Worldcup desperately needs an Upset and anti-climax
The World Cup desperately needs an upset... more one-sided games and the final fortnight of group matches risks descending into anti-climax
By
LAWRENCE BOOTH FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 19:02 BST, 18 June 2019 | UPDATED: 23:02 BST, 18 June 2019
As one Eoin Morgan six after another rained on
Afghanistan's parade, it almost felt rude to ask the question. But after England's 150-run victory at Old Trafford, that question has become unavoidable. What has happened to the World Cup's competitive tension?
The tournament has now reached its halfway stage – and the hope is that the 24 games that remain provide rather more drama than the 24 that have gone.
Forget the four washouts, though three in four matches last week undeniably robbed the competition of momentum. No, the problem has been a lack of close finishes, which in turn reflects a wider issue for the global game.
+5
England cruised to an emphatic 150-run victory over Afghanistan on Tuesday at Old Trafford
+5
There has been a real lack of close finishes as the World Cup reaches the halfway stage
RELATED ARTICLES
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Share
Eight of the nine successful run-chases so far have been completed with six wickets or more to spare, while only two of the 11 victories for the side batting first have been by 15 runs or fewer.
The only genuinely close game has been New Zealand's two-wicket win over Bangladesh at The Oval, while the only result remotely resembling a surprise came when Pakistan beat England by 14 runs at Trent Bridge.
Even the big daddy of the group games – India v Pakistan at Manchester on Sunday – turned out to be more hype than substance.
The reality is this World Cup needs an upset, starting on Wednesday at Edgbaston, where South Africa will be as good as out if they lose to New Zealand. Victory for the South Africans, on the other hand, would allow Bangladesh to stay in touch with the top four.
And yet, at this stage of proceedings, we could really do with a spicier storyline than a not-very-tense race for fourth.
+5
The only result remotely resembling a surprise was Pakistan's victory over England
It would be easy to point to Afghanistan's failings as evidence that the gap between the established Test nations and the newcomers is more of a chasm. It's true that the Afghans have had a shocker, failing to reproduce any of the joyful cricket that has turned them into the game's most heart-warming story. But others have had a shocker too.
West Indies have been awful ever since reducing Australia to 147 for six at Trent Bridge in a game they contrived to lose. Pakistan have nothing to show bar that stirring win over England, while two of Sri Lanka's four points are thanks to the weather. As for South Africa, they stand on the brink of their worst World Cup so far, which is saying something.
Events at the other end of the points table are just as instructive. England are now top, ahead of Australia on net run-rate, while New Zealand and India – both with a game in hand – are only a point behind.
New Zealand's success is partly a result of their customary efficiency at World Cups – they have reached eight semi-finals out of 11 – and partly down to a favourable early run of fixtures.
+5
South Africa will be desperate to beat New Zealand to keep their faint World Cup hopes alive
But it is no coincidence that England, Australia and India are often referred to as the Big Three – an allusion to the landgrab by their boards in early 2014, when they attempted to carve up the sport's finances for their own benefit.
Strictly speaking, the term was a misnomer: India are the Big One, cricket's undisputed leviathans. But TV deals struck by England and Australia have helped give them resources beyond the dreams of the rest. They have some very good players, for sure. It's just that the role of economics cannot be ignored.
The danger for this World Cup is clear. Many more one-sided games, and the final fortnight of group matches risks descending into anti-climax.
Which leads us to the tournament's format. At first, there seemed a lot to like about the all-play-all league stage, since it invested each game with a flavour and significance of its own. But it is not turning out that way, leading to grumbles that the guarantee of nine group matches for India was motivated by TV revenue.
+5
West Indies have been awful after reducing Australia to 147-6 in a game they contrived to lose
One way of investing the configuration of the top four with extra meaning might have been to adopt the play-off system used by the IPL.
Instead of conventional semis, the world's leading T20 franchise tournament gives the top two teams in the league phase two cracks at reaching the final: a play-off between themselves, with the winners going straight through, followed by a game for the losers against the winners of third v fourth.
That would lend drama to the battle for the podium places, especially with England's last three group games being against Australia, India and New Zealand.
There is still time for this World Cup to come to life in a way that can energise everyone – players, fans, TV executives and general lovers of sporting drama. But the established order will need a shake-up. In Manchester, there was little sign of that.
RELATED ARTICLES
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
World Cup needs an upset... the final fortnight of group matches risks descending into anti-climax
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...oup-matches-risks-descending-anti-climax.html
Eoin Morgan's superb quick-fire ton leads England to victory...
England vs Afghanistan - Cricket World Cup RESULT: Eoin...
England break own world record of sixes in ODI innings as...
You can't go back to Alex Hales... England have enough...
