Unlike all other singles events on the men’s tennis tour, the ATP World Tour Finals is not your out-and-out knockout tournament. Eight players are divided into two groups of four. Each player meets the others in his group.
Two players from each pool progress to the semifinals and so on. In other words, this is the only fixture which allows the Djokovics, Federers and Nadals to have a bad day in the office. Every match at every other event is a do-or-die contest. On an average, every top player turns up at 16 to 20 tournaments season after season. Ditto with the WTA Tour featuring the Williamses, Sharapovas and Azarenkas, and the badminton calendar graced by our own Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth. That’s what you call relentless pressure.
In that respect, cricketers are a pampered lot. So are footballers. In cricket, every series gives you ample chance to fight back. Similarly, most football competitions happen to be leagues played over nine months. Clubs trade the top spot like players. Even the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships require you to step up your game only in the knockouts. That challenge is not easy by any stretch of imagination, but it’s surely easier than what their fellow millionaires playing racquet sports encounter.
As the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 — which other game does the Dubai-based global body administer? — enters its decisive, TRP-boosting knockout stage, the question on everyone’s lips is: What’s new? Apart from England, who have seldom adapted to the demands of the ODI game, and Bangladesh, who have always popped up to make a statement, the tournament has panned out on expected lines. In terms of the teams in the last-eight stage, that is.
Afghanistan have provided the feel-good factor, Bangladesh the bravado, Ireland the spunk, and the UAE and Scotland glimpses of hope. New Zealand have been brilliant,Australia professional, the West Indies lackadaisical, Sri Lanka just about good, Zimbabwe painful and England pathetic. As always, Pakistan have blown hot and cold. But the biggest story of the group stage has got to be Team India’s amazing run and South Africa’s flattering-only-to-deceive performance.
Only one team has managed to bowl out each of its opponents and maintain a clean slate. And that honour goes to the pumped-up Indian team, oozing MS Dhoni’s coolness and Ravi Shastri’s audacity. And they have done it with bowlers not necessarily regarded the best in the world. That title sits perfectly on the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who were, however, rendered ineffective against Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane at the MCG on February 22. If that was a one-off, then can the Proteas explain what happened against Pakistan in Auckland eight evenings later?
Of all Mike Tyson’s quotable quotes, this one probably takes the cake: “Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the face”. South Africa proved ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ right. Thanks to their rather uninspiring show that included bullying the also-rans and getting bullied by India, the Proteas face a tough quarterfinal clash against one of the World Cup’s most consistent sides.
Since 1996, when they enjoyed a fairytale run, to 2011, Sri Lanka have progressed to the semifinals or better on every occasion except 1999. And the kind of form Kumar Sangakkara is in, rattling off hundreds like just like that, South Africa will need more than a special effort from just AB de Villiers to counter the Islanders. That match will kick off the business end of the tournament — did we really have to wait this long? — at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
A day later, India will look to tame Bangladesh at the Melbourne Cricket Ground besides silently hoping that they return to the cauldron exactly 10 days later to play the final.
But for that, The Men in Blue will have to beat either co-hosts Australia, who got their number all summer, or familiar foes Pakistan, who can’t lift the sheer weight of their World Cup baggage tagged IND, in the semifinal. The Australia-Pakistan quarterfinal will be played at the quaint Adelaide Oval on Friday, the venue where India got their campaign off to a rollicking start against Misbah-ul-Haq’s star-struck side on February 15. That was ages ago, wasn’t it?
The fourth quarterfinal will pit the Kiwis against the Caribbeans. Only an upset of earthquake-like proportions will see New Zealand’s awe-inspiring run, masterminded by the brilliant Brendon McCullum, come to a screeching The Wellington Regional Stadium will stage this contest on Saturday.
The first semifinal will see the winners from Sydney take on the ones from Wellington on March 24. This game will be played at the Eden Park in Auckland. Sydney will host the other semifinal on March 26. The MCG will stage the final on March 29.
In all probability, the record for the highest ODI crowd will be broken this time. The world’s biggest cricket ground — in all respects — had seen 87,182 walk in through the turnstiles to watch Imran Khan’s ‘Cornered Tigers’ devour England in the final of the 1992 World Cup. Actually, that number was under serious threat when India played South Africa in a sea of blue last month. All they needed were another 306 party-hopping fans. Maybe the turnout at the final will surpass that number.
This has been a batsman’s World Cup, but the bowlers have also held their own. We have witnessed as many as 25 totals of 300 or more with the 400-run mark crossed thrice. South Africa managed two of those.
Thirty-five hundreds have been scored, with Sangakkara leading topping the charts with four. The stylist from Sri Lanka also happens to be the top run-getter with 496 runs at a Bradman-would-be-jealous average of 124.
Chris Gayle is the only batsman to have scored a double ton, but five bowlers managed five-fors, Mitchell Starc a six-for and Tim Southee an eye-popping seven-four. Six batsmen have taken their six tallies into double digits with AB de Villiers sitting pretty on top with 20. That said, Gayle hit 16 in a single outing.
Starc also leads the bowling charts with 16 scalps and a mind-boggling average of 8.50. He is followed by five other pacers as far as the wickets column is concerned. Daniel Vettori leads the spinners’ bandwagon with 13, with R Ashwin and Imran Tahir boasting 12 and 11 wickets respectively.
The Associates did make their presence, but powerhouses like India, England and Australia will have to do than just forming cartels to make the lesser nations feel wanted. How and when do the plan to globalise the game?
For now, let’s wait and watch who knocks out whom.
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High on quarter
