WC format is total BS

[timmyj51]

WC format is total BS

Paddies in, Pakis out. And maybe Deshies, Kenya in, India out! Might
be big thrill for minnows but a financial catastrophe for the WC. Ticket
sales gonna plunge, TV ratings too. Sponsors gonna take a huge hit. All
because of this crack-brained group setup. ICC probably thought:
"Well, we'll give the minnows three games, they and one test country
will be eliminated, and then we'll have serious cricket with the big boys
in the super eights." Well, this has completely blown up in Speedo's
face! Problem with this format is you have just one bad game and you
could be OUT! Look at the Pakis. They're gonna end up playin just three
lousy games in the entire WC! On top of that, half the matches played end up
as meaningless (like the Pakis third and last match). Solution: scrap this group setup with
a play forward/backward setup. All sixteen teams play each other,
matching winners against winners, losers against losers, each round.
Play this way until eight teams have won four matches then start the knockout.
Only downside to this is some teams will play as many as three extra
matches than other teams in the preliminary round. But with this system
WON'T BE A SINGLE MEANINGLESS MATCH. NOT A SINGLE, SOLITARY, ONE!
Damn! I outta start a cricket consulting service with such brilliant ideas.
$500 an hour. Eveyone get in line and wait your turn.

 

[cleazer]

Re: WC format is total BS

2 questions:

- How many extra games would this add to the World Cup?

- How would fans be able to follow their team around if they didn't know their schedule in advance?

 

[theswami]

Re: WC format is total BS

2 questions:

- How many extra games would this add to the World Cup?

- How would fans be able to follow their team around if they didn't know their schedule in advance?

TOUCHE!!! Revised consultant fee is now $5.00 per hour.

 

[timmyj51]

Re: WC format is total BS

"How many extra games would this add to the World Cup?"


Would be less total games than now. If anyone doesn't like that
increase the qualifying win totol to 5 or 6.


" How would fans be able to follow their team around if they didn't know their schedule in advance?"


In this format each team would know would know where they're playing
for each of the next two matches. Whole thing can be run at four
venues. If you want to follow a team in the super eights now you're gonna have to
jump around to Barbados, Antigua, Guyana, and Grenada.


Bill for services rendered: $500

 

[cleazer]

Re: WC format is total BS

"How many extra games would this add to the World Cup?"


Would be less total games than now. If anyone doesn't like that
increase the qualifying win totol to 5 or 6.

Timmy, use your $500 to go buy a new calculator please.
According to you:

All sixteen teams play each other,
matching winners against winners, losers against losers, each round.
Play this way until eight teams have won four matches then start the knockout.

That means:
Round 1 - 8 games
Round 2 - 8 games
Round 3 - 8 games
Round 4 - 8 games
After Round 4, we'll have a grand total of one team with 4 wins. I guess they get the next few rounds off.

Round 5 - 7 games
We'll get a second team with the 4 required wins in this round. Maybe even a third if things work out.

Round 6 - 6 games
A few more teams should get their 4th win in this round.

Round 7 - 4 games
With any luck, this would wrap up the preliminary phase with 8 teams now having their 4 required wins.


So that's 49 games in the preliminary round. Compared to 24 games in the Preliminary Rounds of the current set-up.

After adding in the Super Eights, semifinals, and final, I fail to see how this set-up yields fewer total games than the current one. Not to mention that whichever team won 4 straight games to start the tournament would be pretty darn rusty after not playing for a few rounds. That's a bit of a disadvantage.

Plus, in the current set-up, Preliminary round games count in the Super Eight standings. In your set-up, teams could play each other twice in the preliminary round, thus nullifying that possibility and adding in even more games. Though I suppose you could make a rule where the most recent game between two teams is the one that counts in the Super Eight standings. You'd still have a lot more matches than the current World Cup though.

" How would fans be able to follow their team around if they didn't know their schedule in advance?"


In this format each team would know would know where they're playing
for each of the next two matches.

How do you figure? Wouldn't the winners and losers have to play at different venues? You can't put more than 2 teams on a field at once.

You'd be able to tell teams where they're playing for the first 2 rounds, but beyond that, it's impossible. And if you expect fans to be able to switch reservations for hotels and flights between Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan on just a few days notice, you're as delusional as ever.

 

[timmyj51]

Re: WC format is total BS

You'll end up with almost exactly the same number of total matches under
my format. Should have mentioned that a team qualifies for the
knockout with four wins but is ALSO out of the tourney with four LOSSES.
So...matching up winners vs winners, losers vs losers in the first
four rounds results in: one 4-0 team (in knockout) and one 0-4 team
(out of tourney). Now down to 14 teams. In round five match up all
the 3-1, 2-2, and 1-3 teams. After this round two more teams with four
wins, two more with four losses. Now down to ten teams. Match up
all the 3-2 and 2-3 teams (will, in this round, have to match up one
3-2 and one 2-3 team). Two more teams with four wins, two more with
four losses (maybe three if 3-2/2-3 matchup is win for 3-2 team). In
seventh round, with either four or six teams, all teams are 3-3. Half of
'em advance to knockout, half go home. Now got your eight teams and go straight to the
knockout round, seven games. Grand total with my format: 53 or 54 games. Current format:
51 games. True, the teams that win
four matches early on will have a long lay-off til knockout round but I
doubt they'll complain. Spend the extra time in the nets. Might object
that one team's out after only four games, but if you
start the tourney with four straight losses you deserve to go. All the
other teams will be guaranteed 5-7 games. A hell of a lot bettr than
the current BS format where fully HALF the teams are out after playing only three games each!
Some teams may have to play each other twice but since they can be paired
against anyone with their own record won't happen often.
With my format a team can also make a
comeback, or collapse. Someone can start out 0-3 and still win the
entire event. Start out 3-0 you still might not make the knockout
round. Best of all, NO MEANINGLESS MATCHES! Interest and excitement
guaranteed every match!

Dear Mr. Speed, please make check payable to....

 

[timmyj51]

Down with meaningless matches!

First meaningless match coming up: Canada vs Scotland. Might be more
in the group round and more in the final stages of the super eight. Who's gonna
bother to go to these games? A few hundred truant kids? And so
the boxes of unsold WC tickets pile higher and higher in Dehrings office.

 

[Wilbix]

Re: Down with meaningless matches!

First meaningless match coming up: Canada vs Scotland. Might be more
in the group round and more in the final stages of the super eight. Who's gonna
bother to go to these games? A few hundred truant kids? And so
the boxes of unsold WC tickets pile higher and higher in Dehrings office.

Mate, Canada is not playing Scotland. If you're going to knock the tournament, at least do your research first. And for every match like Canada v New Zealand, there is one between Kenya and England where the winner goes through and the loser goes home.

Also, I really doubt they would store unsold tickets in an executive's office.

 

[marlyminks]

Re: Down with meaningless matches!

Will, I don't know why you bother to answer him.

 

[timmyj51]

Can write this WC off

Pakis out...Indies out...2/3 of TV market gone...hotels flooded with
cancellations...WC tickets being dumped for pennies on the dollar. How could this
catastrophe happen? Simple: ICC and their crack-brained, idiotic,
group round where a team's out with one bad game before the tourney's
barely started. And they're gonna use this same format for the
20/20 WC!!! Get Speedo outta there and bring in some executives from the
NBA, NFL or MLC who know how to run professional sports like they should be run, not
like a back alley 'rooburger stand.