Published: Mar 03, 2011, 11:43 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 12, 2014, 09:57 AM (IST)
By Dhananjay Devasper
For a World Cup wallowing in minnow bashing, it took a World Cup record chase, the fastest-ever World Cup hundred, the biggest six of the tournament and the Luck of the Irish, to turn things around. Chasing a score of 327, Kevin O’ Brien, riding his luck, bulldozed Ireland into international limelight, making the entire chase look like a highlight package. Aided by butter-fingered English fielding that dropped five catches, Ireland made a case for themselves and the minnows in the competition to be taken a little more seriously by the ICC.
This will also ensure that the established teams will take the minnows a bit more seriously than the “No team can be counted out” statement which captains tend to mouth at press conferences. While it does not make the minnows more competitive or match winners overnight, it does, however, give them food for thought on the mental approach that a team needs to take when playing an opposition notches above you.
As O’Brien said, “You can choose to play out the 50 overs and score 221, or you can take your chances.” It may not work every time, but you give yourself a better chance of making a match of it.
This brings us to a few questions. Where does England go from here? The mental preparation has been lacking in the three games that we have seen them play. A close match with the Dutch, a brain freeze against India and the Irish knockout punch has made things even more difficult for them. The World Cup’s not over for them yet, but they will need to play out of their skins to salvage some pride and a place in the quarterfinals. The tie with India, makes the England-Bangladesh match very interesting as it has potential quarter-final ramifications.
If there’s another fact that has come to light, it’s clear that the team with the better bowling attack will win the World Cup. The subcontinent has always been a batsman’s paradise, so large totals are the order of the day. The team that can defend these totals better will triumph.
The World Cup just had its interest factor go up and the teams have been given a wake-up call by some sweet-smelling Irish Coffee.
Stay tuned.
(Dhananjay Devasper is an “IT guy” by profession and a sports fanatic at heart. He has an unbridled passion for sports and Indian achievements in sport. Extremely opinionated, he attempts offering perspectives around sports which are simple to understand and easy to relate with)
