The 2023 Cricket World has been dubbed an organisational flop
The World Cup 2023 opener between England and New Zealand was expected to be a sold out match. Four years ago, the two teams went head to head in what some have called, the greatest cricket final of all time. This heightened expectations for the World Cup opener in India, featuring England and New Zealand, with many anticipating a match wracked with excitement.
Diminishing interest in ODIs
The spectator turnout on the day was dismal. Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag expressed concern, emphasizing the diminishing public interest in One Day Internationals (ODIs) while also offering a potential solution to tackle the issue.
He posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, ”Hopefully after office hours, there should be more people coming in. But for games not featuring Bharat (India), there should be free tickets for school and college children. With the fading interest in 50 over games, it will definitely help that youngsters get to experience a World Cup game and players get to play in front of a full stadium”.
According to an Indian journalist, Zeeshan Kaskar, there are a number of reasons why the run-up to the 2023 Cricket World Cup has been underwhelming. From the impossible task of buying match tickets to the fiasco involving a last-minute venue change and an increasing sentiment that the 50-over format has become “redundant” among new audiences – who have made IPL the number one cricket tournament. The 2023 Cricket World Cup does not carry the same charm it did back in 2011 – when India last hosted it”.
Cricket pitch issues
Gameplay has been affected by a lack of pitch upkeep. Cricket players are concerned about the “poor” outfield. There have been serious concerns, though, about the patchy state of the outfield at the HPCA Stadium, which has been rated only average by ICC officials.
The ground was inspected on Sunday and match referee Javagal Srinath agreed that it was playable but England are frustrated at the situation, with suggestions that players may have to be cautious in the field in order to avoid injury.
Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was fortunate to escape injury at the ground when jarring his knee in the surface while fielding during Friday’s match against Bangladesh.
Tournament officials inspected the surface on Sunday and match referee Javagal Srinath is understood to have had no concerns.
A test between Australia and India was due to be played at the same venue in March but was moved because of the outfield.
With the cricket world cup scheduled to conclude on 19 November 2023; it remains to be seen if the host nation can turn things around for the better.
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