Oh what a week it was. This world cup is turning out to be the most memorable ones in the history of the game. We lost one of the genuine cricketers, with the demise of Bob Woolmer. I had predicted some dramatic events after Pakistan lost to Ireland, but an outcome like this was the most tragic one. The whole episode of Bob's death has raised several questions, regarding how the game is being run by its authorities and the motives of the ICC. The investigators from Jamaica have sensed some foul play in his death. I hope the actual truth comes out and the perpetrators who have done this heinous crime are brought to justice, without the whole matter being dusted under the carpet.
The world cup was a mixture of emotions for the sub-continent teams. While the promising Sri Lankans and the vibrant Bangladeshis proceeded to super-8, the most prolific teams - India and Pakistan disappointed us. The hopes of a billion people were squashed, when India crashed out of the world cup. The men in blue had a bad outing with Bangladesh, but they broke numerable records when they played with Bermuda. Unfortunately, they could not carry the form into the all-important match against Sri Lanka. Chasing down a score of 254 must have been easy for a batting line up consisting of 3 batsmen who appear among the top scorers of one day cricket, but a focused bowling from Vaas and the magic of Murali proved to be the Waterloo of the much hyped Vision-2007 plan of Mr. Chappell. Apart from Sehwag and Dravid other batsmen did not bother the score keepers. Sachin Tendulkar, is worshipped by many as the best batsman in the world, but I personally rate him below par compared to seasoned players like Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Inzamam. No matter he has scores of records to his name, but in do-or-die matches, where he is expected to stand and deliver, he disappoints most of the time. There was a time when he single handedly won matches for India, but now he resembles an old horse who is well beyond his use-by date. Apart from that single innings against minnows Bermuda, he could not create any magic in what was probably his last world cup. The thought of being bowled for a golden duck, in what could have been his last one day innings, will surely be haunting him for a long while. Well, the less written about the nondescript performances of the Indian team the better.
Australia and South Africa showed how enjoyable cricket can be. The Aussies have been delivering score of 300+ continuously for a while and now they seem to have learnt how to defend them as well. Now, that the teams for the super-8 round have been decided, we can look forward to some interesting matches. Looking at the performances in the past 2 weeks, I guess, it would be Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand that could make it to the semifinals. After viewing results of the initial matches, we can hope for some more dramatic and high scoring matches in this batsman-friendly world cup.
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