Before the first ball is bowled in the final tomorrow, I would like to have my final say on this World Cup.
We've seen a tournament where the Indian Juggernaut has rolled along thumping teams across the Indian sub-continent. Come T20s or ODIs the core of this team has largely been the same since 2019. After some misguided attempts to bag a World T20, the team is finally flourishing in a format which suits its strengths. One thing which we could have done without, were the repeated tributes to Virat Kohli. Conversations on/off the field inevitably centered on him, fall of wicket montages unfailingly transmitted his reactions and the preview packages to all matches featuring India were replete with his references. Virat is a great player, no doubt, we just don't need to be reminded about it every other minute.
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Our opponents in the final, Australia started listlessly but found form at the right time. They also had fortune favor them in three fairly close matches against South Africa, Afghanistan and New Zealand.
South Africa slipped like they most often do at the semi-finals stage. New Zealand beat the teams they were expected to but were stopped as usual by a more talented line-up.
Afghanistan has won my respect for the solidity they showed throughout the tournament. Even when their semi-finals chances were practically non-existent by the time they took on South Africa, they tried to take a match of it, which deserves kudos.
Netherlands punched above their weight when they could. Their victories were definitely heartwarming but their defeats were totally deflating. I would have liked to see more of the 'take the bull by the horns' attitude which they exhibited in their upset of South Africa. Nevertheless, this was their best performance in a ODI World Cup for which they deserve a pat on the back and a tighter schedule against other Test playing nations in order to keep building their skills.
Pakistan did something they've never done before. They recorded the highest chase of the tournament so far against Sri Lanka and also took down a 400 score when rain intervened in their match against New Zealand. They also did something which they always do, lose matches of consequence and complicate their semi-final qualification chances.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and England were hopelessly below par. England's defence of a world cup title might have been the worst ever in the long history of this tournament. Even Sri Lanka managed two wins out of five in the 1999 World Cup.
So we had one team in tremendous form (India), two with fluctuating arcs (South Africa and Australia), one which was about par (New Zealand) and one which was above par (Afghanistan). The rest of the teams just couldn't do enough to light up this tournament.
New Zealand's gamble at the toss with South Africa coupled with their rain affected loss against Pakistan briefly ignited a three-way race for the 4th spot but fittingly New Zealand themselves doused the hopes of the other contenders when they soundly defeated Sri Lanka in their final group match.
Apart from that little excitement, this was a tournament of tedium filled with one-sided contests and beatdowns. The frontrunners were largely established by the middle of the league stage and nothing much changed after that as the tournament meandered into the knockouts.
Not prioritizing enough ODIs prior to the tournament and selecting T20 experts for one day roles seem to be significant malaises plaguing most teams.
Before the next tournament rolls in, I hope to see ODIs get their due in the playing calendar. I also wish India are the defending champions the next time around.
Anyone wants to see a 40 over ODI World Cup? Do let me know in the comments.
Until Next Time,
Your Casual Cricket Fan,
Chaitanya J.J.
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