tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596568815628862090.post7544241595167637401..comments2022-03-24T20:50:14.092+11:00Comments on CXLI: Cricket World Cup: How to put the world back into the World Cupczaxxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03282214302249849961noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596568815628862090.post-84739515201015863572011-03-24T13:58:16.978+11:002011-03-24T13:58:16.978+11:00I think there are two problems here: the first is ...I think there are two problems here: the first is with 50-over cricket in general and the second with the way the World Cup is organized. After reading your post, I realize that they are possibly more closely related than I have previously considered.<br /><br />One of the problems with One Day cricket at the moment is all those endless, and largely meaningless, ODI series in which nobody seems to take much interest any more. Your suggestion of tying all games much closer to a World Cup qualification would, I believe, remove a lot of that problem. I also really like your suggestion of forcing the Test nations to play (at least) some minnows more regularly.<br /><br />I don't really follow soccer, but doesn't FIFA allow the reigning Champions <i>and</i> the host nation(s) automatic qualification for their World Cup? I like that a lot and it is something that could, with relative ease, be incorporated into your World Cup qualification proposal. Incidentally, for all the talk, at least here in Australia, of how corrupt and unfair FIFA is, that organization has been very clever in the way it's been expanding its sport into new 'territories', <i>especially</i> the way it's given hosting rights of the World Cup to non-traditional nations, as well as the way it's accepted that in order to expand/popularise the sport among new audience, it is necessary to accept that some World Cup matches will at times be a bit ... lopsided. Well done, FIFA! The ICC could certainly learn a trick or two there; instead, the ICC seems to stare itself blind at the Indian market, which, yes, is big, but the world at large is bigger!<br /><br />Finally, just as you point out, the Cup is now way, way too long. The round robin matches have to be played more frequently; to have a tournament with only 14 starting teams drag on for this long is preposterous. Yes, a 50 over match lasts for several hours, but first of all, not all players are playing all those hours, and secondly, they are professional sportsmen; they shouldn't need to rest for weeks between games. (And if they have to, they should be retired.) In the Grand Slam tournaments, there are tennis matches that last for 5 hours; the players get one day's rest and then they're back on the court for the next match. To claim that cricketers need more than that is ridiculous. It's not <i>that</i> intensive a sport, physically. The round robin stage should not take more than one week. Also: given that there are currently only 14 nations playing, it's ridiculous to have the round robin stage followed by quarter- rather than semi-finals. That merely contributes to the tired 'ending up with the usual suspect' we're currently seeing. It does the World Cup no good; I don't think it does cricket any good either.<br /><br />In all: a very interesting post.bettiwettiwoohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13711578604748626539noreply@blogger.com