Phew! It nearly happened again. After being humbled by the Netherlands two years ago, England were almost beaten again. We're talking cricket here by the way. And however well the Dutch played yesterday, it doesn't mask what has been a first week of mismatches at the Cricket World Cup.Now, don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer of "every dog has his day" - in fact, look no further than this very competition four years ago when Ireland stunned Pakistan - but Kenya getting bowled out for 69 and Canada getting thrashed by 210 runs is no good for this tournament. And no good for the associate members taking part.
Yes, they have earned their right to be in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by qualifying, but the imagination is hardly captured by watching teams get a hiding. In sport, tension and competition is what provides entertainment.
This is a much maligned tournament and rightly so. 42 days it goes on for. If I didn't shave for that long, I'd have a beard longer than Santa's. And the longer it continues, the nearer Christmas gets.
Teams like Canada and the Netherlands do learn by playing the Test playing nations, but why not play them in one day internationals yearly? Otherwise cricket's showpiece event becomes just a bit of a farce.
