It is kind of funny that the 2015 World Cup was dragging along like a long-drawn yawn — this is what cricket can do to one's metabolism! — and suddenly, the league stage is over and one finds oneself in a cricketing vacuum.
And, now, we eagerly await the quarterfinals, with all its induced excitement, and some genuine competition!
During the league stage, tight games were few and far between. Scores of 300 and 400 were fairly commonplace, some of the adventurous batters could afford to throw caution to the winds and make Don Bradman’s Art of Cricket a forgotten bible.
To control the bowling — a form of bonded labour these days — all manner of ‘don’ts’ apply only to the bowler; and all the ‘dos’ are for the batters.
My main grudge is against shorter boundaries and bulging bats.
There is no way some of the big sixes can be prevented — and why should they be when the spectators do seem to enjoy it?! Surely, the induced excitement needn’t be unlimited, though. However, come the knockout stage, caution will be the keyword as survival in the competition will be of utmost importance. The do-or-die aspect from now on might rob us of many a hollow spectacle.
Barring the idiosyncrasies of limited-overs cricket, the best two teams will get to meet each other at the MCG on March 29.
