By Gaurang and Roy
April 30 2007

Finally the curtains have been drawn on Cricket World Cup 2007. Over the past two months or so, what was supposed to the showcase event of World Cricket, turned into a disaster of unmitigated proportions.
This tournament will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

First, the length of the event was unbearable. Despite having many, many countries and venues to choose from, the competition from the Super Eight stage onwards never had more than one game scheduled in a day.

That was either sheer lunacy, or more likely, sheer greed. The ICC expected India to be in the Super Eight and then the longer it could stretch out the tournament the more moolah from TV ads it could stuff its pockets with, the consequences to players and teams who had to hang around for two months be damned.

Then came the ignominious first round exit of India and Pakistan at the hands of minnows. The two sides with the most substantial number of supporters and a very large TV audience for ODI cricket were bounced out of the tournaments early, due to a combination of their own incompetence and the sheer chutzpah plus some good fortune enjoyed by Bangladesh and Ireland.

Upsets by underdogs are good for the game and should be welcomed. But in this case with the exit of these two teams, the media and advertising blitz surrounding the tournament fizzled out. Worse still, the Super Eights became like an extended version of the first round. With only the defeat of South Africa by Bangladesh providing any surprise, the minnows lost the remaining matches they played quite handily.

Thirdly, thanks to the format and unaffordable ticket prices the tournament dragged on for two months playing to mostly empty stands. The greed of ICC ensured that tickets were priced beyond the reach of the average Caribbean fan. On top of that the heavy handed ICC’s Diktats about no alcohol except in overpriced plastic cups, the restrictions on bringing musical instruments into the grounds and restrictions on re-entry into the grounds, made the atmosphere about as electric as a bus depot.

The poor form of the hosts added to the feeling that the people of the Caribbean were being shut out of their event. Even the motley crowds that were present seemed to be mostly tourists, either NRDs (non-resident desis) from the USA, or English, Australian and South African holiday makers, rather than locals.

Additionally, the overwhelming dominance of Australia took away the competitive nature of the tournament. The lack of close games, save a couple of matches, the slow low pitches in many locations, and the utterly predictable final Champion, who won without any serious hiccups or serious competition, made the cricket itself insipid most of the time.

The muddle that was witnessed during the Final of ICC World Cup 2007 was a fitting end to the farce that was played out over the last two months. The biggest insult was that the game was decided to be played for less than 50 overs. Why this was done when there was a reserve day planned and the final could easily have been played over two days is hard to fathom. It diminished the nature of the final tremendously as it was no longer played for the standard 50 over limited format, but rather an abbreviated and ad-hoc 38, and then 36, over a side contest. The mere fact that the dreadful Duckworth Lewis formula played a role in the final, meant that the eventual winner would be controversial, though mercifully Australia’s utter dominance meant that most could agree the final result would not likely have been different. Malcolm Speed was booed roundly at the presentation ceremony, a fitting conclusion to a bizarre game and Cup.

Finally the biggest stain on the World Cup, and the one event it will for ever be associated with, despite the ICC’s best efforts to try and divert the media’s attention back on the game, was the shocking, tragic and as yet unexplained and unresolved murder of Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer. This horrific incident overshadowed the early stages of the event and the fact that the culprit has not been found, and seems unlikely to ever be found, added to the feeling that this event could have been better organized and run by the Keystone Cops than the ICC.

ICC has grandiose plans to spread its cricketing wings around the world. In a world where accountability for incompetence would not be accepted, one would expect heads to roll at the ICC. But instead, like their national counterparts the BCCI and PCB and WICB, the head honchos at ICC will keep their cushy jobs despite failure. The bloated salaries of the officials are matched only by their bloated egos. Unless sweeping changes are effected and more transparency brought into its workings, ICC will witness the erosion of its authority and a general lack of interest for the game even among nations which fervently support it at the moment. A burgeoning economy in India - the fountainhead for cricket – means that youth have so many more interests and avenues to pursue, cricket being only one of them.

At the beginning of the tournament most people couldn’t wait for it to start; but less than halfway through it, most couldn’t wait for it to end.

Thank god it is now over.

And oh, by the way, congratulations to Australia for winning the 2007 World Cup.