15 April 2007. Kensington Oval,
Bridgetown, Barbados. It was the most anticipated match of the World Cup 2007
prior to the start of the tournament. India was expected to take on arch rivals
Pakistan. However it turned out to be an Ireland vs. Bangladesh match.
Underdogs upsetting stronger teams are the life blood of every single sport. But
cricket seems to be the one game which wants to move away from this, at least
in the World Cups.
Despite of cries that ODI cricket
is dying a rapid death, World Cup is the most revered cricket tournament and a
World Cup is the most possessed prize in the cupboard of any cricketer. So how
much do the current format and the ones used in the past ensure that the most
consistent team of the tournament wins the title? Was India the best team in
2011 World Cup or did the format allowed them to be the best?
Since the inclusion of associates
from the 1996 World Cup, 3 different formats have been used – the Quarter Final
system, the Super Sixes and the Super Eights – with different number of teams. All
systems had its merits and demerits. An increase in number of associates and
incompetence of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh meant that substantial increase in the
number of inconsequential as well as incompetent matches.
At the same time we have seen the
minnows (Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and the associates) have been punching above
their weight in the ongoing World Cup especially after ICC decided to trim down
the number of teams from the next World Cup. So what is the best format which
will allow containing the associates without affecting the quality of cricket?
Here’s my answer.
 |
| Were India the best or the format mad the best in 2011? |
The format
This format will have 14 teams as
the original - 10 test playing nations and 4 associates from the qualifying
tournament with a new two-tiered structure but with 3 groups of four, four and
eight teams each.
Group A & B
Groups A and B will have 4 teams
each. Group A comprises of the #7 ranked ODI team, #10 ranked ODI team, the
runners-up and a losing semi-finalist of qualifying tournament. Group B will be
comprised by the #8 ranked ODI team, #9 ranked ODI team, the winner and a
losing semi-finalist of qualifying tournament.
Round 1
The 4 teams will play each other
once on a Round-Robin format. So each team will get 3 shots and there will be 6
matches in a Group and a total of 12 in the whole round. The table toppers from
each of the 2 groups will qualify for Round 2.
Round 2
The 2 teams from round 1 will
join the top 6 ranked ODI teams in Group C where all the eight teams will play
each other, again on a Round-Robin format. Each team will play 7 matches and
there will be a total of 28 matches in this round.
Play offs and final
The system is similar to the one
used currently in IPL which gives incentives to teams finishing top of the
table in Round 2. The team finishing fourth will play team finishing third in
an Eliminator. The top 2 teams will play in Qualifier 1 where the winner progresses
directly to the finals. The losing team will get another shot as they face
winner of the Eliminator and the winner of the second Qualifier proceeds to the
final.
Advantages
++ Progression
to higher rounds comes at a premium which will ensure teams don’t take any of
their oppositions lightly.
++ It
ensures more evenly contested matches. The Quarter Final system and the Super
Sixes meant more than 50% of the League games were either inconsequential or it
lacked an even contest.
++ It
will keep the sponsors happy as it gives ample opportunities for the Top 8
teams to play a substantial number of matches.
++ Gives
more consistent teams better opportunities to progress further.
++ Ensures
the participation of associates.
++ Total
number of matches is only 44 – a significant reduction from the last 3
editions.
Disadvantages
-- The lower ranked teams might need playing more number of matches than the others to reach the finals.
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