Confusion Over World Cup Fixture.
By stardustcdsd
@stardustcdsd (1856)
India
February 5, 2011 4:53am CST
hi friends.
i was a little worried that india,instead of trying for a repeat performance of 2003,go for the performance in 2007.
to make sure whether indian will even go to the next round,i checked the fixture.i was surprised.
the usual 7 teams per group with 4 super power teams and 3 minnows in each group.
so indian will sure go to the quarters.
what confused me is the next one.
quarter final fixture.
lets assume that after the first round,the teams stands in the order on points table.
group A. australia,sri lanka,pakistan and newzealand.
group B.India,south africa,england and west indies.
what happens next is
australia vs west indies
srilanka vs england
Pakistan Vs south africa
Indian VS new zeland.
i can understand the middle 2 matches
but why should the topper of group A should face the bottom team on group B and vice versa.
isn't it pretty much giving the idea that if you top the point table,you are sure to make it the semis?
has this been the case before too?
6 responses
@Wismay (2037)
• India
5 Feb 11
Hi Stardustcdsd!
Yes it is so since so many years! I too didn't find any logic in it. May be they just wanted some random order like 1234 will play 4321!
But there is another point too, those who have had some setbacks or performed badly and ended up as 4th placed in the either of the groups, they have to defeat the best in order to make it to Semifinals.
Other than these two I don't find any reason for this kind of pairing. Or may be someone else can explain it.
Happy Mylotting!
@tummalapalli (251)
• India
6 Feb 11
Dude, its very simple, the logic.... If the first two teams in the table play against each other, one of the top two teams is sure to leave the place... which is not at all fair...
@stardustcdsd (1856)
• India
7 Feb 11
exactly .
as i said ,it gives the wrong impression if u top the points table after preliminaries,you are sure for semis.
wouldn't be a better option if while deciding which teams plays another,they do select these quarter finals matches by some random way like in IPL auction.lol.
or they could make it another way like instead of plaing only one match as a knock out in quarters,why not make it two?
you know like each team has to face 2 other teams from the opposite group so that they play a team above and below them in the table.
for example.
the top team has to play the bottom and 2nd team of the other group in quarters.
the 2nd team can play the 1st and 3rd team
the last team to play the 1st and 3rd team.
this way a high class team doesn't get eleminated from the tournament due to one bad match as it happened too many times in world cup
@Wismay (2037)
• India
6 Feb 11
Why do you take it as first two teams to meet each other? First team can meet second team in the other group or third team. And fourth team meeting second or third team of the other group. So like this there will be many combinations.
So why top team of one group has to play only the last team of the other group? Why not third team by the way?
Can you tell the logic in this?
Happy Mylotting!
@tummalapalli (251)
• India
6 Feb 11
Exactly... But this time the process has started way too earlier... I mean it has been the case in the semis generally, which would have made sense... But making the WC a knockout right from the super-eights is just like snatching out enjoyment away....
@srijshm (1165)
• India
5 Feb 11
Hi Stardust,
I appreciate the dept of analysis that you have done. Pleasure to interact with such a ardent cricket lover as you.
Regarding the fixtures, it has been the same for ages with every game & every tournament.
even tennis tournaments are designed so that no1 seed faced No 8 seed in quarterfinals. Can you imagine what will happen if Nadal & fedrer met in the first round.
Lets look at two positives of the draw.
1) The draw forces all teams to take every match seriously. toppers will be rewarded with easier passage to semis.
2) Every tournament is programmed to reach its pinnacle of excitement on the final day. So this simple scheduling is an effort to ensure that the best two performing teams do not get knocked out before the finals.
@tummalapalli (251)
• India
5 Feb 11
Its always been the case in the semis of any tournament... If you see the semis structure, then it will be the 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd... So, that was implemented in this as well....
What I dont like about this fixture is that, once we get through the first round, its all knockout which is very very bad for entertainment....
@msdivkar (23359)
• India
5 Feb 11
It has always been the case that way when the two groups meet in quarterfinal or semifinal, the winner of the first group will meet the looser of the second group. That is the incentive for topping the group not only in cricket but in any sport. I.C.C. has changed the format this time. Instead of three rounds like in '03 and '07 tournaments, they have brought back the old system of two round tournament. Preliminary round with round robin league and second round at quarterfinal stage on knock out basis. This way they have ensured that teams like India and Pakistan does not get shock exit and flops the whole tournament as was the case in '07 in Caribbeans.
@rajeev075 (1961)
• India
6 Feb 11
Introduction of quarter final is good idea and i did like it.
Also what you asked is good one but it all to manage the game.
Well if 1st of a play with 1st of b the we have one better team out so to make this not happen fixture are made like such.
