- The ongoing 50-over cricket World Cup in India is still at an early stage. Fifteen matches have been concluded so far in the tournament out of the 45 scheduled. However, the spectator’s response to the marquee event is insipid, to say the least as the empty stands welcoming the players and the television watchers make for a poor advertisement of the format. Remember, cricket is not only hugely popular in India but also commands no less than a place like that of a religion. We are quite used to witnessing filled-to-capacity stadiums around the country whenever cricket is staged here. Unfortunately, the spectators are not flocking to the stadiums on expected lines except when the host nation is in action. We have seen the phenomenon repeating the same way so far.
PC: ICCCricket
- To their credit, the ICC and the BCCI have ensured the upkeep, and the infrastructural facilities are made more spectator-friendly which should have brought in more crowds to add color to the biggest cricketing event in the world. Hopefully, the cricket fever the country is so used to will pick up in the coming days on the back of some of the lesser fancied teams like Afghanistan and Netherlands having notched up upset wins over established teams. Who would have expected a war-ravaged and battered team representing Afghanistan to triumph over the last edition’s champion side like England? The way a spirited group of players from Afghanistan stunned the defending champions England speaks volumes about the progress made by the team.
- For the uninitiated, Afghan players undergo training in India during the off-season, and those grueling practice sessions have started yielding results. Afghan players have displayed remarkable hunger, intent, verve, and chutzpah to subdue one of the title contenders like England comprehensively. Likewise, the Netherlands have shown to the cricketing world that they are no longer to be treated like minnows after convincingly overcoming a more formidable outfit like South Africa recently. Note that South Africa had come out with all guns blazing in their first two games but were made to eat humble pie by the spirited display of effective cricket by the Netherlands. This augurs well for the cricket World Cup’s campaign big-time.
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- Make no mistake, these two wins from the lower-ranked teams against the formidable outfits will open the tournament to usher in intrigue, interest, and competitive spirit back among the competing teams. No longer the lower-ranked teams can be considered an easy target to achieve winning results and increase the all-important net run rate. As it is, 50-over competitions are struggling to sustain popularity and patronage under the onslaught of ever-burgeoning T20 leagues. The success of the ongoing World Cup will certainly decide the future of the format itself. These results should also help the paying and viewing patrons show more interest in adding missing spice during the remainder of the otherwise insipid tournament. Bring it on!
