Hopefully the din and dust of the 2015 cricket World Cup final will have settled so that we can now see the One-Day Internationals in right perspective.
Prior to that, kudos to the dominant Aussies for routing the Kiwis as only the older brother can do in front of a highly partisan crowd! There was hardly any doubt that the Aussies were too good for their humble cousins from across the Tasman.
But the die-hard romantic in me was willing to back the underdog just for the thrill of it. Well, all my hopes came down like a thud once Brendon McCullum took his aggression a bit too far from the realms of discretion. From then on the contest literally fizzled out and another one-sided game was confined to the archives.
But lo and behold, we are given to understand that this edition of World Cup drew maximum audience on field; and the TV viewership touched new heights. I am not challenging that claim but all I can add is that mediocrity is fetching good returns for now, but for how long only time will tell.
One needn’t go beyond the rules and regulations committee of the International Cricket Council to figure out the grossly heavy weight of the bat over the ball. If the idea was to follow the IPL script of abundance of fours and sixes then the ICC was on course. Will anyone acknowledge it?
Just about all the captains of CWC 2015 have gone on record saying the rules were against the level-playing field. So..? We all knew Aussies were superior despite their loss early to the Kiwis in Auckland. But now we are hearing loud noises of the Australian system which has a knack of throwing up champions with regular monotony. Have we, in India, not been following the Australian system from coaching to training at all levels?
Made in AustraliaNot too long ago I had a chance to interact with a few coaches who had done level 1, 2 and 3. And they all surmised their guidelines were coming from Australia! Short of disowning the flimsy IPL the experts on the spot have said everything that needs to be said in order to wrest the initiative from the rampaging Australian system.
One sad aspect of the Aussie triumph has been needless needling of the already down and out New Zealanders. Of all the people Daniel Vettori deserved a better send-off. It’s good McCullum decided to keep his cool and refused to cry foul, lest the Aussie celebrations were hampered. Who said only the winners win hearts!
Kiwis weren’t flying but they held their heads high and were especially well received back home. Cricket smiled on the losers seldom seen in recent times. Finally, we hear from many on the spot that there were ‘positives’ aplenty for Indians. What positives may I ask? Next World Cup is four years away and aren’t we a bit familiar with our planning?
In a few days IPL ‘Casino Cricket’ will ensure CWC 2015 was ‘Mickey Mouse’ cricket after all.
