Festive start to the Cricket World Cup, then an anticlimactic finish. Not to take anything away from Australia, but I was hoping another team would win the Cricket World Cup. Dominance can become boring, and I almost feel like yelling out to the Australian team: "We get the point! You guys are the best in the world!" Nonetheless, congrats are in order to the Aussies, who completed their run toward a third consecutive World Cup title, defeating Sri Lanka by 53 runs Saturday in Barbados.
But as we bid adieu to the first World Cup held in the West Indies, let's reminisce a bit about some of the highlights the past seven weeks. With apologies to Clint Eastwood, here are the good, the bad and the ugly:
The good: A festive opening ceremony featured a dazzling fireworks show and performances from some of the Caribbean’s top artists, including Grammy winners Jimmy Cliff and Sean Paul.
The bad: Many spectators at the opening ceremony complained about the ticket prices – the lowest was $50 – but said they attended anyway because they didn’t want to miss history.
The ugly: West Indies captain Brian Lara went on an expletive-filled tirade against teammate Lendl Simmons after Simmons drank water on the field during an intrasquad game while play was underway.
The good: A near-sellout crowd watched the West Indies defeat Pakistan in the opening match at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. The crowd did the wave and cheered almost everything the home team did.
The bad: Pakistan played poorly during the match after entering as one of the favorites, and later lost to upstart Ireland, which is tantamount to the New York Yankees losing to your local softball team.
The ugly: Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer is found unconscious in his hotel room one day after the loss to Ireland and later dies at a hospital. The death cast a pall over the event, and some even call for the tournament to be canceled.
The good: South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs hits six sixes in one over – the equivalent of hitting home runs on six consecutive pitches. Because of Gibbs’ heroics, Habitat for Humanity is awarded $1 million.
The bad: Scotland, Canada, the Netherlands and Bermuda suffer lopsided losses, giving credence to those who said those teams shouldn’t have been allowed in the World Cup in the first place.
The ugly: India fails to advance to the second round, profoundly affecting the tournament. Many fans from the biggest cricket market in the world head home, causing the event to lose substantial revenue. The team is lambasted back home, and coach Greg Chappell resigns. In Hyderabad, India, a man suffers a fatal heart attack after watching India lose to Sri Lanka.
The good: Ireland, with its rabid fans who proved it IS easy being green, advanced to the Super 8s and earned a promotion by the ICC to player the elite teams regularly.
The bad: England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and teammates decide to get drunk one night. Flintoff then goes in the ocean on one of those pedal boats, falls off, and has to be rescued by hotel staff.
The ugly: Flintoff is stripped of the vice-captaincy and issues an apology during a press conference.
The good: Schoolchildren are admitted free to matches in St. Lucia.
The bad: They were only admitted because the attendance was so poor in the first place.
The ugly: Many fans in Antigua are turned off by having to park almost a mile away from the new stadium and either paying to take a shuttle or walking. Also, restrictions such as no re-entry and having to register musical instruments strike a sour note.
The good: West Indies wins all three of its first-round matches to reach the Super 8s.
The bad: After consecutive losses in Antigua to Australia and New Zealand, West Indies captain Brian Lara complained about the lack of fan support.
The ugly: Fans in Guyana pack the stadium for the West Indies' match against Sri Lanka. West Indies still lose.
The good: Organizers say the Cricket World Cup netted about $30 million in revenue.
The bad: Hoteliers and local businesses say they haven't experienced the economic boom promised by the event.
The ugly: The Woolmer murder case remains unsolved.
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