Skip to main content

Better than expected

After the first nine days of the tournament, I have to say that the quality of matches has been better than expected, maybe because so many of the top teams are relatively evenly matched making results difficult to predict. Still early in the tournament, but so far Australia, South Africa and Pakistan look a cut above the rest which I suppose points to the fact that in sub-continental conditions the teams with the best bowling will usually be on top in a tournament this long. India have been shockingly poor in the field even by their usually indifferent standards and a semi-final place will need a lot of luck.

The scheduling of the tournament is still the worst part of it though. Why there aren't two matches each day is unfathomable as is the fact that India play South Africa in Nagpur where crowds aren't bothering to turn up whereas Eden Gardens plays host to Ireland v. Netherlands and Kenya v. Zimbabwe, surely the two most anticipated clashes! ;-) Politics is clearly well and alive in Indian cricket scheduling and its a pity that the ICC doesn't come down more heavily on these sorts of goings-on.

So my predictions after the first round of data would be Australia vs. India in one semi and South Africa vs. Pakistan in the other. After that the head and the heart diverge. India vs. Pakistan at the Wankhede on Apr 2nd would be lovely but my feeling is it will be Aus vs. SA with the Proteas to win their first title. I'm sure I'll be eating my words soon but lets see :-)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Et tu?

As a single sport website, I think Cricinfo has brought about a revolution and the fact that they were bought by ESPN is testament to how highly valued they've become. Their editing and approach to articles/opinion has been refreshing to say the least and even though they seem to have had a lot of editorial staff movement they've usually maintained very high standards. Off late though, both in their headline styles as well as in actual content, there seems to be an occasional slippage of standards and an inching towards the modern media sensationalism which is a bit of a pity. This piece  by Siddharth Monga is a classic example. Granted that the last two press conferences by Dhoni and Sehwag  indicated clearly that the captain and his deputy did not agree on this aspect of selection but "discord", "dissent", "public sniping" feels rather presumptuous and heavy handed. Yes, it is a team sport but there is no reason why everyone on the team needs ...
1 comment
Read more

Quick singles: Why the double standards?

I'm no fan of David Warner's but for once, I'm firmly and squarely on his side . Sportspersons are probably treated the most unfairly by public opinion (and often the media) whenever they are involved in pay disputes. "Oh, look these millionaires are complaining about not getting paid enough" seems to be the gist of the general reactions. I find this attitude inexplicable at best and grossly hypocritical if I'm feeling less charitable. Like the rest of us, all athletes have the right to fight for what they think they should be paid. That is the fundamental part. In addition (and unlike many of the rest of us), most sportspersons operate in the knowledge that they only have a short period available as a performer, and therefore only a short period to maximise earnings. Most people that I know would behave exactly the same as Warner and his colleagues are doing. So why all the hue and cry?
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ashes part deux: series preview

While I admire the honest, outspoken style that Ian Chappell has in his commentary and writing I don't find myself agreeing with his views very often. This latest piece on ESPNcricinfo is an exception though. In what is a faintly ridiculous set of back to back Ashes series (to accommodate an ODI World Cup of all things), the build-up to the second round has been laughable almost. Anyone who hasn't followed the game for a few years might be forgiven if they thought that the Australian domination from the 1990s and early 2000s has continued and that they will win in a canter again. For a team that's lost seven of their last nine matches (and it should have been eight really), that's quite a good turnaround on paper (and digitally). The reality though is that unless they show a drastic improvement (especially in terms of scoring runs) and England have a bit of a shocker, its going to be well nigh impossible for Australia to win back the urn. Despite putting Buffoon Bo...
Post a Comment
Read more