IT.BUT AFTER THE END OF THE TOURNAMENT,THE BAD THINGS ARE REMEMBERED.EVEN IN THE FINAL,WHEN THE AUSSIES STARTED CELEBRATING,THE UMPIRES SPOILED THEIR PARTY.WELL NOT THE WORST WC,BUT STILL NOT THE BEST
Complain about this postI can't believe the number of people who are blaming Australia for any problems in this world cup.
Surely the blame should be on the organisers, and the awful teams and the good teams who intentionally played understrengthed line ups (SL/NZ).
Australia played to their fullest in every single game - if every other team had done that, the tournament would have been great. As it was, it was only Bangladesh and Ireland who were also able to play to their ability.
As for any complaints about the final, it was only the D/L method which kepy SL from being humiliated - however if you still have problems with it, then please let me know your thoughts on England winning the CB series here in Australia, as the final game in that was played in equally bad circumstances - favouring England.
Complain about this postGood point Aggers
but you could at least congratulate the Ozzies
they are by far the best team in the world
no one came remotely close to challenging them
and surely they entertained, it is not there fault everyone else was inept
well done australia
Complain about this postMr. Agnew, you were spot on with EVERY ONE of your criticisms.
>For good or ill (I believe largely ill as, sadly, would Mr. Woolmer's family) cricket is now run from the Indian Subcontinent and it is incredibly naive to suggest that teams like Ireland and Bangladesh should have the opportunity to knock out the two most significant teams in cricket in terms of sponsorship, TV rights etc. before even the Super 8.
>The stupidity of the rules that were enforced at the grounds, the overpricing of tickets and the lack of proper hotel and other facilities showed in the empty stands and general apathy. In any other sporting venue, this alone would lead to the firing of those repsonsible - can you imagine if the Champions League was run the same way? At times, it was almost as if the ICC were deliberately attempting to have the teams play in empty stadiums to make some sort of twisted point.
>The tournament itself was utterly predictable once India and Pakistan were out. You could have picked the final four after the Sri Lanka / India game and most people I know did. This made the Super 8 almost utterly pointless, while the Semis also were depressingly routine.
>The 'final' was so completely ludicrous that it might as well have been a Monty Python comedy skit. This was supposed to be the final of the most important cricket event in the world. It ended by summing up the entire tournament perfectly - a sinister farce, from start to finish and one wonders just how much lower the game of Botham, Garner, Richards and Warne can now sink.
Complain about this postIt sounsd to me, that a lot of people are either in denial or just hate australia. For the whole 6-7 weeks they played unbelievable cricket, some teams played well but not for the whole tournament. Whereas australia, did the basics right... i agree the final could of been alot better organised but people are too big headed to acknowledge that australia are true champions, and deserved to win and be no.1 in the world. How often do you see the same team win a world cup 3 times in a row... not very often!!!
Complain about this postCompletely agree, what an anti climax yesterday was. When you rwife asks you if the World Cup is over yet even she has had enough!
Serious rethink is needed everywhere with regards to the world cup.
Complain about this postThe problem with the format was it was so deliberately geared up for everything going as expected. The ICC knew who they wanted in the super 8 group, and the first round was just to be a parade of small nations so they could brag about the number of teams involved.
Then when everything failed to fall into place they were left with a pretty crappy league system, with a huge number of uninteresting games (because either to both teams the result was meaningless as positions were assured OR the match was foregone conclusion OR the teams knew they could pick up the points later so winning was not essential)
looking at it, I cannot believe how bad an idea the super 8 was. we had only one game of real urgency and pressure, ENG v SA, before the semi finals.
The format in future must put an emphasis on making teams desperate to win and play exciting cricket, not simply deciding what match ups the punters would like to happen and then arranging the format to make it happen.
Complain about this postSorry if I am mistaken but I thought India and Pakistan actually lost TWO games in the group stages!
No one can ever criticise the minnows who are more competitive against the test sides than the test sides are against Aussies.
When did Australia last lose in the World Cup?
Yes, exactly.
Complain about this postMr Agnew ....
"You won’t find Ireland or Bangladesh complaining about any aspect of the tournament but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
So what are you proposing? The eight text playing nations get "byes" in to the Super 8? India and Pakistan going out early obviously did have a detrimental impact on the tournament, and on revenues but the simple fact is ..... they were beaten by Association Teams.
I'm sorry that this impacted the interest in the tournament but .... "you have to be in it to win it", and to win it means you need to "win your games". All credit to Ireland and Bangladesh.
I am surprised Mr Agnew that you could make such a statement.
For 2011 I am sure that there will be changes but those changes should not guarantee the progression of the "test nations" to the later stages. I'm English, and I was concerned that England might suffer the same fate in their last group game against Kenya.... by then we already knew Pakistan were out. I do not thing it is right to guarantee any teams progression .... even if that means teams like India, Pakistan, or even my home nation of England GO OUT. If you lose you go home, the games against Association Teams should not be taken lightly. All India and Pakistan needed to do was win those games and this would be a non-issue. They lost.... they went home.... sorry, that has to be RIGHT. Hopefully in 2011 the Association Teams will be even stronger based on playing cricket at a higher level and we will see more quality performances.
Complain about this postHow deliciously ironic that after all the ICC imposed rules that made this whole tounament such an unappealing sleep inducing bore, they were unable to understand their own rules in attempting to bring the final to its (farcical) conclusion.
Complain about this postOne thing I disagree with you about, Jonathan: how can you design a tournament where India and Pakistan could not be knocked out? That's impossible, unless you get rid of the minnows altogether.
Complain about this postThere were too many games. The ICC ought to streamline the cup then they should go straight to the super 8 stage and have the finals and the semis as a best of 3. To get to the super 8 you should be made to qualify over the period between world cups. this would mean that there was more at stake when one day international series' are played, and it would give teams something to play for when they are a game or two down in the series. the minnows should be given the opportunity to play the lower ranked teams to climb the ladder. there's no point of them only being allowed to test themselves against "greater " opposition once every four years.
as for the crowds. the appeal of the windies as a venue is its informality, friendliness, ramshakle charm, vibrancy and colourfull support. if you tinker with these things you put everyone off. tickets should have been cheap. there is plenty of money in tv revenues, advertising and merchandising.
Complain about this postJonathan,
A shambolic end to a very disappointing tournament. Poor organisation, last minute preparation and over emphasis on commercial interests were to blaim. Being told that I could not take a muesli bar into the ground because it displayed advertising really "took the biscuit".
Accepting that the final was dogged by bad weather I am perplexed by the apparent urgency to complete this prestigious match in a single day. The result was an unbalanced contest which could have been avoided. The sight of Tait steaming in to bowl at the Sri Lankan middle order in the gloom was alarming to say the least. Someone has to ask whether the rules on dangerous play were interpreted differently just to allow proceedings to continue.
Mike
Complain about this post"but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going"
Disagree with that statement. India and Pakistan were fully aware what they needed to do in order to move to the next stage but they did not perform when it mattered so their early exit was an exciting event in this world cup. Devising a format to make sure good teams go through is called 'fixing'
Complain about this post51 matches of which probably only 4 (the final, the semis and the England SA game) really had any edge to them. The whole tournament was set up to drag as much money out of the poor punters as possible (and failed to spark their interest).
Next time, I suggest three groups of 6 teams on a normal round robin basis. That's three times 15, or 45 games in all, with the top two in each group plus the two best third placed teams going straight through to the quarter finals. That would be 7 finals matches making 52 in total, but as thr group stages could be completed in 3 weeks, the whole competition would come down to a month or so.
Plus the desperation to get the best possible results to gain the best third place spot would put an edge on more games.
Complain about this postFor me it was nice to watch Scotland, Kenya, Zimbabwe (although should they have been allowed to participate given what is going on there??), Holland, Canada and Bermuda.
They might all be posties and truck drivers but they all showed a lot of guts, passion and a determination to do well.. You could see that they were all proud to be there and enjoyed every moment, knowing that they had no chance of winning. This is what cricket should be all about.
Two questions-
Was anybody put off by all the spitting that went on?
Why don't the players have stars on their shirts indicating how many times their country has won the world cup?
Complain about this postWell done Australia. Well done Sri Lanka.
I'm sorry, I must be in the wrong place, I thought this was a site for Cricket Fans...
I wonder how many of the whining scrooges on this blog were actually with Aggers in the Caribbean for this?? Yes the over regulation and lack of crowds, and the format/length of the tournament need looking at... but unless you were there spending your money, why on earth was this a problem????
Surely you were watching for the cricket? It was disappointing there were few close matches, but the ICC can hardly be blamed for the West Indies, England, India & Pakistan and to some extent South Africa being below par in this tournament - that's down to the teams themselves - Sri Lanka & Australia managed to prepare!
Overall there have been some great individual performances, and it's been a pleasure to watch some the very best working their craft. Cricket is about skill and individual contests as well, and there has been plenty on display along with some fine heroics - Shane Bond, Matty Hayden, Scott Styris, Malinga's 4 in 4, Gibbs and Smith, Ireland and Bangladesh reminding some top batsmen how to play slower deliveries, there has been plenty to watch.
Even though England have been disappointing, there have been highlights, Bopara, Nixon, Vaughan's comeback innings, Pietersen's hundred.
Cricket is a game of intangibles and subtleties and there have been plenty of great moments within games, wickets and cameos to observe even if this time they have not always added up to close finishes.
As for the final, Gilchrist's innings was truly awesome, ask Jayawardene - The D/L method is a part of the game, and the whole reason Clarke was brought on and able to bowl an advancing Sanath Jayasuriya was down to the intricacies of this situation. Was I alone in finding this intriguing/exciting? The game hung on a knife edge in those two overs, Pointing risked a bit part bowler in the teeth of a battering by he Sri lankans, and it paid off. 15 more runs and a stoppage and they would have lost! Cheated? ... whatever!...
I sometimes feel that now even journalists of TMS supposed standards are just too lazy to impart enthusiasm to us about the intricacies, twists and techniques that make cricket the game it is, and would rather moan & patronize tabloid style about how the game needs to be xy & z for all the poor people who can't appreciate it.
With fans like this Cricket doesn't need any enemies. Constructive Criticism people come on... Aggers, take a lead here!
I can't wait for the 20/20 WC but it will be a different game - we won't get to see these teams all together for ODIs again for four years! Lets hope more teams are truly at the top of their game for the next one, but for now savour the good stuff and quit whingeing!
PS Bob Woolmer's tragedy was trully terrible, but clearly not the fault of the ICC either, unless some conspiracy of Xfile-esque proportions is yet to come out.
Complain about this post
Complain about this postWeather spoiled the world cup final. In addtion to that it was managed very badly in my opinion
I am just qurious to to what was in Gilcrist's glove. Is it legal to use something like that just
to enhance batting strokes. It as like if boxers
can use heave substance to punch the opponant.
But it is not legal. how come Australians use such
tactics against cricket rules. why official turn blind
eye to it.
When you first appeared on the broadcast scene you appeared an easy-going and positive-minded fellow? Do you feel you have changed? It now seems that the English cricket media is dominated by spikey bitter and bad-temtpered bowlers from the 80/90's! (Fraser/Selvey/Pringle).
Complain about this postTop teams hardly play the so called minnows prior to the big stage. That's something ICC should consider. Pakistan's loss to Ireland and India's loss to Bdesh are mainly the fact that these teams have hardly played before the World cup and they may not even have video recording of the minnows players to have an effecive planning for the game.
India and Pak together have population in excess of 1.5 billion. Thats 1/4th of world population. Among cricket playing nations over 80% of followers are from these two countries. Their early exit is clearly a disaster for the event. Those one sided matches are due to the early exit of India and Pak - in particular India.
Complain about this postThe islands did their best to host this tournament and the local organizing was very good. If you attended any of the games you would have seen that. Islands like Grenada poured allot of resources into hosting the games. Logistically the games were well executed. Most of the people that came to region will tell you they had a very good time.
The tickets were too expensive and too many rules. However in the end all the games were well executed.
The next world cup should include the same number of teams. There should be more simultaneous games during the first round. What happened during the finals was nature's work. The umpires did their best to adhere to the rules in a difficult situation. The two best teams ended up in the finals and the best team won.
Complain about this postI agree with everything you say, Aggers, except for your view that it was "a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going". Pakistan only had to beat Zimbabwe and Ireland to ensure qualification with the Windies for the next round - it seems to me that the ICC had gone as far as they could to ensure Pakistan would get through, never dreaming that they would blow it. Pakistan's flair would have been very welcome in the Super Sixes, but no team should have a god-given right to proceed. One reason that Australia are so successful is that they don't get complacent and ensure that they do the business whoever they are playing.
One of the few lasting memories of this dismal tournament will be Ireland's success - and you can't have it both ways.
Complain about this postHaving thought about it a bit more, Aggers, I have a suggestion for future tournament structure.
Complain about this postHave a "Swiss" style competition: After the first game (random or seeded), each game is a semi-random draw of the teams at the top to play each other i.e. first will play second (or third, or fourth etc). You can only play each team once, but the top teams play each other (mostly) and the bottom teams play each other (mostly).
Chess tournaments have been played this way for years when there are too many competitors for every one to play everybody else. It makes for quite a dynamic table of results. If TV demands it, you could still have a final of 1st vs 2nd (or semi finals too).
In many ways this poorly organised tournament was deserving of a farcical finish. Still feel that after Bob Woolmer's murder it should have been called off. On the field the 2 best teams by far reached the final and nobody can deny the finest team in the world lifted the trophy. Listened to the game on the radio and when the teams went off shaking hands assuming it was over I did likewise and went to bed. Absolutely furious this morning to find that because of Jeff Crowe's incompetence I actually missed the end. By the way while listening on the radio I was constantly disturbed by the sound of text messages arriving, if these can't be accepted silently then must be email only for correspondents in future. Was very annoying. This tournament went on so long it seems almost time for the next one to start.
Complain about this postThe only thing is certen in life is death,but murder is ashame for all of us. i feel like we all lost the world cup, the day we will find the killer of great man Bob woolmer that day we will all win the world cup2007.Faisal
Complain about this postFirst of all Congrats to Aussies, they are brilliant and deserve to win the WC.
Second, JA should cool down,(come on you are in the WI) and congratulate Aussies at least before slamming and ranting the WC and organisers so unprofessionally.
Lessons must be learnt in this WC:
Complain about this post1. Just have 2 groups,play most games with minnows and the big ones. Play 2 matches a day at least.
2. Top 2 from each group will qualify for the semis.
ICC - Just for the sake of money thru Television rights do not spoil the game.
The question we have to ask is 'how has this tournament advanced world cricket?' After all the WC is the pinnacle of the OD game; a showcase to attract attention to a game that needs more exposure.
The positives
1: Ireland - a teriffic example of how cricket can be a field of dreams. Probably the real highligh for me.
2: Bangladesh answered its critics who have said they are not ready for the world stage
3: australia - we have probably witnessed the greatest team ever to take to the cricket field.
4: Sri Lanka - a team that was a minnow not so long ago and the initial instigators of batting hard in the first 15 overs. A very positive force in world cricket, who I believe will take Australia's number one ranking in the next few years.
The negatives:
Bob Wollmer's murder, rain, poor crowds, England, India, Pakistan, dreadful TV coverage (here in Australia anyway), too long (should have had at least two games per day, poor pitches where winning the toss almost guaranteed the game, Michael Vaughan, the West Indies team, too much corporate control at the expense of cricket fans, a farcial final, and too many one-sided games and I'm not talking about the minnows here either. The south africans and the kiwis were badly beaten in both semis.
All in all, the negatives outweigh the positives. I don't think world cricket has expanded too much after this. Ho many people who were previously disinterested in cricket will now want to follow their national sides? Apart from perhaps the Irish, i wouldn't say too many. In that regard the tournament has been a failure.
Complain about this postI fully agree with Aggers.
The farce started and ended with the admin in chaos over trivialities. All trying to outdo each other on one upmanship and how much money they could make regardless of the cost to the game.
Fire the whole lot of them and hire people who care about the game because these guys only care about themselves.
I have never been to such sterile games ever in the Caribbean and may this never happen again.
Thanks
Stan
Complain about this postAfter a long seven weeks was it too much for the organisers to have a reserve day for the final?
Complain about this postI am in total agreement with JA. When someone told me how long the world cup was going on for, I nearly fell off my chair!
Cricket is suffering the same embarassing, arrogant, self absorbed and self interested mismanagement that blights football and atheletics.
It's time to get rid of the back slapping, self congratulatory old men who run sport and hand it over to a younger more dynmaic group of people. With a bigger say for the people who's money actually makes these events work; i.e the fans/supporters/spectators.
Complain about this postOne of the very few highlights of this World Cup has been listening to Agger's thoughts and criticism's on both the internet and the BBC highlights, and his rant at the end of the highlights show last night was spot on. Can anyone think of any other sport in the world which would have allowed its main tournaments final to have decended into such a farce as yesterday?
Complain about this postMemories of the utter confusion at the end of the final test against Pakistan last summer came to mind, where for about an hour no one inside the ground had a clue what was going on. Although I dissagree with Jonathan's point regarding pakistan and India getting knocked out early, he is right about one thing, the organisors of this world cup must never be allowed to organise another.
Thank god it was late night in India and I didn't bother to stay awake into the wee hours of the 'reserve day'. Mr.Speed and some some TV giants must have booked this 'reserve' day for the eve of the first day of the next World Cup.
The worst W/C ever could not have ended in a ended in a befitting manner. Probably, they could have placed the Cup mid-pitch to enable the bowler see the wickets in its glow!
As for 'injustice' to SL, how many fast bowlers are allowed to bowl in bad light?
Complain about this postA very poor world cup , when i was a kid my dad would take me to lords or the oval to watch viv richards and joel garner smash england all over the place , surronded by cousins and freinds with drums , and any thing that would make a loud noise , the icc should hold there heads they destroyed the world for , jamicans , bermudans and everyone from the islands , who out priced and sited stadiums miles from any were , it was to long , top 2 from each group 4 game quter final , sf , final , not all this super 8 rubbish , australia , sri lanka , new zealand , and south frica played good cricket , but what a poor tournement , they lost the atmosphere collis king hitting a huge 6 , steel drums fun
Complain about this postThe farcial end to the world cup displays an immense lack of understanding of administrators for the game of cricket. the fact that a torunament lasting 49 days could end with a botched finish because of bad weather almost defies belief. Why didn't the administrators allow for a second day in case of rain? If everyone knew from the start, then people can prepare with flights, etc.. As it was, Sri Lanka were totally up against it, playing not only the magnificent Australia team, but D/L as well.
Complain about this postThe farce began in the morning. It was absurd to reduce the most important one day match in four years to 38 overs. They could have postponed the game to the reserve day. What is more appalling is it took four experienced officials to concoct the silly end, when both captains had agreed to the result.seriously, school level umpires would have shown better judgment.
The next cup is to be played on the Indian subcontinent. Just wait and see how the matchfixers will take charge and run the show.
Complain about this posti believe windies can do much better they need to discipline there selves on and off field there biggest problem is they are confident in what they are doing am a true fan of windies and i would not stopp supporting them but mi want the guys to just beiieve in them selves
Complain about this postwhilst certainly pakistan and india getting knocked out did mean a lack of entertainment and competition having nothing games at the beginning such as pakistan vs ireland doesn't particulary bother me as it gives the minnows a chance to rate themselves against the best and to be honest it is just a chance for the big players to find form.
ps. I enjoyed Ireland's passion and fight
Complain about this postOh dear, how much easier can you make it for these teams then to play non-professional sides like Ireland?
If they aren't able for amateurs then are they ready for the Super 8s?
Perhaps you guys should kick us Irish and the other 'minnows' teams out so that next time you can all play each other with little or no surprises.
By the way, for such a 'brilliant' cricketing nation, you didn't so very well. Perhaps you should let some other better teams in next time, to keep the standard from falling.
And whoever said cricket wasn't watched in Ireland, it has been since the WC! Its on the news, in the papers and everyones been talking about it. This WC will do wonders for the sport here.
Well done Australia!
Complain about this postsome people have said 38 overs a side was not enough. actually in the circumstances it was too many. it removed any breathing space for delays/ bad light/ poor over rate, whereas a 35-over game would have still been a contest, and could have been concluded in half-decent light before 6pm local time...
Complain about this postGreat comments, Aggers! And great work from all the BBC folks.
As an Aussie, it's nice to see Australia continue to win.
But oh my goodness, what a joke this WC has been and what a disgrace to the game the ICC is.
I live in the USA now and actually got a couple of Yanks interested in 2005 Ashes. It was pretty easy... riveting cricket and live BBC commentary you could listen to from anywhere in the world.
I tried to encourage the same people to tune into both the 2006/07 Ashes and the WC only to find out that due to rights restrictions you couldn't listen to either from America. Can someone please explain the logic here? I don't want to start ranting so I'll stop here.
Ticket prices, the format and length of the tournament, the way the final was cut short (surely the elimination stage (finals and semis) should be played out in full if at all possible), and the way the Caribbean flavor was snuffed out was ludicrous.
I would actually like to see some of the players get involved. This mismanagement by the ICC is affecting their fans' ability to enjoy the game and see it grow.
I would also like to see some heads rolling at the ICC. They are an abominable organization more concerned with making money than growing the game.
It shouldn't be possible to muck up a tournament involving the best cricketers in the world. Somehow, these incompetent jokers have managed to do it.
For the next WC, let's not invite the ICC.
Complain about this post"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Allowing progression for anything other than performance on the field of play risks turning the world cup into a commerical exhibition rather than a tournament to find the best team in the world. India and Pakistan were beaten by teams that outperformed them over a series of three matches. Ireland and Bangladesh deserved their participation based on performances on the pitch, not the balance sheet.
If India and Pakistan are to be given free passes to the final stages of a tournament then who else?
Neither New Zealand nor Sri Lanka have the commerical clout to demand participation. South Africa probably can't afford a place at the top table, and the West Indies certainly can't.
In contrast, both England and Australia have enough clout to demand a spot. Why not just start with the semi finals between whichever teams Jonathan Agnew deems worthy of participating in a world cup.
After all, what's the point of a competition that you haven't fixed the result of beforehand - it might even give England a chance!
Complain about this postI disagree with the comment about the ICC 'protecting' Pakistan and India from an early exit, if Ireland and Bangladesh had gone, then this world cup would have been even worse. The Pakistan-Ireland match was probably the highlight of the world cup from me, and the Bangladesh-South Africa match was great also.
Apart from that Aggers, spot on!
Complain about this postThere are only (I think) 3 mentions of Bob Woolmers murder in all the comments below on Wc 2007.
That should have been the biggest and last story of the 2007 World Cup and that it isn't is a reflection of how far into the sporting gutter cricket has fallen.
From that point on the cricket was totally irrelevant and the failure of the ICC and the World Cup organisers to recognise this is horrifying.
Complain about this postJonathan, Kindly do not lament the early demise of India and Pakistan. They failed and failed miserably and were deservedly thrown out.
But it won't happen next time. The Dons and the matchfixers in charge of the cricket in Pakistan and India; nay. not only cricket but most of the politics and power , will see to it that commercial success is paramount.
Both will make it at least to the semi final stage. I hope you know that one of the most corrupt politician in India is in charge of the Cricket Control Board there.
Complain about this postI think the best way to improve the World Cup would be to make it a straight knockout competition.
16 "minnows" play each other in the first round, and then 8 seeds join them. Make every game a do-or-die thriller. Sure, there will be some shock exits, but at least we won't spend 7 weeks trundling towards an inevitable conclusion.
The current format is designed so that the best team is virtually guaranteed to win. The trouble with that is that any cricket fan in the world could sit down in the pub and tell you that it's Australia. Look at the football world cup final - are France and Italy the best two teams in the world? No, not really. Was it an exciting match and a great spectacle? You bet your life it was.
It's a complete joke that the best game by far of the competition was a dead rubber between England and the West Indies.
And people want 50-over cricket, not Duckworth Lewis. Why not complete EVERY match on a second day if needs be? Shambolic doesn't even come close.
Complain about this postA lifelong cricketer and I even forgot the final was yesterday, thought it was today! That in itself says something, it has bored me silly really.
It's been dreadful. Far too bland, far too long, no momentum what so ever. Awful, absolutely awful.
I think the Final kind of summed it all up as a tournament - a shambles. Wouldn't imagine many cricket fans around the world even watched it to be honest.
Complain about this postI agree that there were many mistakes with the WC but I fail to see why there is this constant whining about Pakistan and India being booted out early in the tournament. They should have played better. They didn't deserve to progress. Ireland and Bangladesh did. What is the point in including the minnows if you devise the rules to stunt their progress???
Other points about tournment length, ticket prices, beaurocracy are totally valid though.
Complain about this postAggers - spot on. This World Cup has been ab absolute disgrace and I think tha tthe ICC need to do more in acknowledging their incompetence. Coupled with the Ashes, as a former English fan I am extremely happy to be living in Prague where I can watch the ice hockey over some good Czech beer.
Complain about this postDespite being a horribly organised tournament, and the horrible tragedy of Woolmer's death, I felt that most of the games were quite exciting.
I disagree with the idea that India and Pakistan should not be allowed to exit so early in the tournament; the problem there lies not with the organising but the standard of their game. Being Sri Lankan, it just pains me to say that the only way you can expect to win the cup is if you play with the ruthlessness of the Aussies.
Complain about this postfirst of all i would like to tell that ..the world of west indies was just like that you can imagine that you are going to watching domestic cricket no crowd no fun....
and second the final was so sour no body was expecting such final ..38th over match first the umpires decided that the match will not play today and will play tomroow....
Australia wast the winner...Srilanka was needed to won the world cup..but the fate was with aussie.....
Complain about this postFully agree with Aggers.
Australia were by far the best side in it and that's a sad reflection of the rest of the competition. This is the worst Australian Bowling Attack for nearly 20 years.
Also, I cannot understand why a showpiece final that has a spare day is allowed to become a lottery. Surely, in the interests of fairness, the spare day should have been used and each team allowed to use their 50 Overs.
Complain about this postBangladesh and Irland totaly deserved to progress from the group stages, India and Pakistan didn't play well enough, so didn't deserved to go through. Don't be having a go at the weaker teams, they may well play a much bigger more decisive role in the next WC.
The whole thing was too long, instead of reducing the number of teams, why not turn the Super 8 stage into a knock-out, it would make it much more interesting.
As for the final, it was a joke. When the game was delayed because of rain, why not come back the next day and play a full 50 overs game. Or play when the rain stops but keep it a 50 overs game, play into the night if necessary, after all it is the Final. It was all organised poorly, hope they do a better job next time.
Complain about this postAggers,
I'm really sorry you have to commentate on this poop. One day cricket stinks, its a pantomime compared with the real thing, which has been diluted by the influence of the horrible game.
It was always going to be a disaster out in the West Indies, they are greedy, always have been and can never work out what to do. The place is poor, and cannot support UK style ticket prices, they've done it before and they'll do it again.
brendan
Complain about this postAnyone who begrudges Australia this win is either a fool, or they happened to miss all the 2007 world cup games (how that could be is inconceivable given it went on so long), including the actual final in which SL were outplayed pure & simple.
To the Aussie team - congratulations on your 3rd world cup win in succession (wow) & your 4th all up. It's clear to anyone with a brain who are the best team.
To the critics - congratulations on the pain you are feeling right now as a result of the Aus win. The greater your suffering, the more I laugh & the better I feel. He, he.
Complain about this postMartin Crowe admits responsibility for the confusion in the interpretation of the rules in resuming the last few overs. How about the rules in continuing this game earlier when SL started their innings in rain? The sportsmanship of the Ausralian Captain & company in running accross the wicket to damage it after having such a huge total? They were given one or two warnings and only 1 run was disallowed. When light to heavy rain fell the umpires did not call off play and cover the wicket. The Australians delibrately delayed by calling for sawdust. Yes Australia was the better team on that date. But what they did on the field IS NOT CRICKET. The Umpires gave to the wishes of the television broadcasters. Shame on them.
Complain about this postNot often do I wholly agree with Aggers but at least he provides the basis for debate and doesn't sit on the fence like many other tedious pundits. For the most part this article is spot on. However, if you're not going to allow for upsets then the world cup as a whole would be pointless. Ireland and Bangladesh deserved their modest success and it should do wonders for national cricket in their respective countries.
The final was indeed an embarassing mess although this shouldn't take anything away from the astounding achievements of the Aussies- a stunning cricket team to watch and perhaps the saving grace of a tournament that seemed to plod along for months.
Complain about this postMartin Crowe admits responsibility for the confusion in the interpretation of the rules in resuming the last few overs. How about the rules in continuing this game earlier when SL started their innings in rain? The sportsmanship of the Ausralian Captain & company in running accross the wicket to damage it after having such a huge total? They were given one or two warnings and only 1 run was disallowed. When light to heavy rain fell the umpires did not call off play and cover the wicket. The Australians delibrately delayed by calling for sawdust. Yes Australia was the better team on that date. But what they did on the field IS NOT CRICKET. The Umpires gave to the wishes of the television broadcasters. Shame on them.
Complain about this postDespite all the wrongs that dogged this world cup and along with the ill conceived formats used, the best two teams came to the final and the best team won! I know I am wearing rose coloured glasses but that will be the what is written in the history books! Will things improve come 2011 - we can only dream and hope and keep wearing those rose coloured glasses!! Bring on the West Indies in England to take the bad taste away of these past weeks!
Complain about this postPS Aggers keep up the good work and for really keeping me sane.
We should be remebering this World Cup for the historical achievements of Gibbs' 6 sixes and Malinga's four in four. We should treasure Dwayne Leverock's flying catch off Utahappa, Irish chicken dances, tributes to the wonderful careers of McGrath and Lara and most of all one of the great innings of all time by Adam Gilchrist to win what for more than 60 of the 76 overs was a magnificent final.
Instead we got everything good about Caribbean cricket diluted by jobsworth administrators and the fun police, games in the most important competetition in cricket needlessly shortened by rain (we had reserve days. Why was it prefereable to play 20 over games and calculating Duckwrth-Lewis to using them?) Fans ripped off. Then to cap it all a great final that dissolved into high farce in the darkness rather than someone having the BRAINS to assess an obvious situation.
This tournament which could have been magical was horribly spoiled by the game's administrators. The pointless ICC Champions' Trophy should be scrapped. The problem with the length of the tournament could easily be solved by playing two Super 8 games on the same day - one day game and one day-night game.
Let's hope by 2011 someone is in charge with the interests of cricket at heart and a modicum of common sense upstairs.
At least the best team won, beating the worthiest challengers in the final.
Complain about this postI haven't been into cricket for more than 2 years but that World Cup really was appauling, forget Woolmers death and Englands performance. Why an Earth the ICC think the Super Eights is the way to form a World Cup is beyond me, it dragged on and on and on Australia dominated, clearing anything in range, lets face it if Sri Lanka and Austrailia hadn't of faced each other there would of been alot more excitement going into the game. The Super Eights is too long and don't like the idea of every team playing each other before they reach the semis. The 2 best teams should only meet each other in the final and thats it.
Complain about this postCompletly agree. Forget D/L method. Reminds me of Gordon Browns tax credits! Why dont we have a completly different set of players to test cricket, 11 all rounders playing 20/20. Double the amount of teams playing, have 8 groups, top two go to quarter finals. This world cup seemed to go on and on, full of one sided games, then sudenly you are into the semi finals. I feel for the aussies and sri lanka. The aussies probably dont feel as though they beat Sri lanka fair and square. It could have been a close contest. Got to take your hat off to Sri Lanka though, they really had a go at the Aussies, even in the typhoon
Complain about this postTo say the final was painful to watch - apart from Gilchrist's blitz - is something of an understatement. After everything that has gone before, from empty stadia and zero atmosphere down to the length of the tournament and lack of close matches, the ICC and their hacks got the botched, mis-managed final they deserved.
As some others here have no doubt asked: if there was the possibility of using the reserve day, why were the teams not taken off as soon as the first shower arrived during Sri Lanka's innings? Why did they have go on and off, batting in increasingly poor light and buffeting winds, breaking what was decent momentum at 155-2 and having the overs quota reduced to 36, when agreeing to come back the next day in better conditions might have been a better option?
I am not going to suggest that the organisers had 'fixed' the situation to suit the Australians - that would be both churlish and insulting to the Australian team who played magnificent throughout this long and drawn-out media-fat farce of a tournament. It has everything to do with TV schedulers and moneyed media moguls who have in the past decade or so destroyed this beautiful game. Fifteen years ago we didn't have the high-class, well-honed cricketers we have come to enjoy watching - but by the same token we didn't have the massed ranks of administrators, fitness gurus, selection quangos and suits who care more about what players have emblazoned on their shirts rather than the cricket they are playing.
I will always remember the World Cup of 1987 with fondness - even if SA were not there. White kits, a red ball, and a tournament that was decided in less than a month with some wonderful cricket being played. Yes, the likes of Gatting, Hemmings, Greg Dyer and Ranatunga may not have saved many boundaries, but at least you knew what the game was really about.
Complain about this post1. if pakistan and india can't beat ireland and bangladesh then why should they be allowed to progress to the next rounds? what's the point in a world cup if the system is rigged to make sure the bigger teams make it through? we like the shocks and the minnows doing well!!
2. what's with this super 8 malarky?? go straight from group stage to knock out rounds - shorter competition and each game more exciting. tho i guess that such a format means fewer games for each team and therefore less TV income for the ICC? i mean they wouldn't have been happy if West Indies were knocked out in the quarter finals when the super 8's round makes sure that each of the big nations plays an extra 6 games after the group stage.
Complain about this postAs a spectator at the final I dont feel ashamed to say I am glad the game was adjusted to fit the time allowed. I got here by the skin of my teeth and would've missed the game if it had been delayed or extended over two days. It all depends on your perspective I guess.
The game saw an amazing innings from Gilchrist - a Cup winner just like his innings in Perth clinched the Ashes test and series! Too many +ves in the game for me to spend time on the minor irritations. But I guess that again depends on your perspective. I wonder what people would be writing today if Sri Lanka had pulled a win out of the bag yesterday?
Complain about this postFrom the outset I have to say that I believe everyone is unanimous in their disapproval and disappointment of the organization and excitement level of the WC. However, I'm sick and tired of listening to pundit after pundit put down Ireland and Bangladesh's superb achievements at this tournament. When Cameroon advanced to the football WC quarterfinals in 1990 there was not one word of disapproval, there was genuine excitement and buzz around their achievement and success. Why does cricket as a sport find it so hard to accept that in order for it to advance it needs to spread appeal and success evenly. As a sport it is unique in discriminating against newcomers and encourages an elite league of 'old boys' at the expense of development.
Join the 21st Century Jonathon, don't let cricket get left behind.
Complain about this postThe only change I would have made to ensure the integrity of the final would have been to issue the Sri Lankan batsmen with infra-red goggles. Then everything would have been fine.
Complain about this postAll said and done, none of the teams could even come close to the Aussies. And amidst the murder and mess up at the end of the final, one ought to remember that the world cup wasn't too thrilling to watch because of the GAAAAAAAAP in the quality of cricket played by the Aussies and the rest of the world.
But well done, Australia. You deserved the world cup.
Complain about this postIf your team (England , WI, Pak etc etc...) had won in these circumstances would you be so niggardly in praise for them as you are for Australia????
No, I didn't think so.
Complain about this postThe whole tournament reflects how badly the world game is managed at the highest level.
Like many before, I agree with most of your excellent piece, bar the comment re: India and Pakistan being knocked out being a disaster for the game.
Super 6's, Super 8's - just a gimic to generate money.
Endless ODIs around the globe - just a gimic to generate money.
Day Night matches (they dont work!) - just a gimic to generate money.
Oz playing Rest of World Teams -just a gimic to generate money.
I hope for the sake of the best sport of all, that the dollar or pound or rupee doesnt ruin it at the highest level.
Complain about this postMr. Agnew,
Your comments on India and Pakistan's early exits I can only take to be in jest, and so I shall reply in kind.
The ideal format for the competition in 2011 is obvious to me now. There will be one three-match series, where a combined indian sub-continent team (captained by a different player from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka on a rotational basis for each match) plays the Australians. The Australians will still win it, but at least each of the 'major' subcontinental teams will be represented in the final. (For those who wonder at my leaving Bangladesh out of this, when they theorietically might be major players by 2011, climate change will mean that the residents of Bangladesh will be too busy saving their country from going underwater to have time to play any cricket by then.)
If anyone else wants to play a game at the 2011 WC, then they can play against England, in a sideshow match, since of the minnow sides in this world-cup, England have produced two of the tightest matches of the competition, managing to beat any other minnows that they played (and even managing to knock out Kenya in the group stages, this time around!), giving Sri-Lanka a tight match, and with only a ball to spare managing to beat the major test playing nation of the West Indies. (The latter despite it supposedly being Brian Lara 's 'last' game- though watch out on that count, since like Arnold Schwarznegger, I suspect that he may soon 'be back'.)
I agree that 'petty rules' must have made it seem frustrating for many people trying to attend matches, but would you really have wanted vicious weapons such as bottle-tops or conch-shells to hand, in the event of India and Pakistan reaching the super-eights stage and the match between them turning ugly? No wonder the tournament organisers became so 'smug' upon discovering that they would be hosting Irish fans who would cause them considerably less stress and worry than the subcontinental support, and despite occasional effigy burnings back home in Bangladesh, the prospect of Bangladesh supporters in the Super eights probably didn't cause the tournament organisers many lost nights of sleep either.
C. Evans
Complain about this postSpot on Aggers. Firstly, there needs to be a rule stating that under no circumstances will the WC final be decided by DWL or a shortened number of overs. It's ridiculous for that to happen in the final. I feel cheated.
Secondly, this has got to be the worst Cricket WC I can remember. I don't know how they managed to get it so wrong. Maybe the tournement needs to be more of a knockout and less of series of small leagues.
At the start of the tournement, I was kind of frustrated that I'd miss most of it (due to living in New York), but after weeks and weeks of pointless matches my frustration subsided somewhat. Something definitely wasn't right.
Complain about this postthe whole format needs changing. there were too many games over before they had started.
i haven't really thought this through yet, but if the game was split into 2 25 over innings rather than one 50 over innings so the team batting first would stop after 25 overs and allow the team fielding first to then bat for 25 overs. the team batting first would then resume their 2nd 25 overs from where they finished their first 25 and so on.
this should be done on a straightforward knockout basis (it works for the FA Cup, after all).
no comment is required from me re the organisation etc - it's all been said. money ultimately ruins any sport
Complain about this postI cannot understand this mentality that says there is something intrinsically wrong with the competition format if teams like India and Pakistan get knocked out by Bangladesh and Ireland.
In football this is celebrated as a giant killing.
That said, if you want to reduce the chances of genuinely better teams (whatever that means) being eliminated in the first round then why get everyone to play each other twice in the initial group stages - followed then by a simple knockout. This would also reduce the number of games from 39 to 31.
Complain about this postNo disputing that the Aussies have the best batting line up in the world, but where did this idea that Sri Lanka had the best bowling attack in the tournament come from?
The WC performance stats clearly show the respective final positions of each side’s top four (despite the Aussies’ best bowler – Lee - not even taking part):
Aussie bowlers ranked 1, 3, 4 & 6
Sri Lanka bowlers ranked 2, 5, 13 & 21
No wonder they hid for the super 8 match; the Sri Lankan bowlers got absolutely spanked in the final.
The Aussies were, and are, the best in EVERY department. They dominated EVERY game. And so they won.
It’s true, however, that every other team had a more difficult path. The Aussies are the only team which didn’t have to play against the world’s best, by far, batting and bowling attacks.
Instead of trying to run them down, try living up to the standards they set.
Six finals from 9 tournaments yielding four World Cups. Outstanding!
Congratulations Australia!
Complain about this postCouldn't agree more ....... shambolic, petty, facical, non-sensical, over-priced and boring, are just a few descriptions for this 'non-event'.
However, I cannot understand or agree with you, on your comment : "it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a W.C. that can allow the remotest possibility of India & Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
How so??????
Complain about this postThey had the same chance as every other team, and they were found wanting. Why bother playing at all, in that case? Isn't that the whole point of a knock-out World Cup, be it cricket, football or tiddley-winks?
As bad as this past 7 weeks has been, it would be ludicrous to guarantee, as your comments suggest, that all the 'top teams' do not get knocked out.
I agree with many of Jonathan's assertions. As a West Indian and cricket lover, I had hoped that at this point, I would be feeling joyful and proud at our having hosted a successful and enjoyable World Cup; instead what I now feel is deep embarrasment. If ever a charge of "contributory negligence" was appropriate it is now. The ICC, CWC, WICB and the host governments must share the blame for this woeful cup. Some of the conditions imposed by the ICC were totally inappropriate and unnecessary and went way beyond the requirements of safety and comfort of patrons. There was absolutely no need for the extensive upgrades and construction of new stadia. Some of very same grounds had been used for decades for ICC-approved Tests and ODIs, without major incident. How could they now be deemed unsuitable? The host Governments must accept responsibility for accepting the dictates of the ICC without challenge. If they had, they would not now be faced with the legacy of a combined debt burden of $250+ million. The WICB and the Governments did not seem to share the same vision about the kind of World Cup the region would host. All of the salient things that have made the region's cricket unique and that would have produced a truly "Caribbean World Cup" were stripped away, leaving an event devoid of character and appeal. Even the mascot "Mello" was an alien figure.
However, I do not ascribe blame to the ICC for the early exit of India and Pakistan. That was entirely the fault of the 2 teams. Tennis players are thrown out in the early stages of tourneys all the time. What is clear though is that the ICC, CWC, WICB and the host Governments did not factor into their planning the risk of the early demise of India and Pakistan. If they had, this would have forced a scaling back of capital expenditure. At the very least, soembody would have thought about taking out insurance against such risks. Despite all this, I applaud the efforts of the Local Organising Committees and the thousands of volunteers who did thier very best in trying circumstances.
Complain about this postHow selfish people on these blogs are.I watched the game last night,and the crowd was vocal all the way through.If they were having a miserable time they certainly didn't show it.They needed a Darryl Hair last night to tell them the rules.I would have liked to see them try and tell him the game must go on the next day even though it is under the 20 over rule.A good umpire was hounded out of a job by the press and media.Anyway the world cup was a success in a lot of ways.
Complain about this postWest Indies cricket board cleared most of their debt(35 million)no doubt the fans paid a fair chunk of it,but they must not be taken into account anymore when it rains according to the writer of this blog.The Windies have brand new cricket stadiums.Their economy was given a boost,with the prospect of larger tourism numbers in the future.We saw a lot of good cricket as well as bad.We had umpiring controversy(something no good cricket match should be without).The press seemed obbssessed with pointing out the bad,and I wonder why that is?
Too bad the Aussies showed the rest of the world how it's done hey(except Sri Lanka who are catching on to how it's done)Hasn't this cup done a lot for their performance, another plus.
whinge whinge whinge.
ps don't forget the every day punters out there who bet on games when you are busy trying to achieve the impossible and please everybody.
Aggers 's right - it was a poor tournament. Too long, too priecy for the lcoals, poorly organised, poor matches and poor perfomances by some of the "top" teams (Ind, Pak, Eng).
But is this not also the case with the footie WC? Germany '06 was far from riveting - the only game worth mentioning was Zidane (and some French spectators) v. Brazil. International sport is working it self into a hole where it is run by TV company's and sponsor's demands and the juice is squeezed from every element of the game and they all nd up being dull.
The problem for cricket runs deeper though. Football has never really tinkered with its format (45 mins each way) as the game works. For club cricketers a one day match is all the time they can spare, but for internatonal players, cricket is at its best over 5 days in a series of matches and always has been - the game just works better that way. The rules of the one day game have been tweaked and tinkered with to make the game more exciting (fielding restrictions, powerplays, D/L rule etc) but still it disappoints - look at the game last night. Brilliant innings from Gilie, great reply from SRI, but it all went daft with rain the D/L "rule' and then the bad light fiasco because we had to force a win/loose result. Nonsense. Drop it I say.
Andy
Complain about this postFrom one leicestershire chap to another i couldnt agree more especially the long drawn out format and the final itself.
Complain about this postCricket administrators could take a look how Football world cups are organised, with seeded teams in the early group stages and in this case, having a last eight in a straight knock-out format. I live in Australia and the level of interest by the main channels, not just because of the time difference was quite obvious if Australia were not playing.
Complain about this postThere was a distinct lack of exitement and tension, just looking at the administrators and listening to the closing comments made me feel they were thanking people for turning up at a Sunday fete.
Agree with most of what you say, the whole event was a shambles.
With regards to ticket prices, surely selling three times as many tickets for a third of the price is equivalent to selling high priced tickets with a third if the turn out. Only difference is that the former leads to a far far better spectacle an atmosphere, wihich the carribean is renouned for.
As an avid cricket fan, i watched virtually every minute of cricket availalbe to me at the beginning of the tournament, but by the end, even the love of cricket that kept me up all night this winter couldn't bring me to watch another hour of unatmospheric, monotonous cricket, after seeing more than a month of it beforehand.
Games like Australia vs Netherlands, and England vs Canada are fine in nurturing cricket at grass roots et al, but we could have at least 3 of those type of games per day at that stage, as unless you support one of the teams involved, they aint great to watch.
However, i disagree with your point about India and Pakistan. They were knocked out because they lost twice, Bangladesh and Ireland going through because they won. If the point is only to discover the definite best team, then just play a massive, boring league format, each team playing at least 500 games, that way, the team order would some out just right. The point of a cup is that the "best teams" don't always win, hence them being supposedly vaguely interesting, with notable exceptions...
Complain about this postI support your comments wholeheartedly Jonathan a disaster start to finish.
Complain about this postHow many people like me eventually just turned away from this tournament. The final was nothing short of farsical, and I didn't watch it. From the time that the final four teams were decided it was obvious whose name was on the trophy and that not good for the tournament and cricket in general.
Time to look at how this tournament is formulated and managed in the future and the people responsible plainly aren't up to it.
Just look how they bottled the whole issue of umpire Darrel Hare and the Pakistan England Test match debacle.
People misinterpret Jonathan's comment on India/Pakistan. If you know cricket well, you would know that India and Pakistan are traditionally, slow starters in any tournament. That it would have been a more exciting World Cup with more competitive matches, had they made the Super-8s, is not to be questioned.
This was a laughable World Cup, easily the worst of them all for me at least. Australia thoroughly earned their wins and respect. The organizers of the Cup, on the other hand, earned the criticism they received.
Cricket fans, remember how feel now, about this World Cup. Hold on to this. You will not feel this way after the next World Cup in South Asia -- that's a promise!
Complain about this postLike most posters, I agree with much of the article except the view "....but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
This is absolute nonsense, both were fair and squarely knocked in the group stage like England had been in the previous two WCs. Just because they are the two most populous countries that play the game doesn't mean they have devine right to qualify.
New nations have to be given a chance, otherwise SL would never have been admitted to full status in the 80's and allowed to win the 96 world cup.
Certainly the I believe the final must be over the full 50 overs, with the allowance of an extra day to complete. Considering the length of the tournement this shouldn't be a problem.
Overall the tournement has extended over a way too long period and interest has certained waned, and it's position on the sports news as gradually declined over the duration. I was out walking all day yesterday, and didn't tune into the radio until today sunday, and despite listening most of the day for a mention, I'd hadn't heard anything at all about yesterday's final until logging onto the net just now!!
I think the super 8 stage should go, there's no need to play every nation to decide the semi finalists.
Instead two groups of 8, all play each other. The top 2 in each group automatically go through to the semis. With 2nd playing 3rd from the other group, and vice versa to decide the other 2 semi finalists.
I reckon that would be 49 group games, 2 qualifiers for the semis, 2 semis and a final being 54 games in total.
With group games on the same day (even if this means night games to meet TV demands) the tournement could be shortened somewhat.
I'd agree with an earlier poster re: the Beeb's scheduling of TV highlights too, regurlay scheduled for 11.30pm, which is way too late. Consequently I haven't watched any of it, following instead on Radio4LW and the net through the excellent commentary.
Complain about this postAggers,
I think everything you said was completely and utterly right. The organizers of this World Cup should resign now so that we dont have to go through another 49 days of rubbish in 4 years time.
One thing I do dissagree with is your comment about India and Pakistan not going through. Personally I dont want a country in the World Cup that ball tampers, quits test matches when half way through, run on the pitch, match fix and now even seems like have helped to the evential demise of the their wonderful coach Bob Woolmer. Ireland and Bangladesh saw the true spirit of the cup and disputedly the Irish support was as good as any at the World Cup.
If your saying India and Pakistan should have been there then what does that say about England and the West Indies hopes. Throughout the tournament they were nothing short of appauling, and only fired when they faced each other.
What a waste of 49 days! (apart from you and Manish on BBC Highlights)
Complain about this postDear Jonathan,
The cricket administrators are a real disgrace. How in the World can you have a 50 over game reduced to anything (38 or 20)?. It is high time indoor stadiums become the norm. In bad weather, one should be able to open that roof open and in good weather you play in open sky.
It was painful to watch the world cup final degenerate into a farce. It is also unfair to Sri Lanka. It is also time to look at the format very carefully.
The game rules, even the administrators do not understand. Some of them are outrageous. What a disgrace.
What we need is a cricket governing body that plays a pivotal role in the development of the game. For that to happen we need energetic, visionary leaders. I wonder whether we have any?.
One also must wonder what is it that scares other teams against Australia. We all admire Australia, but we need some other strong teams. How do we make this happen?. Possible, if there are thinkers.
Prasad S. Thenkabail
Complain about this postSri Lanka
Apologies for my earlier comment - my idea of everyone playing each other twice in the first round would of course increase the number of games from 51 to 55.
But with 2 games per day this would still reduce the duration of the tournament and, for those who care, it would minimise the possibility of upsets having an overall impact.
Actually here's an idea... how about swapping groups half way through the first round to give more variety: so in the 4 startoff groups A B C and D everyone plays each other (24 matches) in the normal way. For the second 24 first round matches, using the seeding, create 4 new groups thus: group 1 = A1 B2 C3 D4, group 2 = B1 C2 D3 A4 etc..
Then at the end add up the points as normal with the top 8 teams going through to knockout stages
Therefore if we have an "India/Pakistan" scenario again, the "big" team has plenty of remaining first round games to make amends - thereby ensuring that the top 8 teams are truly worthy of their place. And we wouldn't get repeat matches (as per my earlier suggestion).
Any thoughts ? Complain about this postSo far all I seem to hear about the tournament is complains. If you didnot want to watch all the games then do not watch them. If the lessor nation are not allow to create upset then why play cricket in their countries. How is cricket going to be a global sport if we donot include them? As a cricket fan I enjoyed seeing the passion and pride that was shown by the Ireland team. I was hoping that they could have won at least one more game against one of the test playing nation. India and Pakistan was disappointing to watch and deserve to be kick out of the tournament. The format of the tornament should not be blamed for their failure. As a West Indian I am not saying that everything was fine with the World cup ; but the organisors did their best. Congrats to the Caribbean for putting on a World Class event. Congrat to the Aussies on their win. You guys showed the World how the standard of cricket should be. Windies take note because next time we want to see a much better performance.
Complain about this postI went to the W Indies to watch 4 matches in T&T, Guyana & Antigua. The ICC have killed the spirit of cricket in the windies to say the least in anticipation of ambush marketing. Imagine that I couldn't take in a bottle of water (any other make than aquafina). If there was a dire emergency and I had to leave the ground for an hour or so, I would not be let in unless I purchased a new ticket for 75-100 dollars (that despite it being so secure, barcoded and electronically tagged). Finally, the guy who got the Aussies up there into the final (Hayden's comeback) was ignored after they won despite him being the tournament's highest scorer. What a comeback! Pity for him! And what a pity for the ICC; the West Indians will never forgive them for ruining their own party!!!!
Complain about this postAggers, yes the World Cup was a farce.
But please don't take away it's two highlights!
Complain about this postIf it wasn't for Ireland and Bangladesh, it would have been far far far worse...
This has been a dreadful World Cup, poor cricket, interminable, and finishing on a damp note. I feel very sorry for the West Indian people who must feel humiliated by their team and the diabolical cricket to say nothing of the horrific murder of Bob Woolmer.
Complain about this postThe organisers must surley realise that pandering to TV will ruin the next tournament as well. Great isn't it that the ICB are proposing to reduce it by 7to10 days next time. I suggest they wake up and smell the coffee, 4 weeks is the maximum that is sustainable. Another event like this will kill cricket.
Coagulation to the Australian team .Even though I would have loved to see Sri Lanka lift the WC.
Complain about this postIn my opinion they should try and play all the cup final a 50 over match .All major tournaments have a rest day reserved .In this case they should have played the match on Sunday and than if the bad weather had continued then start reducing the overs. I think the organizers and the ICC will perhaps loose a lot of revenue. But for the game
Of cricket this option would have been better. I hope they learn from there mistakes and rectify theses problems in the future.
Apologies for picking up an old strand of the blog, but Matt (scroll a long way up the page to find him) is quite right - this match could very easily have gone the other way. Further, as anyone who has played cricket in rain and bad light knows, fielding and bowling can be just as hard as batting (especially if the batsmen have the benefit of modern body armour):
(1) bowlers find it hard to grip the wet ball (especially wrist spinners, which might well be why Hogg was taken off);
(2) by the same token, a slippery ball is hard to catch, and not easy to throw;
(3) fieldsmen find it hard to see the ball - unlike batsmen, they don't have a sightscreen to help them pick it out against the crowd.
Jayawardene is one of the game's gentlemen, but I don't think he instructed his batsmen to refuse to run on weather-related misfields, or retire if an Australian fieldsman had missed a catch because he couldn't pick out the ball against the crowd. I'm not criticising him here, any more than Ponting should be criticised for putting on his quick bowlers in the gloom - the weather is part of the game.
Australia coped with all this because they are professional and were prepared for it. (My guess is that Sri Lanka and New Zealand would also have coped, but any other team would have gone to pieces.) In the circumstances, they won fair and square and Aggers' (and many other - presumably English - bloggers') attempts to detract from their achievement are characteristically graceless.
I won't start on the obviously idiotic suggestion that the rules should be rigged to ensure India and Pakistan go through to the "Super 10s" or whatever we get next time round.
For what it's worth, as for format, I would go for a straight knock-out World Cup, played every year (no reserve days, either - this is "one day" cricket, remember). It would not take long, and could replace some of the meaningless ODI trophies that currently occupy the international circuit. Yes, there would be an element of luck and, no, the best team would not always win - but that is no bad thing, and anyway there would always be next year.
Complain about this postWhat gives India and Pakistan the right to progress through any tornament if they ARE NOT PLAYING WELL?
Complain about this postPoor journalism there I am afraid though the rest is pretty much on the button, shame that Australia could not win it with the glory they deserved after Gilchrists effort, and as an England fan what an embarressing mess!
I can never understand why we have two mini-leagues to get to the semi-final of the biggest cricket tournament in the world and then end up with a semi and a final as the best of one match.
With the vagaries of weather and the toss that can have such a bearing on the game, why aren't the semis and final played as a best of three.
Australia set a daunting total and would probably have won in any case but once the clouds set in contributing to the fall of Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka never really had a chance.
I think the mini-league at the start was a good idea because it gives the minnows a chance to play the big names, and raises the prospect of a surprise.
I don't agree with Aggers that it was a shame about India and Pakistan going out - no team has a right to qualify.
My solution? Keep the mini-leagues and go straight into a best of three knock-out from the quarter finals onward - that way all games are meaningful.
Don't bother with a toss in the first two games - share the choice between the teams.
Play more than one game at a time and use a second day to make up for bad weather. Duckworth Lewis is a good system but this is the world cup for goodenss sake and should only be used as a last resort.
Complain about this postTypical South East Asian timidness once again.
If the Aussues were forced to bat in 20 mins of rain without the covers being put on then all hell would have broken loose - guaranteed.
Ponting & Co would have gone beserk.
Yet Jayawardene and his players just smiled, shrugged their shoulders, and tipped their caps while collecting their runners-up medals.
Cricket is 70% physical and 30% mental. Its the latter aggression and cockyness that's holding back teams like Sri lanka, India and Bangladesh from World Cup suceess. Pakistan, thankfully, doesn't show that, which is why its more of a formidable challenger in the mentality stakes.
Complain about this postAs usual Jonathan Agnew was right on the mark about the World Cup. The best thing about the whole affair is that it is now over.
This is not to take anything away from the Australians and Adam Gilchrist. The Sri Lankans were as entertaining as ever and we hope that they will produce many more cricketers of the caliber of Sanath Jayasuriya.
Complain about this postCecil
Q. How many Match Officials does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. None, they just continue in the dark!
Complain about this postHave to agree with most of this. What particularly surprised me was that, during the early stages, we were repeatedly told that a second day was available for weather-interrupted games. This did not appear to apply to the final, where it would have been most important.
But cannot agree with your comments about India and Pakistan. Firstly, take that to its logical conclusion, and you may as well just hand the trophy to whoever is ranked number one, to avoid any embarrassing upsets. Secondly, the only real problem with India and Pakistan going out early is for the marketing and TV rights. You of all people, I would have thought, would not want to have crickets priorities take second place to those concerns - and I believe that it would be bad for interest in cricket in the long run if it became too predictable.
Complain about this postMay the best team win - and much as it may gall me as an England supporter to say so, they most definitely did, and the other places probably fell in appropriate order too.
Sir,
Complain about this postTHOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE TOURNAMENT ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN THE MONEY AS THE WHOLE WORLD CAN SEE!!!
FOR EXAMPLE IN INDIA WE HAVE THE WORLDS
RICHEST CRICKET BODY THE BCCI HARASSING THE INDIAN CRICKET PLAYERS OVER MONEY.
Your sincerely,
Chris
Finaly its over ..... hopefully the people on the icc gravy train have come up short ... it was a rip off to get out there, a rip off to stay there, a rip off for the tickets, the security was over the top the process to the final too long and as for what happend at the end of the final that just about sums up the icc and this WC beautifully.A joke!
Complain about this postOne positive, the aussies, just brilliant ....
Pheh. It's only One Day Cricket. It's not like it's the real thing.
Complain about this postWell written anger, completely justified. Now we have to see if the ICC can make any sort of change. Considering that it presides over a game as lugubrious, slow, and overtly chivalrous as cricket can often be it doesn't seem change will come quickly.
Complain about this postThe only point I might disagree with is Agnew's statement about India and Pakistan's early exit. As an Indian, I firmly believe the national team got what it deserved after their shocking performance. Perhaps those two early exits can stir the subcontinent to mount a real challenge against the Aussies. In the end, let's not forget the same occurred last year at another world cup for another famous sport. Where powerful favourites were knocked out early, and the final ended in a head butting shambles.
As one who spent a lot of money to travel to the World Cup and experience much of what Aggers has to say about the organisation, I can only violently agree with his final paragraph.
We had a wonderful time mixing with the other fans away from the stadium (Antigua) but each day we attended a game we felt deflated, disappointed and robbed of the traditional Caribbean carnival atmosphere. Too many one-sided games, over-bearing security, utterly ridiculous "safety" regulations, locals not able to attend due to the cost... I could go on and I feel so sorry for the local cricket fans who, away from the stadium, we found to be wonderful people who felt they'd had their game stolen from them.
I will not in future pay to travel to another ICC organised event. I would not even attend one here in England. It's been a disgrace and a dreadful experience for those of us who love the game.
Just who was it supposed to please if the media, the TV viewers, the fans, the players and most especially us the travelling spectators felt it was a disaster?
Complain about this postI am fed up with listening to all you whingers. There is only one thing that matters from the final and that is that Austrlia won the final and daylight or nightlight was second with Sri Lanka and the rest of the world a very very long distance LAST.
Be sportsman and congratulate Australia before anything else and aggers i thought you might have done that.
Proud Aussie
Complain about this postI agree with every word Jonathan says about the English team. However, it all starts in the selectors' meeting room. The old school tie is still flying and I have a proposal to make to tear it down. Now, please don't stop reading if you come to the part that you think is not logical. I suggest that the spectators make the selections. Now, listen just a moment. I'm not talking about every spectator that watches the game. I am suggesting that all the spectators with season tickets who watch first class county cricket, send in their selections after they have been watching teams that their home side play. They would not be allowed to select players from their home team, only players from their opponents' team. After season ticket holders have watched the first class matches for a year, they would know more than the selectors and the final decision would be made from the greatest number of names sent in to the cricket board. It can't get any worse. Something radical like this has to be tried because the present system is a mess.
Complain about this postAll those who claim the reserve day should be used to ensure that the final is a 50 overs per innings match in case of rain delays should be ashamed of themselves for such naivity. Not even the ICC have sunk that low in their thinking. This could generate a scenario even more farcical than the one we had. Consider this scenario: They have the opportunity to complete the match with reduced overs, but decide to split it over two days. Then it rains all of the reserve day and no match is completed at all. An even greater farce as a result than anything even the ICC could conjure up!
That is the risk of trying ensure there is a 50 over per side match and the implications are horrendous. The reserve day is purely there to give the greatest opportunity of having a result and so should it remain. Tournament organisers primary responsibility in this situation should be to ensure a legal game is completed. Maybe it is not fair on one team or the other, but when you have the opportunity for a legal result it should be taken instead of risking a complete washout.
Anyway, congrats to the Aussie team for a deserved victory and congrats to the Sri Lankans for being worthy runners up!
Complain about this post"Cricket is a technical game and commentary benefits from input based on a sound understanding of the technicalities involved but it also needs broadcasters that can correctly identify players in the field, read the scoreboard and talk about what they see in an interesting way, which goes beyond knowing the colour of a bus driving down the road or carping about the rigours of flying between Caribbean islands."
Can't agree with that at all. Radio commentary is different to TV commentary, and a good commentator paints a word picture of the entire scene and experience, not just the bare bones of the match. Some of TMS's commentators excel at this, and it far outweighs any occasional brief and temporary lapses of absolute accuracy. Such commentary can make me feel far more involved in the event than TV coverage ever achieved when it was still available without having to contribute to the Murdoch coffers.
Complain about this postI can still remember, after more than 25 years, my little chuckle when I moved to Leeds and first saw a bus going down Kirkstall Lane!
In a rather grim World cup, the radio commentary has been a delight, with so many "Old Friends" from around the world to listen to.
People need to be reminded that cricket is not baseball, and any attempt to turn it into one, which is for purely financial gain, is going to need much better handling than at present or cricket period will fade away.
Geriatric down under.
Complain about this postDear Aggers - I have a little suggestion for you, next time you attend an ICC press conference: Could you suggest that, in the interests of accuracy, future world cup events are billed as Very limited overs cricket?
Complain about this postAn aspect of the problems faced by the Organisers which should be considered is the infrastructure of the poorer Nations. Creating this is highly expensive and the longer the tournament the more revenue gained to pay for the facilities.
While we want to help and encourage cricket in the Windies and other places, a sensible balance has to be found. We should also perhaps consider whether particular administrations are worth helping - The West Indian people deserve our strong support but their Administrators have a chequered record to say the least.
Complain about this postI have to agree with every word that Aggers writes.
This fiasco of a World Cup re-enforced my view that:-
1. The ICC, and the ECB in this country, have abdicated, all responsibility for scheduling, and the form of the game, to the pay TV companies. That TV is now going to play a major part in umpiring decisions is beyond belief.
All the governing bodies seem interested in is grabbing as much money as possible to pay for the ever increasing number of ex-professional players, and PR men, who call the game “the product”, they seem to employ.
2. Limited overs cricket is a one dimensional game. There are few contests where the result is not obvious long before the end, which is why the governing bodies, driven by the TV companies, have to find a gimmick a month to try to engender some excitement into this sterile form of the game.
I leave the travelling fancy dress circus that is TV’s idea of cricket to those that want it. I’m off to watch a four day county match, if I can find out when Sky TV is allowing one to be played.
Complain about this postIt is not possible (thank goodness!) to accurately predict the result of a cricket match on the basis of past scoring rate. Starting from the fallacious precept that such a prediction is possible, the DL method has no more chance of accurately reflecting the result of a shortened match than any other scheme. The simple fact is that no match in which one side has more overs than the other can possibly be a fair contest. For example, we know it is possible, if unlikely, for a bowler to get 4 wickets in 4 balls, or for a batsman to score 36 from an over. DL can make no allowance for such events.
Complain about this postThis was a good chance for the ICC to have a decent world cup cricket final but they fluffed the chance. Better decision making is needed in the game.
Complain about this postTo me one-day cricket is always boring because of the changes it makes to fielding. Better to have one-innings cricket, maximum of 2 days.
Complain about this postI am glad that the competition is over as it was a complete joke and the quality of cricket was appalling, but to price out the local fans was shameful. I think it ranks as one of the worst competitions that I have ever seen and was really 'Mickey Mouse'.
Complain about this postAs an Aussie, I'm a little sick of the rubbish that keeps getting put on the Australian Cricket team. Yes, the final turned into a farce, but this is due to the incompentancy of the ICC and the umpires on the field at the time. The fact was that Australia was by far the dominant team of the World Cup and they won the final. The only thing that worries me, is that after all the overpowering individual and team feats that this team has displayed, that some may feel that the result shouldn't stand or isn't deserved. It isn't the fault of Australia that other teams can't stand up to them, or that the umpiring panel may screw up reading the rules of a system, that to be honest, never gives a satisfying result anyway. This is a brilliant team, and should not be denigrated for being so.
Complain about this postSorry Aggers, Im usually a huge supported of you columns, but I am afraid I have to disagree with this one.
First and foremost, as an Aussie living in England in '99, that was one of the most exciting and eventful world cups that I have ever seen, in any sport. Further, I think that the WC 2003 while not as exciting as 99 still have some fantastic cricket. I agree that this World Cup has been a PR and generally a cricket disaster. The overpricing of tickets, the difficulty of Aussies to get Visa's (in case you dont know the government tripled the price for Aussies to get a Visa to the Carribean) and the long winded format was a disgrace. The final, the shambles that it was, was simply the icing on the cake, and in the end failrly symbolic of the tournament as a whole.
The suggestion being proffered that the final was not a fair indication of the teams is, in my opinion, an overstatement. Not wanting to sound bias, but the best team won. Australia were clearly the dominant team of the competition.
I think that should the ground have had appropriate lighting, which should be a mandatory requirement for all major cricket grounds, this whole mess would have been avoided. Such action would have ended any speculation that the final was not an apt result.
Finally Aggers, as has already been mentioned, Im sure that you simply forgot to congratulate Australia on a wonderful world cup.
Complain about this postI agree with Mr. Agnew 100%. This World Cup was a disaster for the game of cricket. It was disappointing for any cricket lover, let alone for who spend thousands of dollars to be at the games. It was drawn out too long and it was a nightmare to travel in between these islands and accomodated. They were not prepared for this event in regards to flights or accomodation, thank god India did not made it to Super 8, then it would have been worse. Everything was so overly priced. If it was not for the poeple of WI, their hospitality and cheerfulness, we would have returned very disappointed.
Vinnie Rao,
Complain about this postIndianapolis, USA
Congratulations Australia and SL for an exciting and stressful game. The end was heartbreaking!
Keep the format, except the Super 8s. I think the idea of knock-out quarter finals should be tried. It served the soccer world cup well! Also the idea of best of 3 final is interesting. Yes I would also have a 3rd place final.
As for India and Pakistan....get better and play as a TEAM! or even Canada will beat you next time!
Congratulations also to Ireland and Bangla for showing how a team sport can be played. and even the England bad boys well done for 2 exciting finishes.
Call me strange, but I'm sorry CWC 2007 is over, it was part of my life for 7 weeks that will not be forgotten.
Complain about this postWe were in Brampton, West Virginia, Toronto, South Carolina and Boston, MA, and CWC was there going on!
I would suggest as noted by many others the point about Pakistan/India going out isn't correct. Maybe what you should say is having a three match first round is not the best format as it runs the risk of one bad game to knock out what is otherwise a good team. Maybe a three group first stage with more games played (4 or 5, with 5/6 teams in each group) would make for a better format - the smaller teams get more games on average, and the larger teams can't get ejected so early due mostly to a single bad day.
Complain about this postReally Aggers I expected something better from you who has experienced world sport.I have been playing sport around the world since I was 20 years old and I am still managing to hit a tennis ball at 73.What annoys me is the arrogance of the majority of my fellow Englishmen who think that a tournament called the World Cup should not include up and coming names like Ireland and Bangladesh.We English and th Australians invented the game of cricket,tennis and golf.Surprise,surprise only the Australians have worked out how to stay at the top for 100years.Even today Luke Donald and Ian Poulter were only able to compete so well in the cauldron of professional American golf because they live here in a competitive atmosphere.Similarly our new potential tennis great Murray was trained in Spain and is now coached by an American.Come on England the world including Ireland and Bangladesh,not to mention Australia has moved on!!
Complain about this postwhy hold a tournament of this magnitude in weather that is always unpredictable? why the finals only, many of the matches were farcial, given the weather and darkness they were played in. The so-called organisers have taken the spectators for granted and are now reaping the fruits of their foolish actions. I have played the game since a boy; now i just don`t care any more.
Complain about this postIn this day and age one day cricket means money and that is why the world cup was so long and laborious.
As for the final, congratulations to Australia, but what a dissapointing ending it was. The best team in the tournament won, but all of the others seemed to melt away when facing up to them, particularily South Africa. England did give them a bit of a match, but lost games that they should not have done, because they are not good enough at playing cricket at this level, nor are the good enough mentally or phycologically. When the pressure was off of England they sucessfully chased over 300 down to beat the West Indies, which I am sure if they would have needed to do to make the semis, they would have wilted.
The world cup should have surely have been called off after the murder of Bob Woolmer, after that all the rest of the competition and cricket seemed pretty meaningless.
Living in Sydney, I am now surrounded by all of these cricket occaisionals who are now the biggest experts in the world, Make Glen M, Sir Glen, make Ricky Sir Ricky, make Gilchrist Sir Alan, yuck yuck yuck.
Oh to be in England to see Surrey score 496 - 4 in a 50 over game!! Ali Brown and James Benning are both English, now perhaps these two are Englands starter for 10. Peterson, who needs him!!!
Complain about this postGreat World Cup. Just a month to long.
Complain about this postI fancy 16 teams playing knockout every
two years over two weeks, max.
And hopefully with competent umpires.
Apart from Bucknor & Bowden the others
involved were a disgrace to the game
in the final.
And Australia are the best by far, and
Sri Lanka second by as far again.
your completely right aggers it was a joke. What i dont understand is if the play was being interupted so many times why didnt they just continue on the following day or play the whole match the following day. i mean to have the showpiece event played in complete darkness is a disgrace. The ICC needs some heads to roll otherwise any event that happens in the future will be just as dissapointing. To be fair to ireland and bangladesh they deserved to go through pakistan and india had shockers and really paid the price for poor performances. the only benefit that has come from this is that surely it cant get any worse!?
Complain about this postInstead of blaming Australia, Ireland and Bangladesh or even the ICC for a poor tournament how about pointing the finger squarely at India, Pakistan, England and the Windies for simply not putting in the performances expected of them. No one deserves to win a game merely by turning up. The Aussies certainly didn't believe this and treated every single game with the respect that it deserved (ie a World Cup game).
Instead of harping at the Aussies I truley hope that the rest of the world takes a step back, realises what went wrong and then adopts a similar approach to the game. We will then see entertaining cricket!
Complain about this postFully Agree. This was one of the world cups which was so dull and boring that you would start losing interest in this game. There were probably just 1-2 games which went down the wire. The format should be a simple 8 teams per group who play against each other within the group and then the top 4 from each group will go to the quarter finals
Complain about this postDude, I totally agree. Also, holding a final on a stadium that had no flood lights was unacceptable, especially knowing that rain can play a spoil sport.
Complain about this post
Complain about this postthese negative comments about the world cup are over exagerated.we all agree the tournament had its hiccups which tournament doesn`t but am sure had Australia not won the world cup everybody would be praising the tournament as being the most exciting ever(remeber the ashes when England beat Australia people described it as the best ever).lets swallow our pride and congratulate the greatest ever cricket team
All world cup matches or any big time one day match tournaments should be day/night matches permanently.I suggest if you are a country who wants to host a tournament you should have the capabilities of providing grounds with apt lighting.As far as I'm concerned oneday cricket spells day/night matches and day time spells Test Matches.I may not be speaking for everyone but day/night matches is the only way to go for oneday cricket.
Complain about this postI agree with most of Jonathan's comments but I disagree with his implication that future world cups should be organised so the 'bigger' teams, eg India & Pakistan, are in no danger of being eliminated early on. At least there was some competition - no-one would bother with the World Cup if you always knew who the quarter finallists were going to be. Where would the incentive be for the other teams to turn up, apart from the honour of being cannon fodder. No, if sport is to mean anything, it has to be that there has always to be an opportunity for the underdog to win. Every team who progresses must do so on merit, not just because they are seen as being a 'big team'
Complain about this postAndy Imrie is right to lament the lack of homage paid to, or even acknowledgement of the death of, Bob Woolmer in these pages but there was never a serious chance of this tragedy altering the course of the competition: far too many rice bowls would have been broken and there is in any case a precedent for sporting events continuing even after fatalities - witness Heysell, Hillsborough. The discussion here reflects the concerns of most fans. Memories are short for other people's woes.
The usual cliche brought forth for this is that: "he would have wanted the tournament to go on..." but the money-boys have too much invested to let tragedy interfere with scheduling and advertising in any case.
This is no longer a game of gentlemen and players and the professionalism shown especially by Australia is very welcome on many levels but we should not delude ourselves that cricket isn't moving inexorably into the clutches of BSkyB and all that that entails and that some of the 'old' virtues and qualities are gone. We may silently mourn this but also try and look forward optimistically to a future where other teams can match the Aussies for their irresistable combination of talent enhanced by sheer hard work. Three lolud cheers for Sangakara's sportsmanship when he immediately signalled 'no catch' of Gilchrist early on: what a fabulous example to all watching.
Pray that the TV rights revert to BBC/Channel 4 when it is renegotiated in 2010, if need be by government intervention (as if they would have the courage)....
Complain about this postI suppose some of these experts in this blog have got to suggest to the ICC how to have the next world cup played.
I see some taking SL to task on account of their bowling attack been referred to as the best in the competition before the finals and Gilchrists blasting of it. Well to those who say so just have a look at the Aussie bowling stats around the 24th over of the SL innings - by the time rain had made the pitch not conducive for attacking strokeplay which made SL batsmen struggle. The fact is had the Aussies bowled first on that afternoon on that pitch devoid of movement at that time (when Bracken and Tait started out there was movement for about 10 overs) they would have been massacred as well - in fact they were being blasted before the rain came.
Complain about this postFarcical ending - tick; sour taste in the mouth - tick; too many one-sided games, tick. Speed et als should quit - I'm all for it.
But to dismiss the final as a complete farce is an insult to Gilchrist's incandescent performance, memories of which will hopefully outlive those of the unfunny comedy at the end.
1999 and 2003 were nowhere near this bad, so it's ridiculous to lump all 3 together.
And why must India and Paki get a free pass to the 2nd stage?
Complain about this postA guy called Sam Miguel wrote yesterday that you are lucky to see 100 people at a County Championship game. Two responses
1. Cliche and generally just plain wrong. Try going Sam
Complain about this post2. I know you're just making a point but people always make it. When my county Hampshire play Yorkshire on Weds/Thurs I won't be there because I'll be at work. But I'd like to be there and I've already paid for my ticket - over £500 as an Executive Member. Hampshire have over 6000 members and could - like some Football teams with their season tickets - count them in calculating the daily attendance. If they stop Championship cricket they'll lose me and many many people like me who support the game in all kinds of ways. And if you wonder why, check out the percentage of interesting matches in the first two weekends of 50 over county cricket - better than the World Cup!!
I just read the Note on BBC Sports
"Speed sorry for World Cup farce ".
They say a "gentleman" can kill and say sorry, and expect everything to be as before. Not any more!
Consequences are called for. The match is a draw.
Complain about this postThe Sri Lankans should protest and that in a stronger manner. Give back their Title as runners up? One possibility.
the relief that its finally over is almost like being told your well again after a life threatening illness.As a lover of cricket in all its forms for the last forty plus years i have never experienced a more mundane boring tournament ever.The I.C.C.really have to get their act together with the organisation of this tournament.In England where it is difficult enough to get young boys interested in picking up the leather and willow this competition has done very little to promote the game.Im afraid it said it all for me when my son turned to me during the England v New Zealand game and said"Dad this is really boring cant we have something exciting on like the snooker!"
Complain about this postGet rid of the "old boys network" types who run the game at national and international levels and hand over to the professionals. Consider the current boards farcical attempts to, a) rid cricket of drugs and alcohol abuse, b) curb the influence of illegal betting and c) run a World Cup. It is clear that cricket needs to change and equally clear that these men (why no women?) are not up to the job.
Complain about this postthe world cup was class
Complain about this postThanks Aggers for your wholesome praise of the Australians.
Complain about this postGilchrist might well have not batted and Bracken efforts were as usual all but ignored by the lamentable English media mealy mouths.
Perhaps you wish for Australian failure so much that you'd prefer everyone to play at the lowest level possible. Like the English cricketers the English media are overpaid and undertalented. The English public/private school system is devoted to pouring self serving platitudes and the perpetutation of the lowest possible standards in all walks of life.
For those who think SL were robbed, get over yourself. SL lost because the much vaunted bowling attack was slaughtered by Gilchrist and Jayasuriya failed to get the SL innings off to a belter. SL never ever got close to the run rate req'd during their innings so its hard to argue they got robbed. As for the disadvantage of batting second and having to suffer the weather, winning the toss is just part of cricket. Australia lost in 96 because Ranatunga won the toss, and cleverly made Australia bowl second when the dew was on. You don't see Aussies complain that they lost because of the dew
Complain about this post"It is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Come on Jonathan, this is lazy analysis. I would have expected more from you. Should we have just given them a bye into the Super 8s? The fact is that the World Cup would have been far less predictable had the Super 8s featured India and Pakistan, but you can't blame the ICC for those countries failing to perform.
Complain about this postWorld Cup too long - Yes
Easy answer have the group stages play games at the same time, is there any real necessity for 2 games not to be running at the same time. You'll cut the world cup down by a week and have the possibility of in the final game spectators having to keep tabs on two games to know the group outcome.
Petty rules and ticket prices - Yes
This is a real sticking point with me. People were saying after 2 games about this why did someone not just say lets sort this out.
"but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Oh my god are you joking seriously lets have a world cup where certain team have no possibility of getting knocked out. How about this every team thats is not classed as a "Big Team" can turn up but in these games we use the new "Agnew Rule" that says if they look like winning we recalculate the required run rate.
Complain about this postCongratulations to the Aussies pity about the final but what can you do except learn from the past.
You cannot compare cricket with other sports when it comes to the progression of minnows in a tournament. The obvious reason for this is that one side wins the toss gets the best of the conditions, admittedly plays well and eliminates a top side.
No you can't engineer it so that the top sides progress but equally you don't want a WC, where 3 of the 4 semi-finalists didn't play India or Pakistan. India and Pakistan each played just 1 of the other top 8 ranked sides in the world.
For those who complain about TV and money. Sorry but I am able to watch the games because of TV. TV funds the game, stop complaining or it will die out.
Complain about this postBadly organised and too long - just to make money (but forgot most people in West Indies cannot afford exorbitantly priced tickets) dead right. Re early departure of India and Pakistan - dead wrong. Knock out competitions are about not getting knocked out and if you cannot win away from home then you really are'nt a champion side (a long term problem for both the subcontinent teams but especially India - lesson for England of late here too). I doubt if Australia had been knocked out early there would be the recriminations there are now. Most people were cock-a-hoop when Australia was knocked over by a minnow several cups ago. The real problem was the gap between the best and the rest apart from Sri Lanka who never lack guts/skill and showed some other sides what real dedication is. Great sports at the end too as we all should be when we lose no matter the circumstances.
Complain about this postStrange sort of piece if I may say so.I am from India and if India and Pakistan played like minnows then it is their problem.I thought Bangladesh was good enough to beat South Africa as well and Ireland beat Bangladesh so...I also felt that you are not giving enough credit to Australia who are once in a generation team particularly in this form of cricket.Let us salute them and enjoy their magic.An innings like the one Gilchrist played in a cup final is worth hundred innings like the one of Herschelle Gibbs that you thought fit enough to recall.
Complain about this postThis Cricket World Cup has left me completely disillusioned with the sport.. I think I will concentrate fully now on rugby and football.. at least those are two sports who know how to put on World Cups..
Complain about this postHow is it possible that in the final of the longest tournament ever there is a lack of time to play the standard number of overs? Time is the one thing they haven't been short of....
Complain about this postThank goodness it's over, what a shambles, from start to finish. Only the ICC could preside over such shambles, if there was any justice Sonn and Speed should go NOW!! If football and rugby can hold a WCup in a month there is no excuse for cricket to drag it out even longer. Scrap the Super 8's, pointless, have a knock out. Start with 4 groups of 4, play each other twice, to give the lesser teams more games. The semis and Final MUST be played over 50 overs, if it runs to a second day, tough. Whoever batted first on Saturday would win, hardly fair way to decide WCup. The ICC need to look at all the One day matches being played, far too many. Sorry, I forgot, these make money...
Complain about this postThe trouble with the Super 8s after a fast paced group stage was the terrible lack of momentum that the format induced. While getting every qualifier to play everyone else is a noble gesture (and not least so the ICC can make a few million off a guaranteed India-Pakistan game), it also means that halfway through, half the teams have little to play for anymore.
In addition, if we are serious about giving associate/ODI only nations a good workout, 3 games in the group stage for all of them (against another associate in some cases) is probably not going to help them too much.
I would sugggest that the 8 worst-ranked ODI nations (now 12 countries) or the non-semi finalists from the last world cup play a pre-world cup qualifying tournament with the 4 best associaties in 4 triangular tournaments of 6 matches - then take the top 2 from each of the 4 tournaments to the world cup 6 months later.
The World cup proper would then be 12 nations - perhaps 2 groups of 6. Then best of 3 semi-finals and 1-off final for the Cup (TV has to be given leeway somewhere - Champions league does the same, no loss in quality) with proper weather protection - whether that be the Telstra Dome or an extra day.
Some time ago, England's RFU tabled a bid to split the rugby world cup into a main Cup competition, with the best losers of the group stages going through to a Plate competition. I think that should be used too, to give others something to aim for if they don't make it through the initial phase, and increases the chance of decent teams (but not everyone) playing each other.
Complain about this postI couldnt agree more with Jonathan Agnew.
Complain about this postThe whole thing was a farce. I can only remember 2 decent games. The playing surfaces were indifferent and therefore caused a bias. The seemed to be better towards the end of the tournament which was a pity they didnt start of that way.
Pakistan, what can we say about that team. Nothing I guess because we are not allowed to by the lawyers.
In hindsight perhaps the World Cup should have been cancelled after the death Of Bob Woolmer.
I'm totally fed up with the ICC - they are banning everything for "safety reasons", while the real reason is to make money. I've decided that I shall never again attend a Test or ODI matches as I have no wish to line the pockets of these avaricious pigs at a trough.
Complain about this postCompare the World Cup with the Stanford twenty20 that was played last year. I don't know what the pricing etc was but watching on the tv it looked absolutely brilliant. Full crowds and a definate party atmosphere. Ok, I understand that Twenty20 has more of a party feel but surely it should be easier to have a party with the World Cup on. If I'd been able to afford the time and money to get there, I'd be fuming if told what I could wear, drink etc.
Complain about this postAt least the right teams fought from the semi's on but this talk about minnows seems harsh. I'm a Scotsman and if my team can qualify why shouldn't they be there? The nature of one day cricket surely means that any team can win on the day or what's the point? Heaven help us when the Twenty20 World jolly is on because that'll be even riskier for the big teams. Maybe the wee teams should start at minus 30 runs just to help out the better teams eh?
Rant over.
Rather than minnows being used as cannon fodder, why not have the Associates' qualifying tounament immediately before the World Cup and advertise it as part of the World Cup.
Complain about this postReplace one innings each of 50 overs with 2 innings each (alternating) of 25 overs.
Couldn't agree more about the cup. What an absolute waste of time it is. To rejuvinate the compitition they need a more cheerful approach. 20,20 perhaps (contraversial) but it will bring in more supporters.
Complain about this postEngland needed this... a fresh start, a fresh coach, and a kick up the backside, I hope they have now got over their ashes hangover!!
World Cup was indeed very poorly managed and run, there is no doubt about it. At least final could have better.
Sri Lanka was not given the full opportunity - because of all teh hitches during the final - to show tehir talent to its best. what was worng with continuing the match on sunday? when every other rain effected match was completed on the next day, why couldnt the final be arranged like this? it wasnt the matter of a match between the minnows which didnt really matter, it was a World Cup Final!! it was managed at the lowest level of cricket management i have ever seen or heard of.
it all seemed that officials, umpires, authorities were all favouring Australia. seriously it really did.
more over, Why in the first place, play a world cup final in a stadium which doesnt have the facility of flood lights???
Complain about this postAustralia the best by a mile nobody gave them a game.
Complain about this postI enjoyed the World Cup. It's because I like cricket.
And they played cricket. What more can you ask?
Complain about this postThe whole thing was an absolute disgrace! cricket deserves so much more than this! Speaking from Scotland were there was a great deal of interest in the CWC, all be it we continued our great world cup tradition (no matter what sport!) of performing way below par people were showing a genuine interest in the tournamnet and the sport (remember..its still regarded as a minority sport up here!) but so many people kept saying to me that they couldn't understand the super 8 format and why isn't it run the same way as the fooball/rugby versions and as for the final...well... There were far too many games and something that the ICC will need to look at for 4 years time..why not have the straight knock out after the group stages like every other team sport world cup, football, rugby even the hockey world cup!! this would make it far more exciting and cut down on the meaningless games.
I was at a loss to try and defend my sport to my non cricket playing friends and quite frankly at the moment the sport doesn't deserve an explanation. As for knocking the minnow teams its just ridiculous! well done to Ireland and Bangladesh, if India and Pakistan can't sort themsleves out and beat the so called "minnows" then that's their own fault! just ask Scottish football fans (Iran, Costa Rica, Morocco......)
RIP. Bob Woolmer
Complain about this postJA - decent article but why is it a "dreadfull error" to devise a competition that allowed India and Pakistan to be knocked out? They weren't there because they lost.
Much has been made about the competition being poor because of the desire to maximise TV revenue. Your comments to a degree reflect this theme, which I find both disappointing. One of the few highlights was the fact that these two nations got to the last 8.
Complain about this postThe disappointment of this world cup for me is that there hasn't been a single team able to seriously challange the Australians. It is the failure of a creditable challange to Australian dominance that made the tournament feel so long. After all, we could have just handed the tophy to the Aussies at the beginning and skipped the games for all the difference the other teams made to Australia's march to victory. What needs to happen is that the other cricket playing nations need to do whatever it takes to reach the level of the Australians, otherwise the Cricket World Cup will remain the permanent possession of Australia. And, congratulations to the Aussies - they were the best team by much more than a country mile. However long a country mile actually is.
Complain about this postAggers, always enjoy reading your column but not sure I agree with you regarding your comment that "it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
It was a shame that they were not in the Super-8's and undoubtedly was a key factor in producing a disasterously boring world cup. However, it's surely taking it too far to suggest that we should design a tournament that caters purlely for the bigger teams to get through to the latter stages. You can't blame the tournament format (as poor as it was) as that did not determine that India and Pakistan would produce some woeful cricket.
Tournaments are about winning games and not engineering desirable fixtures.
Complain about this postIreland and Bangladesh deserve huge credit for their performances and if India and Pakistan could not beat them then they don't deserve to qualify. The people who are to blame for this appalling world cup are the organisers, the high ticket prices that isolated the locals who would have tried to bring a great atmosphere,(but would have failed due to numerous other awful regulations), and the loss of great cricketing stadia like the Antigua Recreation ground among others for new characterless stadiums with 200 metre dead zones in case of terrorists, 8 security booths to get through and no musical instruments.
Complain about this postIt was not carribean cricket it was Lords test mtch cricket at its very worst and most inspid.
World cup final was quiet un-evenly balanced and surely apologies won't be accepted as one of the teams not appeared to have a fair chance.
I hope the next world cup is better with shorter schedules and a balanced competition.
Complain about this postAs an avid cricket follower my greatest disappointment is that I do'nt see any cricket and I know there are countless youths that do not see it as well.
Had someone said to me earlier that I might lose interest in this game I have loved since infancy I would never have believed them.
Out of site out of mind they say.
So cricket may count its blessings as I am sure that far less people viewed the debacle than they it may realise.
Complain about this postI believe cricket is at risk. Apart from the administration errors the fact that only the elite few are able to view it remains a problem.
I am an avid cricket follower and though I do listen on the radio I find that my interest is waining seriously. If that can happen to me how do we expect people, who don't know the game, to find it interesting.
Out of sight out of mind is a statement as true to day as it has always been. At the end of the day money will kill this magnificent game unless someone steps in to break the downward spiral.
Complain about this postAny sporting competition that allows for the 'minnows' to have an opportunity to compete with and, occasionally, beat the top teams has to be good. You have only to look at the FA Cup for perfect examples, e.g. Colchester beating the then mighty Leeds United, Sutton United v cup holders Coventry etc.
To suggest that a tournamernt devised in a way that does not permit shocks is way off target. If India & Pakistan were not gopod enough on the day, then tough. This is what makes competitions such great theatre. Why deny these teams their moments of glory? How else do you suggest they grab the attention of the sporting public and create opportunities for their development?
Yes there was a lot wrong with this World Cup but to imply that certain teams progress be ring fenced through the structure of a competition is unfair and disrespectful to the so-called 'minnows'.
Complain about this postJonathan, your absolutely correct. This whole world cup was a total disaster. Especially the final, what a joke! And why is the LBW descesion still being giving by the umpire, just let the computer do the work!
Complain about this postThere should be a world cup every year!!!
What do you mean too long? I loved every second of it. I think you mean too long for the commentary teams who had started moaning about it before the event had begun. For more than a month I’ve been able to come home from work and watch some great little innings or bowling displays, I didn’t want it to end. If none of the minnows had made it to the super 8’s I would have agreed with you to a certain extent but they did, that is sport and why we all love it so much.
As for the final stages not including India and Pakistan, well I was disappointed too but they weren’t good enough, maybe this is what India needed to move out the old guard and bring in the new. The Pakistan team has massive potential but again they must learn to be more consistent. England’s thrashing by S Africa should now spur us to better things in the one day arena, if when the next cup comes along and nothing has improved in any of these teams the analysis must begin again. This is why sport is so good; it’s the constant striving for perfection to be the best.
The tournament gave all of the big sides a great chance to get through; it was up to the big sides to take that chance. Just look at the final, I think we would all agree that the best two teams made it and the best team won it. It’s up to the others to close the gap.
Bring on the next World Cup I’m ready now.
Complain about this postThe world cu from an organisational point of view was pathetic, highlights - Malinga and his slinging deliveries, 6 6's in one over - Herschelle Gibbs, the dominant Aussie juggernaut and errrr...... thats about it
Crap World Cup that fittingly ended up in complete and utter farce
Complain about this postI enjoy cricket as the occasional fan, but let's be honest, as a competitive sport, it is little short of farce. We saw that in the final when Sri Lanka essentially were virtually beaten by the rules as soon as it rained, and where they had to play what, 10-15 of their 30-odd overs without the luxury of actually being able to see each other, the bowler, or the ball. Now we have a supposedly respected cricket commentator seriously suggesting that big teams should effectively get a bye to the later rounds of this "competitive" "tournament", presumably because they are somehow intrinsically better because of the colour of their passport. That's a great way to encourage more nations to participate in world cricket. What a joke.
Complain about this postThis world cup sucked big time !! All members of ICC should be fired and a new group of intelligent and smart people should be hired to give new life to Cricket. ICC has dissapointed Cricket fans all over the world. Life is getting faster, no one has time to follow world cup for 49 days. World cup should be no more than 3 weeks. The group system must be modified in order to allow teams to play at least one game with all teams of the world. The day light system must also be kicked out at least in the semi finals and finals.
Complain about this postI'm amazed with the assertion by many that any team batting first on Saturday would have won. What ignarant nonsense.
If Vaas and Murali had bowled better, and if Jayasuriya had blazed away like Gilchrist had done, SL would have won. The reason SL lost was that Australia batted better and bowled better.
D/L was not invented yesterday. With more rain forecast all day, SL knew what they had to do when the match started: restrict the run-rate of the aussie innings and match that in their innings. They failed to do so. They were simply outplayed.
Complain about this postAggers,
May I be one more stalwart cricketeer who thought your anger during the highlights show was entirely justified and correct.
Throughout this sorry excuse for a showcase tournament we have lurched from one farcical situation to another: over-regulation of the crowds, obscene ticket prices, zero atmosphere, one-sided games, and a format that made the whole thing seem interminable and mostly tedious.
Those matches which were competitive only served to highlight how poor the majority of them were.
Quite how the ICC will account for themselves after this is anyone's guess.
Was it not Ian Botham who got into strife over describing the English cricket authorities as 'gin-soaked old dodderers' or some such.
I think this could well be applied to the ICC now. Self-serving bureaucrats.
Complain about this postEntire Sri Lanka was enthralled and the Sri Lankan team still is our heroes. They have done their best and have given us brilliant moments in Cricket. With or without the cup we love them very much. That is out of the question.
Australia won the match and we congratulate them in the spirit of sport!
However, it was shocking to see how it all ended up and the manner which the players were treated or shall I say harassed . Authorities should have done the best for the game. They should not have compromised the game to prevent loosing money to TV companies.
Complain about this postaggers
i brought this up on another forum on the bbc but why oh why did no one think of fitting floodlights at any of the grounds? it's well known that even in test matches a lot of play in the carribean is lost due to poor light in the final session. in the long run this would've served west indian cricket better than simply new stadia.
another point re the so called minnows. while it's good to see the odd shock having both ireland & bangladesh qualify condemned a lot of the super 8 matches to sheer boredom. we all knew who the final 2 places would be between. not their fault i know but having a round where everyone plays everyone is a huge mistake. if people want more shocks then we need straightforward knock outs & a lot sooner.
Complain about this postI wonder how many bothered to watch the prize giving after the final. With the current state of the ICC, Cricket is not worth promoting.
Complain about this postI wonder how many bothered to watch the prize giving after the final. With the current state of the ICC, Cricket is not worth promoting.
Complain about this postEveryone would agree that it was Gilchrist's innings that made the difference between the two teams.It was almost superhuman,even the mishits cleared the ropes.He has boasted that he used a squash ball inside his glove to improve his grip.He gleefully displayed his gloves to his teammates on scoring the century.Can someone enlighten me whether this is legal by the cricket rules?Iwould have thought that a cricketer using an accessory to enhance his natural skill is no different to an athlete taking anabolic steroids.how much would he have scored without the squash ball?I would like to hear your views
Complain about this postKumar Sangakara's honesty in denying the caught-behind was a class act by a class team under difficult circumstances: forced to bowl on pitch that sucked the skill out of its bowlers and then bat in rain and poor light. In fact, SL were ahead at one stage score-wise, when the light and ptich were equivalent to the morning. Then the clouds rolled in: Jayasuriya saw it coming, took a swipe and missed and the rest of the team batted in rain and/or near darkness. I don't think the Aussie mindset will allow them to realize that the end doesn't always justify the means (delay tactics -- moving side screen for Malinga??? his arm comes down near the stumps).
As for ICC, pitch conditions and weather should be factored in so as to ensure an equitable final that highlights the skillset of both teams. In this match, whoever batted first would have won without question given the asymmetry of the conditions and the bone dry pitch -- full stop. There's no doubt these were the two best teams, but it simply leaves a sour taste when the skills of the players are not evidenced (Gilchrist excepted though somebody would have gone nuts that morning on that pitch if SL batted -- read Jayasuriya)
Nevertheless, congrats to the AUS and SL team for a wonderful performance this year. Good luck in 2011 where I hope for a better suited final.
(As an aside, This WC final is like the Football WC final last year -- that sour taste...)
Complain about this postEveryone would agree that it was Gilchrist's innings that made the difference between the two teams.It was almost superhuman,even the mishits cleared the ropes.He has boasted that he used a squash ball inside his glove to improve his grip.He gleefully displayed his gloves to his teammates on scoring the century.Can someone enlighten me whether this is legal by the cricket rules?Iwould have thought that a cricketer using an accessory to enhance his natural skill is no different to an athlete taking anabolic steroids.how much would he have scored without the squash ball?I would like to hear your views
Complain about this post"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! REALLY?!! What's the point of playing competitive cricket if you are going to fix who gets through?
Too much rum for you methinks.
Complain about this postI agree wholeheartedly.
Complain about this postSome of the best WCs were played in the 70s, when the competition was still a novelty. They lasted a fortnight, had a strong knockout element and produced a string of memorable matches (albeit dominated by WI instead Australia). Maybe it's unrealistic to expect a return to short, sharp WCs when the game is so in thrall to TV money, but many more WCs like this one and the tournament will die from lack of interest. Maybe England would have been better sending a development XI and saving their best players for the 'real' cricket of Test matches?
Complain about this postIf the minnows are removed from the World Cup, then it makes the World Cup the same as the ICC Champion's Trophy. The World Cup is all about the little teams proving themselves against the big teams. As far as I'm concerned the only things I will remember from this whole debacle are the games that Ireland and Bangladesh won, to see the joy on the player's faces and the ecstasy of their supporters was the only thing that made me smile. The rest of it is better forgotten about.
Complain about this postThe 'minnows' were great. Ireland causing that sensation sv Pakistan, who let's not forget were high in the ODI rankings I think. Bangladesh too vs India. The final was a disadvantage to SL I feel, and Irelland ran a lot of teams close, until the last 5 overs of their innings (NZ, England) and if they had kept a lid on them, who knows what may have happened. Also, Bangladesh sv SA, then Ireland comprehensively anihilating Bangladesh. These were highlights.
Complain about this postThe ICC logic of allowing associate members to compete in th World Cup is uncomprehensible. In what other sports do you allow "not good enough" teams to participate in the world cup, hoping to get a few surprise results. I doubt if any other international sport like soccer, rugby, football etc. etc etc would allow it. But apparently Malcom Speed thinks it was a good idea. There is no doubt that Australians were the best side in the tournament but I am sure even they too didnt wont to win another world cup because of duckworth lewis system.
Complain about this postAm I the only person who enjoyed The world Cup? I thought the Australians were superb with Haden Ponting and Gilchrist producing fantastic performances. How can anybody not have enjoyed watching these players? Mr Agnew is quite right it was most inconsiderate of Ireland and Bangladesh knocking out the better teams namely India and Pakistan. In future they should know their place and lose with grace!
I get the distinct impression that a lot of the bad feeling towards the competition is based on the extreme irritation caused by Australia being light years better than everyone else and that if England had been so dominant we would have been parading in Trafalgar Square today. the only down side for me in the Tournament was the now essential moronic commentary from the wicket Keepers under the pretext of geeing everyone up. Paul Nixon was really beginning to get on my tits with a a particularly fine range of inane rants (but doubtless that is the reason why he does it)
So when i go home today I will miss seeing the Cricket on the TV
Complain about this postI agree with everything Jonathan Agnew wrote in his blog. I saw England's lifeless perfomances and indifferent attitude during their two warm up games here in St. Vincent and I could have forgiven this had it not been for the pettifogging restrictions at the venue ( even school children's packed lunches were confiscated ) ,the ridiculously high ticket prices and the staggeringly bad food and drink concessions. Jonathan is correct - those responsible must be told to resign or be fired for this.
Adrian Baron
Complain about this postSt. Vincent
West Indies
A few years ago, we went to an npower Roses one-dayer at Headingley (which the Tykes won, of course). The tickets arrived with a letter from the organisers, stating that in the interests of public order, each person was allowed to bring either a four-pack or a box (!) of wine. This restriction didn't stop Leeds' finest ales being bought by the gallon on the Western Terrace, but not one home-made sandwich or pop bottle was confiscated by the stewards or police, and the atmosphere was fantastic, despite the rain. Maybe Dazzler could check his address book and pass the organisers' details to the ICC for future use?
Complain about this postOne disappointment was that even if you leave Australia out of the calculation there were no tight games in the tournament. SL-NZ, NZ-SA, SL-SA, should all have been close games. Given the Chapions trophy record even the WI games should have been close. The only game that was really close was WI - England. That made for a less than exciting tournament as a whole.
Complain about this post1) India and Pakistan given automatic byes into the semi-finals? That's just silly, they both were BEATEN because they didn't play well. What gives them the right to think they deserve an automatic bye? Nonsense.
2) While the finals ended in somewhat of a joke caused by silly ICC umpires, Sri Lanka was out-played by a stronger Australian team. Sri-Lanka didn't lose because of light or favors from God and the ICC, they lost because Australia beat them.
3) Generally the world cup sucked because of gross mis-management by the ICC big-wigs.
Complain about this postIn 1992, Pakistan got off to a terrible start and yet won the world cup! Not to take anything away from Bangladesh and Ireleand, but did anybody expect them to make any impact in Super 8s? Except for Bangladesh's win over South Africa, all other Super 8 matches involving Bangladesh and Ireland were predictable. Pakistan or India would have had a better chance of upsetting some of the other fancied teams in Super 8. Super 8 essentially became Super 6 with elimination of Pakistan and India.
Complain about this postThe world cup was great.
Complain about this postThe only problem was my team did not win (Pakistan fan). Be that as it may, the best team wiped the floor with everyone else.
It would have been great fun (for the likes of me) if ANYONE else had won but they didn't, so CONGRATULATIONS TO AUSTRALIA ON A GREAT PERFORMANCE!
It's time for everyone else including me to shut up and put up, and to start preparing for the next tournament NOW!
Or those absolutely amazing Aussies will keep making mincemeat out of everyone.
This world cup was appalling. So bad I even forgot to watch the final. Oh well, by all accounts it was farcical anyway. Best forgotten, this one. Except we can't, as Bob was murdered.
Complain about this posthi aggers !we met on the eve of the eng v indies match.you were filming at oystens fish market,my fiends said they saw me and friends in background of interview.is there anyway i can get a copy of this? ps.respect for being honest about your views regarding the final etc.however the eng v w indies was a thoroughly enjoyable day and game.we were on the edge of our seat.
Complain about this postyours richard irvine
I am not that worried about the result of the game, but highly concerened about not having the tipical glory of a final world cup game that almost every spectator was expecting for. It was completely lost.
Complain about this postDuring their speaches no one has ever mentioned about the death of the coach Bob Woolmer who died during the series.It would have been much nicer if the speaches started with an observation of a 2 minute silence on behalf of him and his sorrowing family.
Worse thing was they way final was allowed to go on despite impossible weather conditions.
It's so sad that world cup was allowed to be played in those countries where it's impossible to get 45 days good weather.
Cricket is counting it's last days, with no thrill in the game is seen anymore. Almost every match is un balanaced, making game one sided all the time. No one wan't loose a day to see what is well expected and is easy to guess in first hour.
Complain about this postYes Aggers, it was a pathetic tournament full of little passion, one-sided matches and dreadful administration.
Being a Pom living in Australia the timing schedule was not good but getting up at 6a.m. in the morning to prepare for work and hopefully catch a half hour of the final innings before departing was often fruitless due to the one-sided games.
The West Indian public, the most passionate of cricket supporters, perhaps outside of India, were priced out of games and I can't recall one match that was a 'sell-out'. For me the grounds were too small also and the wickets lifeless.
Australia were always going to win this tournament and they have to be congratulated but the farce of the final and the number of teams that capitulated against them will hardly make it as satisfying as their past two triumphs.
The competition format is wrong, one-day cricket needs changing and new, progressive administrators need to be running the game. Malcolm Speed your time is up; it's no good admitting that there were a plethora of mistakes post tournament. The buck stops with Speed.
In summing up, the worst sporting event since the LA Olympics of 1984.
Complain about this postHi,
I read the follwing
"It has been revealed soon after the emphatic Australian win against Sri Lanka in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, that the star batsman and man of the match, Adam Gilchrist used a squash ball to improve his grip in his bottom hand. The confusing gestures he made soon after reaching his century before going on to make 149 out of 104 balls was to in fact, that the person who made the suggestion. "
Can someoen shed some light on this issue!!? is it within the sprit of the game!!
Complain about this postI wish BBC will open a article on this so that we can share our thought
Roger Coasby wrote:
The last match was meaningless because of the weather conditions. The result of the final should be declared nul and void. In no way was it a fair or valid victory for Australia.
If there cannot be a replay, let Australia and Sri Lanka share the trophy
That's an even worse solution! No winner at all! 7 weeks and then a shared trophy? I couldn't think of anything worse.
Complain about this postI do not necessarily agree that the world cup left a sour taste. yes, woolmer's murder was tragic enough to stop the world cup. Barring that, Australia, New Zeland, Sri Lanka played quite well.
Though South Africa entered the super 8, their performance was inconsistent. Same with India and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka OR New Zealand both played very well. Australia was par excellence. The referree goofing up in the final minutes doe snot take away the spendour of Glilly's innings. What a blast it was. In fatc, Duckworth or not, the match was already won by Gilly. It bore a Bradmanesuq stature. Gilly is an unsung hero. Folks like Sachin, Lara have taken too much attention, while geniuses like Ponting, Gilly, Hayden were made to languish for fame.
Sorry, I do not agree mate. Aystralia livened up the cup. If anything, it is making India a less crazed country for cricket. As a fellow Indian, I can expect to see cricketers tretaed like mortals. There will no longer the deification of Ganguly, Sachin and Dravid.
After all, the average person in India is becoming savvy with Australia's incredible performnaces.
RavBuly
Complain about this postGood Morning Jonathon
It seems unusual that you have identified that the last three World Cups were spectacular in not living up to their billing, conincidentally of course Australia happen to have one all three.
Complain about this postCongratulations to Ricky Ponting and the Australian Cricket Team for their absolutely brilliant hat trick of World Cup wins. It has been wonderful to watch as the Australian team also won the Championship Trophy and of course the 5-0 Ashes "white wash".
Fleet Street labelled our team as "too old", in particular Glenn McGrath, twelve months ago prior to these achievements.
Perhaps Fleet Street should now run articles on "Grey Power from Down Under" and how they took on the World in their old age and won!
Greg Payne
I wish to draw attention to Gichrist's power/grip enhancing gimic of having a squash ball inside his glove. The difference between the two teams was Gilchrist's innings. Did he get prior permission from the umpires before using it? Is it within the ICC rules? I feel it is very similar to ball tampering where the bowler gets an undue advantage. Under these circumstances is the result valid? Or should we have a replay? I wish to invite readers views about this matter.
Complain about this postIn regards to the shambles that was, the cricket world cup. There needs to be a very big shake up within the ICC on how international cricket is played, and its communication and cooperation with other national boards and organisers.
The handling of Woolmers death is another escapade by the ICC.
Malcolm Speed needs to go. The carribean world cup would have been a lot better if outside standards were not placed on their culture.
Sometimes, it is more than cricket that is needed to make a tournament successful.
Complain about this postHas anyone even tried batting with a squash ball in their glove?? It does not turn an average batsman into a superman! Frankly the England team could have had an entire sports shop worth of goods in their gloves and pads and it would not have made any difference.
No - Gilchrists's innings was unique and match-winning, even if surrounding events have detracted from it.
Nice symmetry in the fact that 149 was also Bob Woolmer's highest Test score. Let's leave it at that.
Complain about this postRe the squash ball - I don't know about Gilly but it's a reasonably well-known coaching technique to modify the bottom hand grip, preventing too much bottom hand coming through the shot & 'skying' the ball.
Complain about this postAbsolutely nothing in the laws against it and since it is so well-known I wouldn't be surprised if others used it 'for real' too. It isn't ball-tampering, it isn't cheating and it certainly doesn't enhance the batsman's skill nearly as much as (eg) a custom-made bat does, so I'm afraid there's no case for a replay or anything.
Please name those who should not administrer cricket.
Complain about this postIn future, keep it simple. 16 teams, 4 groups, top 2 go through. quarters, semis, final. works fine for football and rugby, no reason it won´t work for cricket. 3-4 weeks max. One major purpose of the world cup is to introduce new people to the game via its premier event. How is that going to happen when it is too long and the format is confusing?. More knockout games = more edge!
Complain about this postTim,
If Jayasuriya has used a baseball to enhance his grip, will u be saying the same?
Gilly did have an advantage after his poor performances in the earlier matches!!
Complain about this postI hope the people of the West Indies don't suffer any unnecessary hardship paying for this joke of an international tournament :(
Complain about this postThe 2007 cricket world cup in the caribbean was clearly not caribbean . The only thing you can say was caribbean was the BIG BUCKS that our government pour into the venues . Our tax-payers will be suffering for the next umpteen years in order to pay off this large bill .
Complain about this postReading all the comments regarding the squash ball in the glove controversy which have appeared in in all the blogs it seems that the laws of cricket are silent about the use of accessories to complement the grip or any other aspect that enhances performance. it is also clear that in past this technique has been used only as a coaching technique. It seems only proper that before it was used in a real match the world cup final at that,it should have been cleared with the umpires.There is no doubt it enhanced Gilchrist's performance.He himself thought so.It could well have influenced the outcome of the match.I think there is enough substance in this claim to warrant a scientific review of the facts by a serious cricket writer.It would at least remove the sour taste in the mouth of Srilankan fans who feel that they may have been robbed of victory by another unsportsmanlike clever trick.
Complain about this postThere were world cups before, before India and Paksitan became the Indias and Paksitans of the game, those used to nail biting finishes and all the flavour.
I think cricket is a game dependet on lot of factors WINNING TOSS being an equally important factor, then there are FLAT PTICHES and LIVE PITCHES etc.
But the most important of the factor is the ECONOMICS of the game, it is important for the organisers to remember that any world cup is like a THEATER, you cant say the STORY was good, the SCRIPT was good and the ACTORS did their job, no if you say that, than you dont have a clue of what you are doing !!!!
Thats the bottom line !!! Your play has to sell !!!
Complain about this postIf a bowler has a plaster on his fingers he is not allowed to bowl cos it is considered as an advantage and the bowler has to remove it before he is allowed to bowl.We all saw it in the semis when Scott styris was bowling against SL.
It is the same with Gilly using a baseball in his gloves to enhance his grip. Unfortunetly the umpires did not know and if the umpires knew they would have reported the issue to the Match referee!!
It is not for anyone to complain but this should be taken up by the Authorities!! it should not be ignored!!
Complain about this postThere's only one thing for it - SACK THE WHOLE ICC.
Complain about this postMalcolm Speed's pathetic, "reserved" apology for the undignified finish of the World Cup, has left me convinced that he should step down as Head of the ICC. To suggest that the umpires were not aware of the rules or that they acted in stressful circumstances (or words to that effect) is truly mind-boggling. Mr Speed was even less impressive when he unilaterally decided that the guilty foursome of officials would not lose their jobs, for their unpardonable error. I'm not saying that they should or should not; but I think it says a lot about the way things are handled within the ICC. I would have expected the fate of the officals to have been determined by some internal Committee. Surely, after the debacle at the Oval last year (in which Mr. Speed did not distinguish himself), there must be some internal mechanism in the ICC to adjudicate on these things. Mr speed should also take more responsibility for the ICC's mishandling of the CWC. For all these reasons and more, I say: "God Speed", Mr. Speed
Complain about this postAs disagreeing with many I don’t think India and Pakistan should have been in the super 8s. How Can they be there when they didn’t perform?
They where too slow to adopt and even slower than Bangladesh and Ireland. My full credit to Bangaladesha and Ireland.
Then comes the final..
There are no question that Australia won the match and they where the world champs. Great effort and they are they best.
My concern is about SL, What did they have to go through…
First they lost the important toss.
Match was reduced for 38 overs and further 36 ( Actually to after the 20 over batting conditions were impossible), playing it to the hands of Australian strengths.
Due to heavy covers the ball didn’t swing for SL in the mornings.
Pitch was a faster pitch that favored Australia
( this is not a very important point)
Turning point, when SL was playing so well chasing the target they needed to be on par with the 150 D/L score which they were 139. It was dark and sluggish,
This the when the wicket of Sanath went, he had to push the score to 150, when they saw the next big cloud. Its was a risky gamble with the bad conditions…....TUNING POINT
Mahela's LBW ..going way down the leg side
..
Plus the most important thing the luck of Australian batsman..
Should not forget the gamesmanship by Sangakkara on the catch.
Ohh and the Australians running on the pitch ..what a shame..
However and what is said and done Australia won the match.
My question is do you thing against all odds if Australia was in this position of SL..will they still WIN the final?
Complain about this postIn response to a couple of illogical posts:
(post 344) Sanjay Agrawal.
If India and Pakistan are traditionally slow starters then they should do something about it by arriving early in the WC country and arranging warm up games. Asking for a restructure of the format that favours any one team is plain silly. This argument is a poor attempt at finding an excuse for your poorly prepared, over-rated primadonna teams. Rather than search for excuses sort your teams out and become competitive.
(post 361) Bertram Sinniah
Why would Jayasaria use a baseball to improve his grip? That is ridiculous. The point of the squash ball is that it forces the player to grip the bat harder. It does nothing to enhance hand/eye co-ordination, timing or footwork. Still, keep searching around for excuses if it makes you feel better. Fortunately the SL players are not looking for excuses. They have stated that the best team won on the day. They are a quality team the SL lads and will continue to improve.
Birdie
Complain about this postJonathon, you are in my opinion correct on two points the tournament was too long and the farcical conduct of the final - beggars belief in what is supposed to be the games show piece.
However I would take the opportunity to say that I disagree with you one regarding England's performance and secondly on the ability of 'big' sides to be eliminated before the competition gets going.
As much as it pains me to say England probably performed at the level which we could have expected - if we are honest they were highly unlikely to win the world cup and actually finished in about the same place as the world one day rankings said they should - yes there were some poor performances along the way - but we came within 2 runs of beating Sri Lanka (the eventual losing finalists) and on a different day at a different time this result might have turned England's tournament performance around.
Secondly I cannot see why there should be any right for the nations with test status to qualify for the later stages of a tournament - simply because of this status. Of course the financial implications of major nations like India and Pakistan not qualifying are serious for the organisers - but if the minnows are not to be allowed to qualify why should they bother taking part at all, bearing in mind that to gain access to the tournament they have already gone through prequalification which the test playing nations did not have to do.
Perhaps it was this attitude that led to those nations not taking seriously enough the matches against the minor nations for which in my opinion the justly paid the price - unfortunately the Australians showed the way that these games should be approached in the clinical despatch of these sides.
Complain about this postBirdie,
ru saying using a baseball for whatever reason is within the rules of cricket..
This is not about SL losing the match but it is a cricketing issue!!
Gilly clearly showed his Gloves when he got to his 100 as if he got their cos of the baseball in his gloves!! it clearly sent a message to all who watched it on TV.
Complain about this postMost of us thought he was asking for a change of gloves!!
The issue is if the umpires knew there was a baseball in his gloves..will they allowed him to bat or reported it to the Match referee!!
Pretty much all spot on Aggers, but...
"it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going"
Oh Aggers, I really do expect better from you than to subscribe to, even promote, this flawed, populist tripe.
I understand that the cricket world cup, unlike its truly global football counterpart, needs the presence of its biggest players, but one of the key elements of sport in its purest form is the David & Goliath principle - that on their day anyone can beat anyone. Without this, true sport is finished.
I honestly thought that you above all else would see the bigger picture.
Complain about this postJonathan: what do you imagine "incredulous" means? Might you, perhaps, mean "incredible"?
Complain about this postApologies to Aggers for potentially putting words into his mouth - but I think all those having a go about the Pakistan/India/"minnows" quote should re-read the article as I have a different take on the comment. The key point is not that they got knocked out by so-called lesser teams, but that they got knocked out "before it [the tournament] really got going."
No tournament with a group-stage format should allow ANY team to be knocked out so early. It's the length & format of the tournament that's under fire, not the fact that 'minnows' can cause upsets.
Compare & contrast with the last football world cup. The tournament lasted a month. The second round (the point at which teams were officially eliminated) started 16-days later (over 50% of the way through).
The cricket world cup lasted 49 days - the super8's started 12 days into the tournament, meaning teams were eliminated after only a quarter of the tournament had been completed. Surely competition can really be considered to have 'got going' until at least it's half-way point?
Long may the underdogs have their day - without them no tournament would be complete. But let's try and come up with something that keeps the interest alive for ALL participants for a little longer than a quarter of the competition.
Complain about this post#369 - At 01:27 PM on 01 May 2007, Earath Janaki wrote: "The worst of the white devils have won again."
I have written to the BBC about this contributor. The comment is both racist and demeaning. If it had been said the other way - by a white person about someone of a darker hue - there would be an (understandable) outcry.
From what I have seen so far on this blog, many of the fans from the supposedly righteous and gentlemenly Sri Lankan fans and fans of - I suspect although don't know for sure - other Asian teams are as appalling as the group of people who they claim to be terrible and unworthy people.
It is a pity that the supporters of a team that acted with such grace and honour in the tournament are showing themselves to be no better than irrational, demeaning bullies. Whatever moral high ground you claimed to have (which was a laughable claim to start with) definitely no longer exists.
Complain about this postI agree with Jonathan Agnew views. After seeing the World Cup I lost interest in cricket as it seems to be more like WWF (Wrestling) were we see all the drama. I think it's high time that Match fixing is more evident and we need to see bad turn in cricket with Woolmer's death.
I would suggest other people to switch over their sports interest to either Soccer, BasketBall or Rugby even though they are mostly played at professional clubs/leagues level, they play much better sportive act than things going on in cricket.
Complain about this postIs Macolm Speed, the ICC CEO elected for life?
Complain about this postRE: comment 'Sanjay Agrawal wrote: In 1992, Pakistan got off to a terrible start and yet won the world cup! Not to take anything away from Bangladesh and Ireleand, but did anybody expect them to make any impact in Super 8s? Except for Bangladesh's win over South Africa, all other Super 8 matches involving Bangladesh and Ireland were predictable. Pakistan or India would have had a better chance of upsetting some of the other fancied teams in Super 8. Super 8'
Ok, so there's no denying India & Pakistan would have made less predictable games in the Super 8's (though would India have beaten SA?) but that's no solid argument to support there being an automatic right for them to be there. They were both knocked out fair & square.
Actually bearing in mind the performances of England & WI, maybe the Second Stage of the WC was actually a Super 4's, or indeed super 2's or probably more correct a super 1.
Complain about this postHmm?
The match played in Barbados on April 28, 2007 look more like how my neighbourhood tournament matches are played.
Are you suggesting that it was the cricket world cup final?
No way!
Complain about this postVery poor final.
I dont care who was the better team for the whole of the tournament (most probably australia), but the whole point is that every match is played fairly to give both teams a chance. If it was already pre-decided to hand australia the cup because of their 'form', then please let the public know and avoid having a meaningless final and save everyone the trouble of turning up or paying that money.
Sri lanka deserved a fair chance at the game, thats all that needs to be said.
Personally I would have preferred a 100 over match but okay since the ICC insisted on cramming the match into one day, atleast consider the effect that light would have on the team batting second. Damp pitches, heavy rain, darkness...hardly fair playing conditions.
I would have found it much easier to applaud australia if the match had been played fairly. Its not australia's fault. Overall as everyone seems to concede, they were the strongest side but still PLEASE ENSURE THAT MATCHES ARE FAIR and I call everyone to ensure that there is a major shakeup at ICC so that this does not happen again. congrats to aus and commiserations to sri lanka. Australia- would have been nice to see you win with good grace, shame on clake/tait particularly in the way they are towards opponents. its a family sport, clean your language or get out.
Complain about this postVery poor final.
I dont care who was the better team for the whole of the tournament (most probably australia), but the whole point is that every match is played fairly to give both teams a chance. If it was already pre-decided to hand australia the cup because of their 'form', then please let the public know and avoid having a meaningless final and save everyone the trouble of turning up or paying that money.
Sri lanka deserved a fair chance at the game, thats all that needs to be said.
Personally I would have preferred a 100 over match but okay since the ICC insisted on cramming the match into one day, atleast consider the effect that light would have on the team batting second. Damp pitches, heavy rain, darkness...hardly fair playing conditions.
I would have found it much easier to applaud australia if the match had been played fairly. Its not australia's fault. Overall as everyone seems to concede, they were the strongest side but still PLEASE ENSURE THAT MATCHES ARE FAIR and I call everyone to ensure that there is a major shakeup at ICC so that this does not happen again. congrats to aus and commiserations to sri lanka. Australia- would have been nice to see you win with good grace, shame on clake/tait particularly in the way they are towards opponents. its a family sport, clean your language or get out.
Complain about this postAt 01:27 PM on 01 May 2007, Earath Janaki wrote:
The worst of the white devils have won again.
Interestingly, far milder posts of mine have not found it onto this blog, and yet this one did.
"White devils" such as Andrew Symonds must be quaking in their boots at the vitriol from this person. 8^)
Complain about this postMy wife and I went to Jamaica to see the opening ceremony and the 1st two Pakistan matches. The overall experience was great, but I agree with you that the organization of the event left much to be desired. We paid the premium price on the website to buy the best seats, but when we showed up, people who had paid much less had better seats. Food at the stadium SUCKED and was overpriced(but I guess that's common at most sporting events). I think the whole ICC structure should be re-vamped, it's being run (out of Dubai, Hah!) by overpaid, non-diverse and old men who have failed to bring energy and excitement to the game internationally.
Complain about this postMaybe people are being slightly too critical of the tournament now.
There is something slightly patronising in expecting West Indian cricketers to go on playing in cramped, old-fashoioned grounds like the Recreation Ground, Antigua, just so that foreigners can experience a particular atmosphere. As Brian Lara himself said, it's nice for West Indies cricketers to play in grounds with the same facilities that are the norm in the rest of the world.
Complain about this postWith regards to following comment:
"
a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
I do not agree with the above comment. India deserved to be beaten, and here is why:
1. Poor batting display overall...Especially from so called master-blaster (sachin)...Please refrain from calling this guy a 'master-blaster' hereafter...You can call him 'master-ad-actor' though.
2. Poor fielding...The indian team was bunch of grandpas with many of them well over their 30s...Compare this with young Bangladesh team where many of them were teenagers...
3. Worst bowling attack...I wouldn't even call it a bowling attack when i compare them with Aussies' bowling powerhouse...Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan Singh won't even get selected in Australia's First class teams had they been born in Australia...You can't win ODIs with only 4 marginal bowlers and 2-3 sub-marginal bowlers...
This world cup debacle was a blessing for Indian cricket in disguise...I hope lot of cleaning goes in Indian Cricket as a result...
Complain about this postWith england playing up to there real level and with there normal excuses will they be handing back their OBE's
Complain about this postYou are right that the final should have been played over two days and been truncated as it was - let alone be truncated in the farcical manner that it was. But certainly India and Pakistan deserved what they got - in the long run it is perhaps good for South Asian cricket - especially Indian Cricket - where the premature exit has resulted in some soul searching by the Indian Cricket board. Not that I am too optimistic of anything good coming out of it - given that the BCCI doesnt have much of a soul - but still I suppose it is good.
Complain about this post"You won’t find Ireland or Bangladesh complaining about any aspect of the tournament but it is clearly a dreadful error to devise a World Cup that can allow the remotest possibility of India and Pakistan being knocked out before it really gets going."
Aggers you surely cannot be serious? Are you suggesting that they should get a free run through to the next stage? Perhaps you would like to see all games null and void other than India or Pakistan victories thus ensuring an India Pakistan walk throu?
Think it through Aggers. This is an absurd statement.
Complain about this postPlayers get punished for showing dissent even in body language. What about umpires making collosal blunders in the field? What penalties do they receive? This is a question that still bugs me after watching the World Cup.
Complain about this postAt 09:17 PM on 01 May 2007, yasanji ratnaike wrote:
"Sri lanka deserved a fair chance at the game, thats all that needs to be said."
Tell me just how Sri Lanka did not have a fair chance? Both teams played under the same rules. The DL rules weren't devised to favour Australia and disadvantage SL. The toss was a 2 sided coin - either captain stood the same chance of winning it. The weather is not under anyone's control and God doesn't send it just to disadvantage SL. Jayawardene admitted that he would have bowled first anyway had he won the toss. SL always knew the DL total and if they were good enough would have been ahead of the target when the weather closed in. They were not and never at any stage of the innings were they ahead of the overall required rate of 7.5 an over. At best they were scoring at 6 - a long way short of the overall required. Had SL won by the DL method would anyone have cared? Not likely - everyone would have said it was fair and square to SL.
SL were not short changed. They had their chance - but they were not good enough. They were not good enough to restrict Australia to an achievable target (nearly 300 from 38 overs is a hammering in anyone's language). Had it been a 50 over match Australia would almost certainly have posted the first 400+ in a WC final. And they were not good enough to mount a serious challenge to that target. You can talk about if's ands and buts all you like. But so can every loser in every game - it doesn't change the outcome.
I watched the match from beginning to end and never at any stage did anything other than an Australian victory look likely. It was unfortunate that the game didn't go the distance. But the fact remains that the best team won under the rules that applied equally to both teams and that Sri Lanka were simply outplayed from first ball to last. Nothing unfair about that at all. It is time some of you sore losers accepted the fact graciously and move on.
Complain about this postHonestly! People are complaining that it was all unfair because perhaps things did not go Sri Lanka's way. WAKE UP PEOPLE - THAT IS SPORT!!
Watch any game of cricket, football or whatever and luck will tend to favour one team over the other. There is an old axiom - the better I get the luckier I get.
Complain about this postI have played and watched cricket all over the world for the past 30 years. I feel the world cup in WI was a total failure. Firstly, the format was wrong seeing Pakistan and India having to go home.Minor playing countries (Ireland, Bangladesh) playing in the super 8 and getting beaten in almost all games with crowds keeping away from games. Bob's death and game still being played had less of an attraction. And the final nail in the coffin with the finals turning out to be farce with Match offical and men in the centre umpiring the game having forget the game rules. The entire tournament was a SAD feeling for me and my family and I shall always remember this tournament for two things - Bob's death and Indian & Pakistan team going home with fans burning their hero's photos and stoning their homes and love ones.My little son of 8 years did not sleep for two days and kept asking me all the time why have they to throw stones on cricketer's home where little son of Dravid and Tendulkar lived. What have they done wrong, please tell me daddy ? My answer was it is their father's fault for playing cricket for India.
Complain about this postBertram Sinniah (post 372)
I'm enjoying this chat. Where are you living?
I'm in Melbourne and only have time late at night hence the long gaps between replies.
On the foreign object in Gillies glove. I think we are getting our balls mixed up. He was using a little rubber squash ball (size of an eyeball) not a baseball (size of an apple). in anycase I am unaware of any rule that precludes the use of a squash ball in the glove. In fact I don't think there is any rule about the type of gloves you wear other than not allowing unauthorised branding. The cricket bat appears the only bit of kit that attracts strong rules.
Birdie.
Complain about this post"The fact is had the Aussies bowled first on that afternoon on that pitch devoid of movement at that time (when Bracken and Tait started out there was movement for about 10 overs) they would have been massacred as well - in fact they were being blasted before the rain came."
No Roshan - that is NOT a fact. That is speculation.
Complain about this postOne question that everyone should ask themselves and answer honestly....
If the situation was reversed and Sri Lanka won in these circumstances, would there be the bitterness and criticism of the Cup format, the final, the Australians, the Umpire, the weather and everything else, or would it be all kudos to SL with the World Cup being hailed a success?
If you're being honest with yourself you know what the answer would be. Maybe it is time to just put the bitterness aside and acknowledge that the best team won. Luck, cheating, mismanagement etc. had nothing to do with it.
Yes the tournament can be improved and no doubt there will be a different format next time. And just maybe another side will emerge from the pack to challenge Australia. And if that happens - good luck to them.
Until then congratulations to the worthy world champions and the most dominant team of any era. You are an ornament to the game and a credit to sport.
Complain about this postIt is bad enough that so many are so bitter in their hatred of Australia that they can't bring themselves to acknowledge that Australia were always going to win that match.
But to read comments suggesting that Australia were guilty of cheating is just beyond belief. Suggestions that Gilchrists innings had more to do with an illegal piece of equipment in his glove (apparently a squash ball or something gives him super human powers). Or that the Australians were deliberately scuffing the pitch to the disadvantage of Sri Lanka (as if the first thing on your mind when you set off for a run is "how can I damage the pitch for myself and everyone who follows me" rather than "I have to beat the throw to the other end"). Or if it rains and the bowling approaches become slippery ther is no though about losing grip on the ball or worse still slipping and and sustaining an injury just "if I call for sawdust I can slow the game down".
No apparently the Australians are just cheats and Sri Lanka are the nice guys who come second. Some of you need to take a good hard look at yourselves. It's quite sad really....
Complain about this postWell said Jonathan. As far as the WC was concerned, it was indeed too long.
To make matter worse, the Final was just not what you expected. A non 50 over affair, bad decisions on when the light was taken, not taking advantage of the reserve day and World Champions making a mock of themselves with pre-win celebrations.
As a cricket lover and plenty of my american freinds here in DC who were interested in the game, I was totally lost for words while watching this final with them. Hopefully this kind of ridicule WC schedules and group draws will never happen again.
Complain about this postWell, everyone seems to agree that Australia were the better team and deserved to win.
I'm very glad that no-one has been small-minded about things, as it is so easy to whinge and complain when your team loses.
Well played Sri lanka, look forward to your tour of Aus later in the year. Is Murali coming this time or is he having another rest to protect his average?
Complain about this postWell said .. Jonathan ! and thank God its over ..
Congrats to Gilchrist, I mean Australia .. all the credit should goto the Aussies .. But yeah, Congrats to Sri-Lanka as well .. they didnt really lose this match .. they should be happy that they came this far
What a world cup ? forget everything else .. playing a 38 over match at a WC Final .. its a joke .. this WC should goto history as the JOKE of the decade.
I just hope things would get better for cricket in the future.
God Bless Cricket !!
Complain about this postWELL SAID JONATHAN .. BUT SOUR TASTE ?? IT WAS THE MOCKERY OF THE DECADE !!
WHO EVER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE PART OF THIS WC.. THEY SHOULD APOLOGIZE ALL THE TEAMS & THE FANS.
ITS NOT A MATTER OF THE VICTORY OR DEFEAT.
YES, AUSSIES DESERVE THE VICTORY. BUT SL SHOULD HAVE GIVEN A FAIR CHANCE & THE FANS SHOULD HAVE GIVEN A BETTER MATCH UNDER BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES.
LOOKING AT THE PAST 2 WORLD CUPS, SL IS BETTER OFF THIS TIME. WHAT I PRAY FOR IS "CRICKET", NOT OUR TEAM.
Complain about this postSL were given a fair chance. Their chance was to bowl Australia out for a gett-able target then chase it down. They simply weren't good enough to do it.
Complain about this postNever before have I read such bitter and twisted comments. Where is the acknowledgement for the greatness of the Aussies. No one came close to beating Australia at this cup. They have now gone through two world cups without being beaten. What a cricket team!!
The 38 over final was obviously a bonus for you bunch of whingers, desperate to use any excuse to try to take the cream off the Aus win.
The reality is a 50 over final would have seen the Aussies win by an even greater margin.
Complain about this postAggers,
Your indignation with regard to the length, quality and money-grabbing organisation of the recent CWC is wholly justified.
However, I would like to quickly enthuse about the continued appetite and general good nature of the cricket-loving West Indian public. I spent 2 weeks in Barbados enjoying the latter stages of the competition and was most impressed by the Bajan attitude to the CWC despite the appalling repeated performances of the local team. Our hosts in Barbados, and from what I hear in the wider West Indies, were marvellous in every way and it’s only a pity the competition and the organisers were so remote from the population at large.
Complain about this post