Cricket world cup
The West Indies host a tournament very few North Americans will watch
STEVE BOHRN STAFF
The World Cup of what?
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. This article is actually about the sport of cricket, which, you may or may not know, is one of the most popular sports in the world, especially in nations like India and Pakistan.
The sport’s largest and most important competition is currently taking place in the West Indies: the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
While most people have watched at least a little bit of the World Cup of soccer, very few North Americans will watch, or even have any knowledge of, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Cricket World Cup.
The preliminary round wraps up on Sunday, March 25 at the conclusion of the match between Bermuda and Bangladesh.
At that point the field of 16 teams, which have each played three games so far, will be pared down to eight for the Super 8 stage. Teams that qualified for this year’s competition include Australia, England, South Africa, Scotland, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Bermuda, New Zealand, Kenya, Pakistan, the West Indies, the Netherlands, Bermuda, Ireland, and, rounding out the field, our very own Canada.
While the Canadian boys did not advance to the Super 8 stage, they did play well — though by no stretch of the imagination embarrassed themselves in match play. They were simply outclassed in their games against formidable opponents, losing matches to New Zealand, Kenya, and England.
When it comes to contenders, Australia enters the tournament very highly touted, as do South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. South Africa currently holds the ICC number-1 ranking for international cricket with Australia close behind.
In a very exciting round of 16, which began on March 13, 24 matches were played in stadiums located in St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Santa Lucia.
The Super 8 stage will see each team that qualifies play six matches between March 27 and April 21. These matches will take place in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana, and Barbados.
The best four teams after the Super 8 will then play off, with the final match being held on April 28 in Barbados.
More so than any other sports competition, cricket requires athletes to concentrate for an entire day, as matches often last up to six hours. In a close match, a single mistake can mean the difference between the greatest victory achievable in the cricket world and a trip back home in shame.
Even the most experienced athletes will succumb to the pressure of competing in front of hundreds of thousands of fans, especially with the hopes and prayers of a country landing squarely on these athletes’ shoulders.
One person who is able to perform with the pressure better than most is Indian Sachin Tendulkar. He played his first World Cup match in 1993 and has more runs and, more importantly, more Man of the Match awards than any other player in the West Indies.
Like cricket’s Wayne Gretzky, his career has spanned two entire decades and he has lead his country to an impressive record including a second-place finish at the 2003 World Cup, where they were defeated by Australia.
Should India make it to the later rounds, experience of men like Tendulkar will play a huge role in determining the winner of the tournament.
But because no major networks in Canada or the United States cover the World Cup, most North Americans will not even know it is going on, let alone have a chance to watch it. Fans of cricket will be relegated to following the action online on the ICC’s official tournament website.
And, while cricket may be gaining popularity in Canada, it is not yet at the popularity level of other traditionally Canadian sports. Until this happens, cricket fans here will have to satisfy themselves with watching the highlights at the end of their favorite sports recap show.
