It seems the latest trend in cricket journalism is pointing out the things that are going wrong at this World Cup.
Yes, the crowds are disappointing. Yes, Bob Woolmer's death has subdued the mood. Yes, it would have been good to see India and Pakistan go through to the Super Eights. Yes, the ticket prices are too high for the average Caribbean resident to afford to go. Yes, it seems harsh that West Indies fans can't take their usual paraphernalia into the grounds with them. Yes, the tournament has been spread out over a fairly long period. Yes, sponsors and fans seem to be losing interest. These are all reasonable points, but it seems that these points are coming up day after day after day and it really is creating a negative opinion of the World Cup among readers.
Is it really that bad?? I say no. As far as I can see, the cricket has been good and the tournament fair - probably the fairest ever, given the length of the Super Eights stage.
It won't go down as one of the great World Cups as far as atmosphere goes. My reason for this is the length of the tournament and the lack of international fans coming to the Caribbean. Grounds were expanded, given greater capacity, in preparation for the World Cup, but they haven't been filled. However, it is a hard ask for an island of 70,000 people to fill a 20,000 seat stadium by themselves (as is the case in Antigua). So they need more tourists right?? Well it's hard for tourists to commit to a tournament that lasts for 7 weeks. There is still 3 weeks until the final and hopefully from now on the fans that couldn't come for 7 weeks will start arriving ready to savour the final stages of the tournament.
In 2003, the host nation South Africa couldn't even make it to the Super Sixes stage. Did that ruin the tournament?? No. But, we had games forfeited due to safety concerns and places in the Super Sixes and ultimately the semi-finals were decided due to these forfeits. That to me made the tournament worse, as Zimbabwe and Kenya were gifted points virtually handing them a ticket to the Super Sixes. Sure they still had to win some games, but it basically meant that decent teams like England and South Africa were left out of the final stages. At least in the 2007 version all the matches have been played and decided fairly and there will be no mistakes once the 4 semi finalists are decided.
My point?? There is a great tournament going on amidst the low attendances and the frustrated fans who can't bring their drums into the ground. So let's focus on the cricket for crying out loud.
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