The first half of this cricket world cup has been one of the most boring world cups ever. Andrew puts its best in Dear World Cup, please be more exciting, please?:
Part of the World Cup’s damp squibbing so far is down to the everybody-plays-everybody format, which in this version is imparting exactly the kind of soullessness that had to have hung thick in the boardroom where this tournament structure was designed. The thinking was this: if India - and to a lesser extent Australia and England - could play nine matches guaranteed, the tournament would reap much greater profits (and what are fripperies such as an inclusive spirit, and opportunity to meaningfully expand the game, against the tractor-beam pull of making fat stacks on stacks?).
If it feels like this tournament hasn’t quite taken off yet, though that is partly a consequence of its design. The best sporting drama arises organically, such as in that 2019 World Cup final, of course, but occasionally it must also be manufactured.