owenhcricket
Tape Ball Regular
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2023
- Runs
- 418
This is my take on the Asia Cup and as a cricket fan first, it was an absolute disaster. Watching pundits outside of Asia making a laughing stock of a tournament which didn't even know where it's matches would be played, how many reserve day there would be and last minute changes of mind make the ICC seem a reward worthy professional outfit.
A lot of this points towards one man and one ideology: a hatred for Pakistan among large sections of the Indian population which has now found itself in position of immense power.
It also points towards on problem: a lack of loyalty and backbone by all cricketing boards, in particular Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who in the past were helped greatly by the PCB.
In the end, it was us cricket fans, not just partisan glory hunters who suffered. Two Pakistan v India clashes were mired by bad weather, when the second match was eventually completed, a large section of the ground was mired in muck and if it was any other game, it would never have gone ahead, not in a million years.
The teams also suffered, with none but India knowing where the super 4 matches would take place, with Jay Shah changing his mind over the course of two emails just 17 minutes apart.
This culminated in the worst, least intriguing finale in any major tournament the sport has ever seen. For all of the PCB walking around with egg on their face, the Sri Lankan board ended up looking worse, their players also supposedly had a bust up and the BCCI draws even more ire outside of their own circle.
This was a tournament that benefited none other than the politics and extremist ideologies of certain people, the BCCIs stranglehold over Asian cricket and ultimately did not allow their own team to grow. We all know Siraj is not a great swing bowler and the hype that is building now, as it did before 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021, will come crashing down to a very real Earth when faced against the likes of England, Australia and new Zealand, especially if they have to bat first and then try and stop teams chasing under lights in India.
It's sad because this should have been an absolute celebrate of cricket, which could have been played in a country primed, both weather wise and prep wise, allowing for the spectacle of a true Pak v India and even for the odd upset.
Let us hope the world cup, already mired in corruption and incompetence goes ahead as a cricketing tournament and not a parade of fools.
A lot of this points towards one man and one ideology: a hatred for Pakistan among large sections of the Indian population which has now found itself in position of immense power.
It also points towards on problem: a lack of loyalty and backbone by all cricketing boards, in particular Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who in the past were helped greatly by the PCB.
In the end, it was us cricket fans, not just partisan glory hunters who suffered. Two Pakistan v India clashes were mired by bad weather, when the second match was eventually completed, a large section of the ground was mired in muck and if it was any other game, it would never have gone ahead, not in a million years.
The teams also suffered, with none but India knowing where the super 4 matches would take place, with Jay Shah changing his mind over the course of two emails just 17 minutes apart.
This culminated in the worst, least intriguing finale in any major tournament the sport has ever seen. For all of the PCB walking around with egg on their face, the Sri Lankan board ended up looking worse, their players also supposedly had a bust up and the BCCI draws even more ire outside of their own circle.
This was a tournament that benefited none other than the politics and extremist ideologies of certain people, the BCCIs stranglehold over Asian cricket and ultimately did not allow their own team to grow. We all know Siraj is not a great swing bowler and the hype that is building now, as it did before 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021, will come crashing down to a very real Earth when faced against the likes of England, Australia and new Zealand, especially if they have to bat first and then try and stop teams chasing under lights in India.
It's sad because this should have been an absolute celebrate of cricket, which could have been played in a country primed, both weather wise and prep wise, allowing for the spectacle of a true Pak v India and even for the odd upset.
Let us hope the world cup, already mired in corruption and incompetence goes ahead as a cricketing tournament and not a parade of fools.