Cricket World Cup: tournament starting to meander a bit as showpiece games dry up

CRICKET’S World Cup has been chugging along now for 20 days and seems to be taking an awfully long time to get where its going.

Ireland's supporters celebrate a boundary during the 2015 Cricket World Cup Pool B match between Ireland and South Africa in Canberra on March 3, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS --IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE--

CRICKET’S World Cup has been chugging along for 20 days and seems to be taking a long time to get where its going.

We’re not even halfway, according to the calendar.

Is that a problem?

Not necessarily.

There has been a lot to like about the showpiece tournament, with plenty of spectacular batting and inspired bowling, a couple of big moments from the minnows and, most importantly, the outcome is still totally unpredictable.

Indian fans light up the MCG after their win over South Africa.

As befits the year’s most popular sports event, it’s been interesting, colourful and engaging.

In Melbourne, that has seldom been truer than when 86,786 fans, mostly Indians, packed a pulsating MCG to see their team demolish South Africa.

There is not much in sport the “G” has not seen but this was a new and memorable experience.

Coming on top of a crowd only slightly smaller turning up to see Australia thrash England a week earlier and Adelaide Oval packed out for India and Pakistan, the event could not have hoped for a more successful start.

But it has lost its way a little bit this week, bogged down in only matches between the associates and the Test outfits and none between the big guns until India take on West Indies in Perth on Friday.

A lay-day on Monday was followed by Ireland and South Africa on Tuesday, Australia and Afghanistan and Pakistan and the UAE on Wednesday and Bangladesh and Scotland on Thursday.

They were all likely mismatches but the scale and ruthlessness of South Africa’s demolition of Ireland rendered the no-contest almost unwatchable towards the end, a reality check that threatened to diminish the romance of the likeable leprechauns’ whipping of the Windies.

India have set the tone as far as support is concerned.

It also didn’t help the cause of those who hope the ICC will - as it should - rethink the unhelpful and unpopular decision to reduce the number of developing cricket communities next time.

This four-day flat spot leads into a weekend in which, all over Australia, the AFL, football and rugby league are all gathering speed while in Melbourne racing is strongly competing for attention.

This is not something the ICC would lose any sleep over, of course, but the limitations of cricket’s meandering momentum might translate to a free kick for the opposition.

What the World Cup needs most is for the Australians to become more visible - and resume winning.

It was always a marketing imperative that Michael Clarke’s team spread itself around, and it was nobody’s fault that one game was washed out.

But for one reason or another they have spent so much time out of action and out of sight it seems there have been more curve balls coming their way from the media rather than in battle, a common consequence of a void waiting to be filled.

It is one of the reasons this has been Clarke’s toughest season and it is no surprise to see him becoming weary of that aspect of it.

The Irish fans remain positive despite their side’s heavy defeat.

Even for all of us who can usually never get enough cricket, this summer - which technically ended last weekend - is starting to seem like a long stretch.

But come March 29 the MCG will be heaving again, hopefully with Clarke and his men the main attraction. It is worth waiting for.

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Twitter: @Reedrw

Originally published as Cricket World Cup: tournament starting to meander a bit as showpiece games dry up