ICC World Cup 2019 | Hope that Sri Lanka’s uprising will inspire other teams, writes Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell has hailed the victory of Sri Lanka over England in a low-scoring match as another example of why he does not prefer large totals but insists matches such as these can be equally thrilling. He went on to say that other teams taking inspiration from Sri Lank would open up the tournament.
Before the tournament started, England were widely considered to be the favourites playing on home soil while Sri Lanka had one of their weakest squads in the history of the tournament. Hence, when these two teams clashed, the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against the island nation and it was all going to the script when they got bundled out for a low total. However, a spirited comeback from the Lions earned them a crucial win, as former Australian captain Ian Chappell analysed its significance.Â
“Until this Sri Lankan resurgence, the prestigious 50-over tournament had appeared to be a battle between just four teams - India, England, Australia and New Zealand - to decide who is the best. The disappointing form of West Indies and Pakistan, plus the complete implosion of South Africa, had seemingly robbed the tournament of its competitive edge. Sri Lanka changed all that in a low-scoring thriller,” he wrote in his column for ICC, referring to the state of the World Cup table.
Hailed by many to be the team that would cross the 500 runs barrier, it came as a huge surprise when the home team could not even chase down Sri Lanka’s subpar score of 232. They fell 20 runs short of the target in one of the most thrilling matches of the mega event so far.
“It's long been my contention that it's not beneficial for the 50-over game to have huge first-innings scores in the same way that Test cricket doesn't profit when the team batting first scores excessively. In both cases, this drastically reduces the chance of an enticing contest. Sri Lanka's defeat of England was further proof that the 50-over game can be exciting and entertaining without the ball constantly being deposited into the stands by batsmen faced with only a moderate challenge,” said Chappell who is not a very big fan of the T20 format.
Currently, Australia, New Zealand, India and England still sit pretty in the top spots. However, it is India’s unbeaten run that has impressed the legendary cricketer the most as he had also hailed the side as the most balanced and independent of any particular individual.Â
“Despite Sri Lanka's defeat of England, the current top four are still likely to contest the semi-finals. India are favourite to finish on top as they have a reasonably easy remaining draw. Australia and England have some tough matches ahead and the loser of their clash could well occupy fourth spot,” Chappel added.
However, Sri Lanka’s victory means they now have a real chance of overtaking England by the end of the group stages as they are now just two points shy off a qualifying spot. Bangladesh has just a point less than the Lions, while the Proteas, Carribeans and The Green Army all are level on three points.Â
“For the tournament's sake, it's to be hoped that Sri Lanka's uprising will inspire West Indies, Pakistan and South Africa to do better. That would whet the appetite for what should be a highly competitive and entertaining knockout stage,” Chappell concluded.
