It has been perhaps the most momentous day in cricket history. Never in the history of cricket has so much been done by the someone so unheralded and on the same day. Two former World champions have been emphatically beaten on the same day by teams that were written off by many (including this blogger) even before the tournament started.
Yes, on St. Patrick’s Day (perhaps the most important day for them as a nation) World Cup débutantes Ireland have beaten former champions Pakistan. And about a hour before that, former champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites India, were thrashed (yes, that is the right term) by a group of young cricketers from Bangladesh.
Admittedly the wins, while being emphatic, were not exactly fluent. Pakistan’s temperamental cricketers completely lost their plot and fell to some injudicious strokeplay and at least two bits stupendous catching. And once they had bowled the more experienced opponents out for a paltry score, the Boys in Green sought to eschew all risks and let the opposition succumb to the pressure.
They did face a few hiccups towards the end. Bad light and inclement weather slowed them down. There were a few rushes of blood, but saner heads prevailed in the end. And the green beer is bound to flow at the bars around Kingston and the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Jamaica will continue for the next few days.
And earlier, the Bangla Tigers had their day out in the limelight. Admittedly, Bangladesh were the most likely to cause an upset. They are an young team but the team has been here before. In their first ever World Cup (in 1999), they beat Pakistan (Pakistan eventually reached the finals). And last year, they beat Australia in a performance that was eeriely similar to today, clinical and methodical. And they have beaten India in the past too.
Today, their first half mirrored that of the Ulster men. The much vaunted Indian top order that boasts of almost 45000 runs among themselves, folded against some accurate bowling and sharp fielding by a group of youngsters, most of whom cannot walk into a bar and demand a drink without raising a few eyebrows. And when they got their turn to bat, they came out firing from all cylinders. India’s attack was treated with disdain by 17 year old Tamim Iqbal who scored all but 9 out of the 60 runs scored off the bat when he got out. The pitch did not hold any mysteries for him. Neither did the Indian pacemen whose wayward offerings were methodically dispatched to all parts of the ground. When the Indian spinners came on, the youngsters neatly played by the book, blocking and turning over strike to the other without too much hurry. After all they were chasing down 192 at less than 4 runs per over and were operating off a stupendous start from Iqbal.
So what started out as day out in the park for India and Pakistan ended with the cricketing version of a foot in the butt for Pakistan that has almost been kicked out of the tournament and India has some chance of making it to the next round. Ireland are currently on top of their table and are more or less assured of a place in the Super 8s, while Bangladesh has a very good chance of joining Ireland.
All this means that a lot of experts and armchair enthusiasts (like yours truly) have had eggs on our faces. But no one’s probably more embarrassed than the head honchos of the International Cricket Council which for some reason decided to rank teams even before the shindig began.
But if you are a non partisan cricket watcher, the tournament just got better. The twin St. Patrick’s Day massacres have just turned the tournament on its head. With one team gone and with another with its back against the wall even before the first weekend of the tournament ends, the rest of the field is going to be wary. So sit back and enjoy the fun.
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