The world cup is here. The sub continent is playing host to the august event after a hiatus of 15 years. I strongly feel that the future of ODI cricket rests solely on the success of the world cup. A dismal event might well sound death kneels to the already languishing format. The fact that marketers are cribbing about the lack of buzz in the run up to such a mega event is testimony to the difficult times the game is going through.
The ICC has given considerable thought to the format and has devised a schedule which makes it extremely difficult for the biggies to be eliminated in the league stage. The 2007 world cup saw its viewership nosedive on the back of the premature exit of India and Pakistan. Back then the tournament was designed in such a way that a team which started poorly (India usually are slow starters), had to mount an enormous comeback to keep its chances of staying alive in the tournament. Teams like India and Pakistan which got off to a horrid start suffered the most. There were also criticisms centered on the long winding format. However, Commercial interests and better sense amongst the ICC honchos have made sure that such anomalies are eliminated and teams have enough opportunities to recover and progress.
The success of the teams from the Indian subcontinent especially India is crucial to the overall success of the tournament. India is to cricket what USA is to the world economy. A blip in the US economic growth lead to a recession that affected the global economy similarly an early exit by India in the world cup may lead to the hastening of the death of ODI cricket.
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