Note: This blog post is part of Blogger Dream Team.
How the Cricket World Cup has changed over the last few years
THEME: Performances – have standards lifted or dropped?
Competitiveness in the sport of cricket is in full flow when quadrennial championship is organized by ICC. Since, the first edition of the cricket world cup was played in 1975 in England till the current edition of world cup being played out in Australia -New Zealand, as a cricket enthusiastic, I have observed some innovative as well as major transformation in each and every edition of cricket world cup.
Performances of the players whether they are part of major test playing nations or players from associate teams to whom we normally call minnows, have not only lifted the standards of performances of several team but also raised the spirit with the sport of cricket is played. However, there are several factors that have contributed immensely in lifting the standard of players performance wise.
Integration of technology and amending the playing rules from time to time by ICC has changed the fortunes of many teams, especially the non-test playing nations. Non- test playing nations have remarkably improved their performance manifold which has given the flagship event of cricket more competitive edge than ever before. In the first two editions of cricket world cup, West Indies was dominant & lethal force to reckon with having won the World Cup twice in 1975 & 1977. 1983 World Cup win of India paved the way for other nations to get inspired & compete in a top & best cricket tournament and break the supremacy of the traditional cricketing teams.Team India produced a valiant performance in the 1983 World Cup led by an able captain Kapil Dev who gave many inspiring performances in the world cup himself. In front of defending champions West Indies, India was considered a minnow but they shocked everyone by not only making it to the final but also winning it against the best team of the tournament.
Pic Credit: http://www.mid-day.com
A moderate total of 183 runs, was considered a cakewalk for best batting lineup in the cricket but determined & economical bowling by Indian bowlers brought the glory which many Indians have been waiting for. The highlight of the match being that amazing running catch of Vivian Richards by Kapil Dev.
Zimbabwe, who hardly played cricket of such intensity also stunned a strong team like Australia in 1983. This 3rd edition of the world cup was strong indicator of emergence of things to look forward in future. The period from 1987-1996 completely unshackled the stronghold of few nations over the sport of cricket. This period consistently saw the emergence of new world champions in the form of Australia, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. One interesting thing that came out of 3 world cups played between these years is how players or teams altogether raised the standard of their performances at the most crucial point. One day cricket to be played in world cup was pruned to a 50 overs match which reduced the stress of the players to a great extent which in turn made their performances more efficient. Teams which were not favorites in the group stages, did a remarkable turnaround in the knockout round & eventually won the cup.
In 1996, Kenya stunned every fan & team by defeating double world champions West Indies & again proved their mettle in cricket by making it to the semi-final stage in 2003 world cup. From 1996 onwards, the performance of associate nations & non-test playing nations began to lift further and also the performance of major cricket playing nations went through turbulent phase. Bangladesh by defeating Pakistan in 1996 paved the way for becoming a test playing nation. Since then, Bangladesh has nurtured themselves consistently & regularly sprang surprises in the world cups.
Pic Credit: http://www.criccoverage.com
In 2003 World Cup,number of participating teams were raised to 14. This factor impacted the performance of all the teams in one way or the other. Every team was on its toes to grab the chance to lift the cup but eventually Australia retained the cup. The period from 1999-2007 was complete domination of Australia over Cricket World Cup. in many matches, there was one-sided performance. It was a dull phase in World Cup where one nation kept on dominating until 2011 where India retained the World Cup after a gap of 23 years. many myths as well as established records were broken & new records were created. This world cup was marked by some memorable all-round performances.
The performance of the players reached at some different level. Individual knocks of batsmen & amazing bowling of few bowlers became the focus. But, eventually, team performance outshone every other record. The current edition of the Cricket World Cup has already created some mammoth records even before the final is to take place. Chris Gayle of West Indies took his performance to a magical level by making first double century of the World Cup. Mahamadullah of Bangladesh has placed himself among the highest run-scorers with the team’s bowlers also faring excellently. By virtue of their amazing performance, Bangladesh earned themselves a place in the quarterfinal against India. Ireland is another team which has impressed all with its mind-blowing & staedy performance beating West Indies in the group stage.
Australia decimated Afghanistan by posting colossal score of 417. South Africa twice crossed the 400 mark in this world cup against Ireland & West Indies.
2015 World Cup has once again proved that Cricket World Cup since its inception has undergone some remarkable changes in terms of performances. New records being made individually or collectively is proof enough that performances has lifted amazingly which is going to prove excellent for further betterment of world cup. Hopefully, the associate teams will be given more opportunities to become & remain part of the mega event of cricket.
Author: Ashima Bhatnagar
Ashima Bhatnagar 