ICC - Stop the madness with the 'One-and-done' knockouts in ICC events

[rajmarie]

I will like ICC to allow some form of qualification for Champions Trophy also....& not let top 8 participate. Let Top 5 eg qualify & the rest play qualification with the associates. This along with T20 & ODI WC qualifications itself will get the associates quite a good number of games. Imagine Afghanistan and Ireland along with some others able to gain very good experience and improve overall cricket in these tournaments

[Texan]

Quite a dumb idea, no offense to the poster. OP gives example of NHL, MLB, but what happens in the NFL and AFL? Almost all World sporting tournaments do involve knockouts at some stage. There is an aura to a semi-final and a final that just would not stay the same if it were a best-of-3 game. And regarding the IPL format of eliminator, those are all still knockout matches for the third and fourth placed teams. And if you look at this particular World Cup, the best 4 ODI teams in the World are playing the semi-finals. And that is reflected in the ICC ODI rankings as well. Besides, a mentally tough player should be able to handle the added pressure of a knockout game. It is a test of character for the players.

[vijay50]

Why should I concerned with sporting events that i dont follow or care for?

So Ram, tell us why we should follow the american sports model, which majority of Indian cricket lovers dont follow or care about? By your model only Aus or SA will win every other time. There wont be new winners in SL, Ind, Pak etc.

[zen]

Ideally, every match should be like a KO :orderorder: .... Safety nets probably are what makes tournaments boring (and long) The format that I prefer: Teams - 8 Group Stage - RR SF - 2nd vs 3rd F - #1 in group stage (award for winning the group stage) vs. winner of SF Qualifications (if associates are to be included) * Defending Champion * Host / Hosts * Remaining top 2-3 teams * final 2-3 spots based on qualification games on home and away matches b/w the lower ranked ODI sides and Associates OR a mini-WC before the main event :woot: In this way, there are no free passes. Every game is important including winning the group (and prevents teams from just playing to be in the top 3-4 to qualify for SF). Lower ranked teams have to prove themselves and fight it out with Associates too :icflove:

Expanding further on the above w/ examples based on performance in this world cup: Team pre-qualified for S8 (Group of 8) ----> Ind (Defending champions), NZ (Host), Aus (Host), SA, SL and Pak (top 3 teams from the ones remaining) Qualification groups - winner of each group goes to super 8: Group A - Eng, BD, Sct and Afg ---> BD (wins (or won) over Eng, Sct and Afg) Group B - WI, Zim, Ire and UAE ----> Ire (wins (or won) over WI, Zim and UAE) Super 8 or Group Stages: 1. Ind (assuming that it would have topped the group stages) 2. NZ (as it beat both Aus and SA) 3. Aus (lost to teams above it) 4. SA (lost to the teams above it) 5. Pak (beat WI and SA) 6. SL (lost to the teams above it) 7. Ire (beat WI and Zim) 8. BD (beat Eng) SF: Aus (3rd) vs NZ (2nd) at Auckland F: Ind (1st) vs NZ at MCG (winner of SF, assumption based on NZ's win over Aus at Auckland) Winner ----> ***** (you guessed it :P ) WI and Eng would have played 3 games in the WC as well but lost out of S8 because of their poor performances in the qualification rounds so their fans cannot complain either :dontknow: .... And associates get to showcase their talent and be a part of the WC as well The above would ensure that top teams play the S8 including the inform associates/lower ranked ODI teams. Since the winner of S8 goes to the final, there is great incentive for finishing first. That would only leave 2 open slots for SF meaning that every game is almost like a KO Win-Win

[Ram]

Sri, It will kill the whole excitement of so called "Upset". The element of surprised will totally diminish and all we will have is a current TOP teams making it to the top. Look, what you do on a day does matter most in the life as well. If you want to WIN it, do it on that day. Nobody has a whole life to wait for the format you suggested. With the current format, eventually, it does get worked out right for everybody. Even weather factor should be kept as a surprise element. It makes it more challenging. The current format adds lot of passion, adrenaline, extreme reactions etc to the game. Once everybody learns that they have a second or third chance, all of the above will be lost. What exactly are you trying to achieve here?

Two very simple goals - 1) Give fans a better product for a longer period of time 2) Give top quality teams an ability to recover from a bad and still compete for the big prize.

[lebron_fan]

This is probably the worst suggestions i have ever came across