BOMBAY, 21 February 2003 — What a first week it has been for the 2003 World Cup. There has been top class cricket on the field, there has been plenty of controversies off it and the cricketing world has been riveted by all the happenings. Even before the opening ceremony, there were controversies like the contract issue with the Indian players and the BCCI and of the possibility of the England team not playing in Zimbabwe but even the most cynical cricket lover would have been overwhelmed by all that has happened on and off the field.
There were about 1.2 billion viewers for the opening ceremony and even here in South Africa there have been mixed reactions to it though of course the majority believes that it was a terrific show.
To those of us from the subcontinents who saw the opening ceremony of their World Cups in 1996 being ‘winded’ there would have been mixed reactions too. Having being taken apart by the British media for that 1996 World Cup opening ceremony it was sweet to see the childish amateurish effort of the 1999 opening ceremony in England and here too, the hype surrounding the ceremony may have been the reason for the disappointment for the expectations were high. South Africa being acknowledged as the leader of the African Continent put up a ceremony that showcased Africa and put it in a different light than those from hermitage ignoramuses perceive it to be. The President, Thabo Mbeki, as well as the former presidents of South Africa, Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, attended the gala opening ceremony along with the officials of the cricketing world. And the one discordant note was that in a country that pride itself on unity among people of all colors, the invitation to the presidential suite was discriminatory for the chief executives of the world cricket bodies. While only a couple of the chief executive officers were in the presidential suite, the rest were down below in another stand. That was a bit disappointing for when it is supposed to be one family, then every member must be treated the same unlike what happened, where some were treated better than the rest.
The first match itself was a nail-biter and a wonderful way to start the cricketing part of the tournament. The former champions, West Indies played not just eleven South Africans, but almost the entire stadium and to play the way they did showed that they are getting back to the kind of mental toughness that made them the most feared team in the late 1970s to the early 1990s. They needed a special innings from a special player and Brian Lara making a comeback to international cricket after a gap of about five months, showed just why he is still one of the greatest batsmen in the world. Having survived a chance of the first ball he faced, he went on to carve out an innings of such vivid colors that was a joy to behold. That high backlift and the follow through over the right shoulder after completing the shot were delightful and if only he can get his mind focused as he did that day the cricket world will be thrilled to see a great batsman bloom again.
He got great finishing support from Ricardo Powell and Ram Naresh Sarwan, two young West Indian hopes. Powell has been in and out of the side after his scintillating start against India in the Singapore tournament a few years ago. He has obviously used the time away from international cricket purposefully by tightening up on his game for there were chinks there. His footwork is now more sure and he gets closer to the ball than he did when he started some years ago. Sarwan has had no technical problem but there was a question mark about his method in the limited-overs game. Though he batted splendidly in India, he was demoted down the order as soon as Lara came back into the eleven. And he answered the question most emphatically by playing in the manner he did and thereby showing that he is not only a builder of innings but also a finisher in the limited overs game. The West Indies victory came as a shock to the home-fan but the nation has rallied behind the team, which is refreshing to see.
Like Sarwan, there was no doubting the ability of Andrew Symonds as a batsman and a whole-hearted cricketer. Somehow, all that talent had not got the airing that it deserved. Perhaps the fact that he was batting at number seven or eight and so did not have too many overs to get a big score, may have been the reason. But once he got the opportunity of playing more overs he showed what a prodigious talent he is and if he keeps that up Australia would have unearthed another major talent.
If Shane Warne leaving the World Cup under a cloud was a sad sight, so also was that of Jhonty Rhodes wringing his hand after breaking it while fielding. Both these magnificent entertainers will be denied the big farewell they were looking for to bow out of limited-overs cricket and in Rhodes’ case from all forms of cricket. Wasim Akram, Allan Donald, McGrath are all possibly playing in their last World Cup for the next one is too far away for them to even contemplate. They too will be looking to go out on a high and unless Pakistan lift their game up Akram may well miss out on that.
It’s been that kind of first week with the favored teams being given surprises and India too would have been stunned to be dismissed for 204 by little-feared Holland but then the World Cup can do that. Players raise their level of the game especially those who rarely get to be on the center stage and that can lead to a surprise or two. The other surprises have been off the field and they have been in the main unpalatable, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that as the tournament unfolds the greater news will be for the action on the field and not the controversies off it.
