Ram Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Dear ICC - If you have even a modicum of an idea of how to run a global sports event (and it looks like you probably don’t), please revamp the structure of the knockout phases of ICC tournaments and do away with the concept of the one-and-done knockout games. With the format the way it is a) You are denying quality teams with stellar records any ability to redeem themselves after one terrible night and b) You are denying fans the sort of quality entertaining we all yearn for. NZ was the ‘winner’ in their game against South Africa two days, but I am not a 100% convinced NZ are the better team (they might be, but I am not a 100% sold). Just as the Kiwis deserve all the praise and plaudits for pulling off one of the all-time great performances in ODI history, so do the South African deserve an opportunity for redemption. Yes - REDEMPTION. That is a very powerful sentiment in sports and one that endears a lot of sports fans. To see the fallen have the opportunity to wipe the tears off their cheeks, pat away the dust and have one more crack staying the tournament is priceless. I have watched (and re-watched) the highlights b/w NZ and South Africa multiple times and every single time, when Martin Guptill hits that incredible shot to seal the win, I feel more empty, like as though the movie I was watching ended prematurely without the climax. Surely, there’s more to these teams than just what we saw on that night. Just look at what the American sports franchizes are doing. The NBA, NHL and MLB all have ‘best of x’ formats in their playoffs to determine winners. Every playoff series is like a mini-move on its own, with a plot, sub-plot and a twist. It’s what the players love and the fans yearn for. Players raise the standards of their games when the stakes are higher. Do you think Daniel Vettori would have been motivated to stay with Guptill if it were NZ playing UAE in a meaningless league game, instead of SAF in a WC semifinal? With your current format, players and fans alike are subjected to 7 weeks of pedantic, predicable cricket in their league phase and less than half a dozen meaningful games in the knockouts. That ratio is simply unacceptable. That WC semi-final b/w NA and SAF will stay with me for the rest of my life, while I am already struggling to recall any tangible performances from the league phase. And don’t tell me scheduling constraints drive the current formatting.. That is total BS.. In a 11 day span b/w Mar 15th and today, India has played a single game, A SINGLE GAME! And we are talking about an era where the players are fitter than ever and travel/accommodation more comfortable than ever. Have your overpaid boffins sit in a conf room for three hours and come up with a workable schedule. And if the people you employ are too incompetent, here are a few suggestions to get started with. • Make the WC an EIGHT team tournament • The leagues phase has 2 groups of 4 teams each. • In the group phase, each team plays the other team in the group TWICE, for a total of six games. • Top 4 teams qualify for the semi-final (Yes, no quarter finals) • From then on, it can either be an IPL style qualifier/eliminator to decide who the finalists are (or) Best of 3 semi-final games to determine the finalists • Finals is a best-of-three as well, but given the magnitude of the moment, you can do this simulate home and away advantage – The winner of the toss for the 1st game is determined by a random generator. If Team is the winner of the toss in Game 1, Team B is automatically awarded the toss in Game 2. Just imagine the sheer amount of planning and strategizing that can emerge from this. STOP GIVING US A CRAPPY PRODUCT LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING TILL NOW. WE FANS DESERVE IT BETTER!
BeautifulGame Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 No offense but OP should know the difference BTW year round leagues and Global world cup tournament Every world cup in every sport is decided by knock outs .Cricket Football Hockey Rugby .
zubinpepsi Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 huh.. comparing league tournament with a worldcup.. last time i checked FIFA WC also has a similar format and its hugely successful..
BlueBee Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 huh.. comparing league tournament with a worldcup.. last time i checked FIFA WC also has a similar format and its hugely successful.. FIFA has a very organised format actually, it helps when you have more teams though.
Sachin=GOD Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 I agree that the one-and-done knockout idea is very bad but an 8 team 'world' cup is a worse idea.
Ram Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 No offense but OP should know the difference BTW year round leagues and Global world cup tournament Every world cup in every sport is decided by knock outs .Cricket Football Hockey Rugby . huh.. comparing league tournament with a worldcup.. last time i checked FIFA WC also has a similar format and its hugely successful.. Not sure why this is invalid comparison? The goal(s) are exactly the same whether it is global event of franchize sports 1) Give fans the highest quality product for the longest time 2) Give the best teams more chances to redeem and comeback after a single terrible night. The current format absolutely SUCKS and does not accomplish either of the above goals.
BlueBee Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 I agree that the one-and-done knockout idea is very bad but an 8 team 'world' cup is a worse idea. Agree. The champions trophy is there already which is a 8-team tournament.
BeautifulGame Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Oh for what OP want we have champions trophy anyway.8 team tournament World cup should try to include as many teams as possible.14 as of now is reasonable . We cricket fans want cricket to grow not dither in sort of closed club house BTW 8 teams And best of 3 finals for s world cup :headshake:
Crookbond Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 I don't remember ANY global national sport event that has a best of three - football, rugby, hockey, badminton etc. So I pretty much sure, that the ICC is just following the standard.
Ram Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 So most of the oppositions points of view I am seeing so far can be categorized into two broad categories - 1) Well, nobody else does it so cricket should not do it. 2) Its never been done before, so why try it now? Not good enough....
Lord Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Why not play bilateral series home and away and just decide based on that every 4 years
CG Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Oh for what OP want we have champions trophy anyway.8 team tournament World cup should try to include as many teams as possible.14 as of now is reasonable . We cricket fans want cricket to grow not dither in sort of closed club house BTW 8 teams And best of 3 finals for s world cup :headshake: True.Knockouts are what makes world cups special be it football ,cricket.The emotion of do or die is what makes the sports what it is.
Sid Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Why not play bilateral series home and away and just decide based on that every 4 years :hysterical: Knock outs are a must.
Yoda-esque Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Knockouts are the way to go. Brings out the team's character. Can't see how SA was the better team when they made so many mistakes.
Crookbond Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 So most of the oppositions points of view I am seeing so far can be categorized into two broad categories - 1) Well, nobody else does it so cricket should not do it. 2) Its never been done before, so why try it now? Not good enough.... Your OP singles out ICC who doesn't know how to run a global tournament - not good enough!
Number Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 It will lose charm. Sure better teams will come through but not many people will be interested in seeing 3 matches to decide a winner between 2 teams.
BlueBee Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 True.Knockouts are what makes world cups special be it football ' date='cricket.The emotion of do or die is what makes the sports what it is.[/quote'] +1. Three way knockouts won't draw much attention as the one-game one does. And as you said, the emotions is what makes the knockouts more interesting, three-way knockouts won't do that.
Ram Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 Your OP singles out ICC who doesn't know how to run a global tournament - not good enough! Why should I concerned with sporting events that i dont follow or care for?
Bumper Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 I dont see anything wrong with the format. Almost always the most consistent teams end up winning the world cup. Just look atvthe world cup history. There are no flukes. So dont fix what aint broken. FWIW, the biggest sporting event, the soccer world cup, has been running this way for decades, successfully.
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