Moments to remember... and forget

Published : May 12, 2007 00:00 IST

With the World Cup having been through its long course, Nandita Sridhar takes a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the events in the tournament.

Ball of the tournament: The squash ball escaped batsmen's wrath, choosing instead to hide in Adam Gilchrist's left glove, while the batsman gripped the bat well enough to plunder runs.

Shocker: The comic-quotient of the farcical final moments of the Cup deserved the aforementioned slot, but given the enormity of the stage and the incompetence of seasoned officials, it didn't seem that funny anymore.

Metaphoric moment: The greatest team of this generation completing one of its greatest triumphs in partial gloom.

Spill-the-beans moment: ICC CEO Malcolm Speed spelt out a little-known secret, weeks into the World Cup. The tournament was too long, and ticket prices too exorbitant, he revealed, much to the disbelief of the cricketing world.

Delusion of the tournament: Bangladesh claming to do a '96 Sri Lanka. The reality check against Ireland could not have come sooner.

Bulk-defying act: Dwayne Leverock's 280-pound frame travelled a good length for a single-handed catch against India, leaving very little room in photographers' compositions.

Yawn of the tournament: Tempting as it was to squeeze in nearly all the matches, Holland vs Scotland was the fair winner, and we're not talking late nights here.

Voices of the tournament: The Barbados crowd booed ICC President Percy Sonn and Malcom Speed as vociferously as it cheered Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Garfield Sobers. Profound as it was, were the men who mattered listening?

Misnomer of the tournament: The painfully trite `Open World Cup' tag that did its lengthy pre-tournament rounds, eventually seemed a load of tripe after Australia hammered all of its opponents.

Punctuation mark of the tournament: Full stops seemed the order of the Cup, as careers and tenures came to a halt match after match. Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Anil Kumble, Ian Bradshaw, Stephen Fleming...

Bad press moments: Amid fitness obsessions and globalisation promises, those with Leverock's bulk, and part-time minnow cricketers were not a good advertisement for the showpiece event. The least a World Cup deserved, was full-time cricketers.

Comic-strip moment: Habibul Bashar took the `eye on the ball' (cricketing maxim) as he stood transfixed, even as Michael Vaughan dropped a sitter, turned red-faced and recovered and ran him out.

Game-of-(in) glorious-uncertainties moment: April 15th Super-eight match-Bangladesh vs Ireland.

Deja vu trivia: 2007 World Champions: Australia. Runner-up: Sri Lanka. Semifinalists: South Africa, New Zealand. No-shows: England, West Indies. Over-rated, under-performers: India, Pakistan.

Costliest over: The Indian innings' 44th over against Sri Lanka, which signalled its virtual exit from the tournament, costing the tournament millions in television viewership, advertising revenue and thousands in stadium numbers.

100% moments: Batsman Herschelle Gibbs's six out of six and bowler Lasith Malinga's four out of four.

More stories from this issue

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment