Kevin O'Brien celebrates his century against England (BBC Sport) |
Two weeks ago, 50 over cricket was supposedly on its
deathbed and the 2011 Cricket World Cup was to be one last hurrah for a format that was soon to be superseded by Twenty20 as the dominant form of limited
overs cricket.
Obituaries were freely written for a version of the game regarded
as increasingly outdated and irrelevant while the ICC decided to exclude
associate members from future World Cups in favour of expanding the fledgling
ICC World Twenty20.
Although the opening rounds of this World Cup have had their
fair share of whitewashes, they have also produced enough surprises and epics
to suggest that there is life yet for this form of the game, while the performances
of associate nations such as Ireland and the Netherlands have put pressure on
the ICC to reconsider its decision to contract the size of the competition.
The cause of the 50 over game had not been helped by the last
two World Cups in South Africa and the West Indies, which were lacklustre,
poorly organised and seemingly never-ending.
Political issues plagued the 2003 event as England and New
Zealand pulled out of games in Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively on security
fears and forfeited points that could have permitted them to advance in the
tournament, which lasted for a staggering six weeks.
The 2007 World Cup promised a carnival of Caribbean cricket
yet is widely regarded as the worst organised in history as low attendances,
high ticket prices and restrictions on what could be brought into the ground
stifled the atmosphere.
An unprecedented 16 teams entered which resulted in many
one-sided contests and the early exits of India and Pakistan from another lengthy
tournament.
The farcical nature of the competition was epitomised by the
final itself after Sri Lanka were forced to bat the final three overs of the
game in virtual darkness, having already conceded defeat in their run chase and
the PA announcer declaring Australia the champions.
Combined with the tragic death of Bob Woolmer, the
tournament took its toll on players and fans alike who became disinterested and
fatigued long before its conclusion.
Since the last World Cup final, Twenty20 cricket has
witnessed a significant increase in popularity with three editions of the ICC
World Twenty20 being held and the formation of the Indian Premier League.
Indeed the 2009 and 2010 World Twenty20s were more
entertaining than the previous two World Cups with the 2010 tournament in the
West Indies providing a far more authentic Caribbean atmosphere than the 2007
World Cup.
It was in this climate of disillusionment that the 2011
World Cup began. After an average opening game between co-hosts India and
Bangladesh, the tournament sparked to life in the clash between England and the
Netherlands.
The Netherlands famously beat England in the opening game of the 2009 WorldTwenty20 at Lords and the Dutch came mightily close to repeating
the trick in 2011 as a Ryan Doeschate inspired side narrowly lost to England
after posting an impressive 292.
More exciting contests were to follow as Bangladesh, a
test-playing nation, were pushed all the way in their victory over associate
member Ireland, while Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by just 11 runs. However, the
best was yet to come as two games both involving England would really set the
tournament alight over the space of four days.
Billed as the biggest game of the tournament so far, England
and India arrived in Banglore for a match that would reveal much about both
teams’ tournament aspirations. Talismanic batsman Sachin Tendulkar scored his
47th ODI century and his fifth in World Cups as India set England a
daunting run chase of 339, the fourth highest in history.
With India firmly on top, England’s steady start gave the
team belief and Andrew Strauss’ superbly crafted century undermined the Indian’s
confidence while the crowed became deathly silent. England looked as though they were cruising to
victory, but India took vital wickets that thrust them firmly back into the
ascendancy.
As England looked as though they were about to throw the
game away, Graeme Swann and Ajmal Shahzad recovered to put England in a
position to win off the final ball. Requiring two runs to win, England scored
just one to tie the game.
In an exhilarating game which saw the initiative pass back
and forth between both sides, England and India produced a perfect
advertisement for the 50 over game. The match witnessed most runs ever
scored in an ODI, the spectacular centuries from Tendulkar and Strauss would
not have been possible in the frantic and impatient world of Twenty20.
After the drama against India, England remained in Bangalore
to face Ireland in another contest that would not only demonstrate the merits
of 50 over cricket, but also argue the case for associate members inclusion in
World Cups.
Ireland slumped to 111/5 during their chase of England’s
327, but Kevin O’Brien’s stunning century, the fastest ever in World Cup
history, led the Irish to victory.
The match demonstrated how 50 over games can be turned
around in the middle overs with victory snatched from the jaws of defeat as
Ireland secured a famous win which cast doubt over the wisdom of the ICC’s
decision to reduce the number of teams in Cricket World Cups .
Perhaps responding to criticisms regarding the
competitiveness of certain matches and the lengths of World Cups, the ICC
decided before the 2011 tournament that only ten teams would compete in the
2015 World Cup.
Critics of the decision argue that it removes the chance for
associate members to participate in tournaments with the biggest teams and that
it removes any opportunity for the game to expand beyond being a post-colonial
legacy.
The ICC have countered this claim by promising to expand the
World Twenty20 as they feel the format is the best vehicle for expanding the
game to new countries. While this may be true, much of the cricket played in
associate nations is 50 over and the set up of their national team is geared
towards potential qualification for the World Cup.
Unless the ICC provide associate nations with an opportunity
to qualify for future World Cups and regular matches against the full members,
nations such as Ireland and the Netherlands will have no platform to prove
themselves in what still remains the dominant one day format and there will be
no method of evaluating nations for potential accession to the realms of test match
cricket.
Twenty20 may yet surpass it in terms of popularity, but the opening two weeks of the 2011 Cricket World Cup has
proved that there is life in the 50 over game and that there is no need to
abandon it just yet. However if it is to continue to thrive, then associate
nations need a chance to compete unless it is to become the preserve an elite
few.