The cricket World Cup is going on in India, entertaining masses and testing talents. The teams which were considered to be the softer sides till now like Afghanistan and Netherlands have shown their own class and potential while some of the cricket giants and champions have failed to impress. West Indies could not even qualify for the tournament. For the first time in the whole history of the cricket World Cup, they are not part of the main tournament. Pakistan’s fans are disappointed for what they consider is the team’s worst performance in the whole World Cup history too.
However, I think England’s performance is more shocking and downgraded than the other teams. English players consistently play IPL matches here. They are used to the local conditions here. They are the current ODI world champion. Still, they are currently at the bottom of the points table there. Their national cricket infrastructure is much better than Pakistan’s. As far as the Pakistani cricket team is considered I think they do not possess a perfect combination for this tournament. They have not played on the Indian soil for years together. But the so-called stalwarts and some of the cricket legends of that country who criticize the team’s performance and the captain have not achieved much during their own tenures either. Those who cry about the favouritism in the team seem unaware of the facts. I don’t think their selectors had any better options available whom they ignored to choose their favourite instead. But England is possessing the best of their players in the team. You have batters like Jos Buttler, Johnny Baritow, David Malan, Joe Root, bowlers like Woakes, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood and all-rounders like Moeen Ali and Stokes. What else makes the best team? They are the big names in the whole world of cricket still their performances are nowhere near the Netherlands players who are less popular and were less trusted for bringing such great results.
The only perfect success story so far in the tournament is the team India which seems to be the most favorite side to lift the trophy this time. The home conditions and the best bowling and batting combination are about to give the Indian cricket lovers the good news they have been waiting for years now.
The writer can be reached at bu*****************@***il.com