There are currently nineteen games until the knockout stages begin. N-n-n-n-nineteen. (Got to get song lyrics into the piece somehow, even if it’s not Public Enemy) To put that into context, the Champions Trophy in 2017 had a total of 15 games, as did the Champions Trophies in 2013, 2009/10 and 2004. The competition in 2004 even had twelve teams, compared to ten in this year’s World Cup format.
All of which is to say I’m bored, and just wish the group stages were over. Last night’s heroics by Kane Williamson put another nail in the coffin of the teams outside the top four, making it incredibly likely that there will be no surprises over the next three weeks. I’m honestly not sure I’ll even be paying much attention. Am I supposed to care whether England finishes first or fourth in the group stages?
Today’s challengers, Bangladesh, on paper have the best opportunity to disrupt this slow march towards the inevitable. They’re fifth in the group table, just three points behind Australia and England, and they have the world’s best ODI allrounder according to the ICC’s rankings in Shakib Al Hasan. The main problem is their lack of depth, I feel. Shakib is the top runscorer in this World Cup so far, but the next best Bangladeshi batsman is ranked 22nd. By contrast, Australia have three in the top ten and England have four. Likewise in the bowling, Starc and Cummins or Wood and Archer offer a far superior threat in English conditions when compared to any of Bangladesh’s bowlers.
So whilst Bangladesh certainly have the capacity to beat Australia, and few things give me more pleasure than watching Australians being ground into the dust, it just doesn’t seem likely. A win for the Tigers would at least inject some life into the competition, which is the best we can hope for at this point.
I guess what I’m saying is that Australia must lose this game for the good of world cricket.
As always, please comment on the game or anything else that happens below.
Being Outside Cricket 
I think that sadly, it turns out the best chances for underdog teams would have been us having a dry summer…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aus cruising, despite the loss of a wicket.
LikeLike
The ICC got what they wanted and deserved. They have found a format that ensures more than 70% of fixtures are utterly meaningless, which is a marked improvement over 2015. Roughly 35% of the fixtures in 2015 could be considered to qualify as such, due to the groups being smaller; that is if we grant that qualification is all that matters, meaning that such fixtures as Australia – New Zealand in the group stage were inconsequential (and they were, since venues were based on the group with Australia and New Zealand).
Maybe by 2027 they will have hit the gold standard of 100% useless fixtures. Not sure what the value of the rights will be, but hey.
LikeLike
ICC governing body (BCCI, oh, and ECB, CA) now scheming to ensure those NZ nobodies don’t cause an upset in a semi-final..
LikeLike
Got to love the Banglas. Just saying. Carry on.
LikeLike
Agreed. Doesn’t seem that long ago they were the Afghanistan of cricket, and now look at them. And before them it was NZ, or was it Zimbabwe.
I note all the grumbling here about uneven competitions, I have a opinion brewing something along the lines that given cricket is essentially a game of the former empire, which is a poor basis to create a balanced poo of teams, we just have to live with it.
What I really want to know is what happened to SA? Every team has it’s ups and downs, but I thought they had such good talent coming through I’ve been taken by surprise by the state they’re in.
LikeLike
I think the Saffers like the Lankans are just on a low right now. The blind optimism in me says they’ll be back, and tournaments like this all the better for it. This is also possibly the weakest Pakistani side for a while too. It all adds up to a bit of a squib of a competition, perhaps whichever way you structure it.
LikeLike
Agree with this. It’s also unlucky that some of the teams we might have hoped for better from (SL, AFG, Bangla, even Pakistan to an extent) do better on pitches that give a bit more to the spinners than “England where it has been raining for 2 weeks.”
LikeLike