Dull Cup

The mill of cricket, in yet another attempt to save ODI cricket, is just few hours away from generating another world cup — the fifth in four years. Media and ESPN are trying their best to promote it but it seems like a hollow, insipid world cup. Besides an overdose of cricket, especially world cups, the format of the 2011 world cup is incorrigibly stupid. Are the cricket authorities suffering from mental slavery and low self-esteem by reverting to the flawed set-up of the 1996 World Cup?  They are trying hard to emulate soccer but soccer is far more competitive than cricket and has thirty-two teams, of which most of them are capable of winning the title. Moreover, they have to go through several qualifying matches.  

The rules have been carefully designed to make sure that the top draws have an easy sailing in the round-robin phase. As a result, the first four weeks will have virtually meaningless matches. The real competition will only last for ten days i.e. from the quarter finals to the final. ICC’s Champions Trophy has a far more competitive format in comparsion.