Cricket World Cup 2019: Former players call for finals system overhaul as top team goes unrewarded

Dean Jones and Brad Hodge lead calls for a finals system overhaul to benefit the top teams, but ICC World Cup director Steve Elworthy is having nothing of it.

Australia are set to get little benefit from finishing in the top two.

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The World Cup director has shot down calls that a best-of-three finals series is needed to deliver a fair winner as the tournament enters its sudden-death knockout stage.

Brad Hodge backed 1987 World Cup winner Dean Jones’ comments that the six-day finals system was too brief, given countries have invested four years on their plans to lift the trophy.

Their suggestions included giving the top two teams a double chance and making the final a best-of-three series. Instead, semi-finals will be staged on Tuesday and Thursday with the winners meeting in Sunday’s all-or-nothing final at Lord’s.

Australia are set to get little benefit from finishing in the top two.

“Can you imagine India winning nine games to qualify on top for the knock out? And then they lose the toss and Duckworth and Lewis comes in,” Jones told StarSports recently.

“It takes four years of bloody hard work and sometimes 20 years to get a player ready for the World Cup and a team can be done by the weather.”

Hodge wants a best-of-three final series, a playoff concept that is popular in the United States.

“After playing 10 games I think the final actually should be the best out of three, instead of a once-off, smack-bang you’re out of there,” Hodge said.

“If you finish first in the group, I think you should get a second chance. I like that in the IPL.

“It doesn’t matter if you finish first or second in your group, there’s no benefit.”

World Cup boss Steve Elworthy is a sudden death fan.

While Australia was the first team to qualify for the semi-finals 11 days ago, it has received little benefit for finishing high on the ladder.

The Big Bash is certain to introduce a double chance for the minor premier next season, with the league set to adopt a five-team finals system.

The IPL has long rewarded the top two teams with a double chance.

But ICC World Cup director Steve Elworthy was happy with this week’s three-game knockout system.

“It’s sudden death, you play group stage cricket, you’ve got nine group games to get into the top four and then you have a knockout,” Elworthy told the Herald Sun.

“We talk about the length of the tournament and then to add three finals on the end of it you’d probably have to think about shortening the group stage.

India are the other team set to miss out of the double chance.

“You need the teams to be able to rest and recuperate before the next final and then the next final. You could have a team win two games, and then do you play the third?

“How do you sell it? Do you play it all at the same ground, do you travel around the country with it? I’m sudden death. I think it’s just one off is the right call.”

Jones also said the tournament was too long, a concern shared by powerbrokers at Cricket Australia.

CA believes blocking 48 days out of the world cricket calendar to play just nine group games makes little sense.

“I like the format with each team playing the other – but it’s too long a tournament,” Jones said.

“The FIFA World Cup is 32 teams and all done in one month. The cricket World Cup is over 50 days – people start to lose interest. It’s ridiculous.”

Originally published as Cricket World Cup 2019: Former players call for finals system overhaul as top team goes unrewarded