In between the Premier League season, rugby union’s Six Nations and the Winter Olympics, it has been simple to overlook a lot of the continued T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Yet the event has not helped itself with a drawn-out format that has seen little jeopardy and a succession of low-key matches which have did not seize the general public’s creativeness.
Only Zimbabwe’s shock wins in opposition to Australia and Sri Lanka have generated real curiosity – and that’s primarily as a result of the unfancied African nation, ranked eleventh on this planet, successfully dumped the Aussies out of the event within the first spherical.
This was despite the format, not due to it. The most damning takeaway is that this World Cup was designed so badly – with a pre-determined Super 8 group for every group earlier than a ball was bowled – that each group who topped their group are actually enjoying one another within the Super 8 part. Conversely that additionally signifies that every of the second-placed groups, together with England, are additionally grouped collectively.
It means an England group that has largely failed to hit anywhere close to their finest will, due to the kindest of attracts, qualify for the semi-finals on Tuesday in the event that they beat Pakistan of their second Super 8 recreation in Pallekele.
The Super 8 part itself is a clunky compromise that ekes out extra high-profile video games for broadcasters on the expense of real jeopardy.
One small tweak would rework the event – simply scrap the Super 8s and have quarter-finals following the group stage, the place groups have been put collectively in 4 sections of 5.
It would minimize the fats from a event the place groups can get well from defeats that may, in most different World Cups, be terminal to their probabilities.
Take India. They misplaced their opening Super 8 match to South Africa by 76 runs however stay the favourites to win the entire thing with bookmakers.
Why? Other than enjoying at residence, it’s as a result of they are going to attain the semi-finals with victories in opposition to the West Indies and Zimbabwe of their final two Super 8 video games. One win could even be sufficient if a kind of fixtures is rained off.
The ODI World Cup is little higher. An interminable affair that’s stretched out over six weeks, the event has, for the previous two editions, seen a round-robin first spherical the place each group performs one another. It additionally solely accommodates the highest 10 groups on this planet.
This is increasing to 14 in 2027, when the World Cup will likely be performed in southern Africa, the place the primary spherical will likely be break up into two teams of seven, with the highest three in every qualifying for a Super 6 stage.
However, cricket can accomplish that significantly better. There is a manner of increasing each World Cups, holding largely the identical variety of video games and injecting jeopardy into the format.
The reply? Make each tournaments 24-team affairs with a standardised group part of six teams of 4.
Mirroring the format used within the soccer World Cup from 1986 to 1994, this is able to enable 16 groups to advance into the knockouts, the place there can be way more video games with one thing on them.
Yes, a primary spherical the place most of the groups are from less-established nations would create extra one-sided video games initially however within the long-term this is able to assist the non-Test nations to develop into extra aggressive and, crucially, enliven the event from the last-16 onwards.
In this format, there can be 51 matches general, barely down on the quantity for the present T20 and ODI World Cups. This would require three video games to be performed per day in the course of the preliminary group part however given this was already occurring on this present T20 World Cup, it isn’t a lot of a leap.
How to inject jeopardy into cricket’s World Cups
- Increase the variety of groups throughout the T20 and ODI World Cups to 24.
- Have six teams of 4 with the highest two and the four-best third-placed groups in every qualifying
- Play eight last-16 knockout ties, then quarter-finals, semis and a last
- In the T20 World Cup this could possibly be achieved in 31 days – up from the present 30 – by enjoying three group video games per day over 12 days. After a three-day break, play the eight last-16 video games over 4 days – two matches per day. After a one-day break, the 4 quarter-finals over 4 days after which the semis and last after two units of two-day breaks
- This format would see 51 matches in whole. Currently the T20 World Cup has 55 and the ODI one 54 (from 2027)
- Only have seedings within the group stage in order that the place you end issues
- In the 50-over World Cup, this format could possibly be performed over 35 days, with the last-16 matches lowered to 1 per day. This would shorten the event by 10 days (the final one in India was performed over 45 days)
- Each host would want 12 venues (three per group) to make this work. England and India may simply obtain this and it will additionally work elsewhere on this planet with neighbouring joint-hosts – for instance, Australia and New Zealand, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, West Indies and United States, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia
It would possibly show tougher within the ODI event however in an age of reside streaming the place all 18 video games within the last spherical of soccer’s Champions League group stage are televised concurrently, this shouldn’t be arduous to do.
Would it’s good? Absolutely not however it will be so significantly better than the damaged, boring and largely jeopardy-free World Cups we’re presently being requested to eat.
You may nonetheless even accommodate the profitable India vs Pakistan first-round match that’s assured in each world occasion due to the worth it provides to broadcast rights offers into any new mannequin.
Granted, a radical change in World Cup codecs is unlikely. Yet the International Cricket Council needs to be methods to inject their marquee occasions with extra jeopardy and drama.
After all, what else have they acquired to do?
