this just shows that winning team plays same number of matches as they did in 2003 worldcup but this one seems to drag on now...
Gooner you are right and wrong at the same time m8 but my post is not to split hairs with you but comment on the tournament, its format and the rules that in my opinion cause this..
yes it is a drag- and I love cricket. The tournament never seems to be in the same format 2 competitions running....and before a ball was bowled i thought the organisers had found the perfect format from S8 on- I cant believe tho that places in later rounds can still be decided on how much you;ve smashed one the lesser nations by....might as well draw lots.
This time the winner will have played (and runner up-Australia LOL) 11 matches (you may have overlooked the 3 games in the first stage) In 2003 it was just 8.
this year a first phase,super 8 phase sf and final-
In 2003 2 groups of 7 proceeding straight to semis
This year 16 teams in the finals
2003 just 14
It is a drag because there are more teams, there are more games and as the extra games cant possibly involve test standard teams there is much less interesting cricket. In fact the 2 of the most exciting games involved england-in panic mode and rising from the ashes. Maybe 2 other games were exciting SL v SA and the first SA vAust match apart from that predictable. I dont wish to sound chirlish but I think the format was created for the inclusion of India and Pakistan and not Ireland and Bangladesh-so the writing was already on the wall when one big name fell, 2 must have been a marketing disaster.
there will have been 51 games and I can only list 4 worth talking about and one of those was in a dead rubber!
Have to applaud Ireland in getting full ODI status -think that means they never have to qualify for any future finals-they are there by right good luck to them.It creates a problem though with semi pros as they look brilliant one day and awful the next. England are just awful all the time LOL.
I want to see as many teams as possible playing the sport -but because of its nature and it takes 7 hours to play the weaker teams need the stronger ones to make bigger mistakes over a long period to get even close -It just doesnt happen but there are signs that Bangladesh in a few years time will be more of a force. Maybe we'll have to have super 9s or odd one out..LOL...but you have to find a format that gives the outsider the opportunity to play and the rest of us the excitement that this tournament is lacking.
I think we're looking in the wrong place as to changing rules to make things exciting.
Before the new powerplay rule we used to moan about the "middle overs" . Crash bang whallop for 1st 15 overs and last 10-15 overs and this middle period of nothing. this is because every batsman is biding his time for the 5th(duffer) bowler who is nowhere near as good as the others. We should share the overs between 4 (no more than 13 each) and you can use a 5th bowler if you want. This would have solved that problem and given a good contest between bat & ball.Batsmen dont hang round waiting for duff bowling in tests.
it would if anything make him more selective rather than simply going through preriods where 1 will do...
Anyway Im really disappointed....bit of a damp squib really....