Good augury for cricket

Defying all myths and contrary to general perceptions, the eleventh edition of ICC World Cup has been more exciting than presumed. So much so that in terms of exhilaration, it outshines the earlier ten editions. There have been an ample number of surprises. For a change, even though the shorter format of the sport is increasingly batsman-friendly, there have been some splendid performances by the bowlers, which is a good augury considering that the knockout quarterfinal matches will be decisive battles between the bat and ball. An element of competitive spark has been added with the ICC ruling that the hugely debated Decision Review System (DRS) will be used in all the 49 matches of tournament. Interestingly, India, which has steadfastly opposed the DRS, has been its beneficiary having successfully used it against South Africa.

The teams that have been on song include defending champion, India, and the co-host New Zealand. If the Men in Blue silenced their critics with stunning demotions of Pakistan and South Africa, then the credit ought to go to the collectivism displayed by the entire team, which, till the other day, was dismayed by disastrous showing in the run-up to the ODI extravaganza. It is not just Shikar Dhawan and Virat Kohli who have won the matches for India. The bowlers, particularly Mohammed Shami, have been impressive. However, one should give credit to the New Zealanders, the best performing team on the whole. The domination by the two teams has been so extraordinary that four from New Zealand take the five top Most Valuable Player (MVP) spots with pacer Tim Southee (career-best 7/33 against England) currently at the top while Dhawan is at No 4.

So where does it leave the magnificent assault launched by the one-man demotion squad going by the name of Chris Gayle. He was ruthless while taking the slam-bang variety of batsmanship to a new high and erecting an unfathomable Mt Gayle atop the cricketing world. Of course, three Indians (of which one has done it twice) have double centuries in ODIs but the manner Gayle destroyed Zimbabwe attack for the first World Cup double century gives an inkling of the form the controversial West Indian rebel has been in. And the championship has not even reached the half-way stage. India is fortunate that it has come through two potential title contenders and has to play only one former champion West Indies in the Pool ‘B’ league phase. Certainly, the confidence levels in the Indian camp will be of a very high order. Meanwhile, the manner the four associate members have performed in the ongoing event may compel the ICC do a rethink on its proposal to make the 2019 England edition a 10-team affair. Suffice to say that cricket, which is catching up in other regions, has come of age.