Monday, 1 May 2006

Ben on...2011

Congratulations Asia on winning the rights to hold the 2011 World Cup. I'm sure it will be a great event. I am also keenly looking forward to the tournament in 2015 in Australasia.


As the hosting of future world cups are decided, I do hope the ICC does not give much weight to Sharad Pawar's comments:

South Asian has four of the 10 test-playing nations and a large part of the money earned from cricket comes from here, so there is good reason that every third World Cup be held here.

It don't believe that it follows that a country should see more world cups just because they have more cricket playing neighbours.

4 comments:

Karl said...

Ben - both our sons will be ten when the world cup is here. The perfect age to take them to many games!

Ben said...

That thought has made my day. Cheers, Karl.

worma said...

Your interpretation is wrong. Pawar meant that Asia has 4 of the ten test playing nations, and therefore logically (mathematically as well) they should get to host every 3rd WC.

He did not mean that India should get every 3rd cup because of its neighbours.

Ben said...

It was clear that Pawar was talking about South Asia and not just India, and my point is valid either way.

The test playing world divides quite easily into five continents. Rotating the world cup amongst the five groups seems to me to be the fairest system. Under such a rotation system, every test playing nation (and perhaps some non-test playing nations) get to see a world cup every 20 years. That seems a logical and mathematically sensible way to do it.