The 50-over Cricket World Cup started to the backdrop of empty stands in India, and the fans of the traditional one-day game must be in panic mode about the future of the format.
It should have been a powerful, energy-driven opening to the tournament in a nation that lives and breathes cricket, where the two previous finalists from 2019 in England and New Zealand battled it out. It had two teams filled with plenty of run-scorers and wicket-takers and the ability to light up the pitch – but instead, it was played in front of a lacklustre crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium, by anyone’s standards.
The venue in Ahmedabad can look empty with tens of thousands of fans in attendance due to its mammoth 130,000-seat capacity, but even taking that into account, a low crowd for the opening match for a format that is growing more doubters by the day is not a good look.
Mark Nicholas, the incoming president of Marylebone Cricket Club, has even been quoted by respected cricket media organisation ESPNcricinfo calling for 50-over cricket to be played exclusively at World Cups, in a bid to preserve the ODI format from what he describes as the “supernatural” power of Twenty20.
These type of statements from the incoming president of the MCC does not give much confidence to the format or fans who have enjoyed this format in the past.
Many will remember that the 50-over game was created in the World Series cricket days and the cunning mind of Kerry Packer, where it flourished to great heights. Now, to see it be questioned, just highlights the cricket administrator’s absence in wanting to grow the format.
It seems administrators and the governing body want to take the easy way out rather than actually fixing the format.
It is always been a conundrum for the International Cricket Council to get the cricket calendar right.
The governing body has tried to halt the so-called ‘nothing games’ that occur from time to time in a series, but it is tricky what is the solution to keep one-day cricket relevant.
There have been 158 ODIs played this year alone, with the 48 matches scheduled for this World Cup ensuring the annual total will be well over 200 for the first time. That is a lot of one-day cricket.
A potential solution is to make every country including Test nations qualify for the World Cup; by not having series after series but by having every team put in a group for a long-running round-robin competition, like we see for the football World Cup qualifiers.
Mitchell Marsh. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Another idea is to keep the series format, but with a baseball-like separation where countries are put into groups and play against one another. Imagine a situation where a top country like Australia is placed in a ‘group of death’ to qualify for the World Cup – where every match is virtually a must-win – it could create more intrigue for fans and broadcasters alike.
Granted, this would be hard to organise given the cricket calendar looks like a smorgasbord of franchise T20 cricket and a sprinkle of fleeting test matches, all competing for the players’ time on the field, while giving them enough rest.
Another problem is that those who are showing up in India have said the damage of releasing fixtures and tickets 41 days before the tournament is sowing further doubt into the minds of potential attendees and the governing body.
Only time will tell if interest in the format in India and aboard will wane or gain, with Australia kicking off their World Cup campaign against host nation India in what will be a cracking contest.
Morz
Roar Rookie
Mark Nicholas says 50 over bi-lateral series aren't filling grounds. But neither are. T20 bi-laterals.
Andrew
Roar Rookie
Group stage 8 teams by 2 pools. Each team play 7 matches. Each team can only play teams that belong in the same pool. Top 8 teams advance to playoff stage. Determine all teams their seed according to group stage result (more wins are more desirable than less wins). Playoff stage consists of round 1a, round 1b, round 2, round 3 and round 4. Playoff round 1a Teams that are seed 1 to seed 2 play a match against a team that are seed 3 to seed 4. Teams that are seed 5 to seed 8 do not play a match for this round. Teams that win a match in playoff round 1a advance to playoff round 3 while teams that lose a match in playoff round 1a advance to playoff round 2. Playoff round 1b Teams that are seed 5 to seed 6 play a match against a team that are seed 7 to seed 8. Teams that are seed 1 to seed 4 do not play a match for this round. Teams that win a match in playoff round 1b advance to playoff round 2 while teams that lose a match in playoff round 1b are eliminated. Playoff round 2 Teams that lose a match in playoff round 1a play a match against a team that win a match in playoff round 1b. Teams that win a match in playoff round 1a do not play a match for this round. Teams that win a match in playoff round 2 advance to playoff round 3 while teams that lose a match in playoff round 2 are eliminated. Playoff round 3 Teams that win a match in playoff round 1a play a match against a team that win a match in playoff round 2. Teams must not play a match that was played in playoff round 1a. Teams that win a match in playoff round 3 advance to playoff round 4 while teams that lose a match in playoff round 3 are eliminated. Playoff round 4 Remaining 2 teams play a match against each other. Team that win a match in playoff round 4 win the cup while team that lose a match in playoff round 4 is eliminated.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Cheers Timmuh, A few format options without using Super-6- * current- 10 sides, semi-finals, min 9 games, max 11 games each, total 48 games in 7 weeks * 12 sides, 2 pools, quarter-finals, min 5 games, max 8 games each, total 37 games in 5 weeks * 14 sides, 2 pools, quarter-finals, min 6 games, max 9 games each, total 49 games in 6 weeks * 16 sides, 2 pools, quarter-finals, min 7 games, max 10 games each, total 63 games in 6 weeks The above 14-team format seems a fair balance. If only the BCCI can stomach just 6 (currently 9) guaranteed games. And Ned, Afg etc can go home 2 weeks earlier, without playing meaningless 7th, 8th and 9th games, and without having had to play the top sides that are in the opposite pool.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
There are 14 teams next time around, but I doubt the tournament will be shorter. Most likely seems two pools of seven, with a SuperSix stage. What the re-expanded WC does mean is that 2019 will be the only WC without any Associates. With 12 Test nations; assuming West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe survive as Test nations; that seems a reasonable amount. I would prefer slightly more, as things stand the larger T20 comp means nations are incentivised to chase that format along with players' incentive to chase franchise contracts. However, 14 is reasonable.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Thanks Patrick, I see the 2007 World Cup as a turning point. India and Pakistan failed to qualify for the finals, and the BCCI's commercial clout really took over. So now only 10 sides participate, and each plays 9 games with many of their later ones totally meaningless. It might guarantee 9 games for India, but it also does for multiple weak sides who will end up staying 6 weeks for a 1-8 or 0-9 record ! I'd like to see a return to more sides, at least 2 pools, fewer rounds and more knockout games as a result, fewer meaningless late-tournament games, and a shorter competition. This one will run for almost 7 weeks !