Funny how things go in cricket, isn’t it? Eden Gardens was docked one match, the only one worth the newsprint, because some seats were not handed over to the sponsors, while Wankhede Stadium, with no fire safety clearance, will almost certainly host all its games.

But then, I guess it depends on who’s running the show. And it isn’t the ICC for sure.

Just a passing thought. What we are talking about here is another thing. It seems that the BCCI is looking to reduce ticket rates to try and woo people into the stadia. So let me ask you, would you invest time, and a little less money, to go and see Kenya play New Zealand?

The whole game lasted one ball less than 32 overs, so irrespective of how much discount you get on the ticket, it’s not going to be worth it. Neither was Sri Lanka against Canada, for that matter.

Trust you me, no one will pay for such games. For that matter, no one will go and watch even if they are paid to do so. The ICC was aware, well before the tournament, this is how it would be, so this entire exercise of reduced rates for these matches is basically a farce.

Many sports events in India have this fascinating tradition of hijacking school-loads of students and fill the stands. But with much of the student community engrossed in important exams, any hijacking now could well lead to criminal charges. So the stands aren’t likely to get full, not for teams like Kenya or Canada, or a few others.

The match between Australia and Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad saw this hilarious exercise of loud applause suddenly erupting once Ricky Ponting had won the toss - inspired by the recorded applause that goes with American soap operas! It was so loud that one was forced to sit up and peer into the screen, trying to figure out who was hollering. Couldn’t see too many in the stands though. Must be my failing eyesight. More the pity, since the game turned out to be quite interesting.

The ICC knows that if the 50-over format has to survive, the number of teams in the fray have to be less, and the quality of games high. This phase of the World Cup, especially the first lot of matches, will be a disservice to cricket.

Another little irony that catches one’s attention. The ICC goes on about how it is going to eradicate betting, fixing and all wrongs. This, from an organisation which has fixed the schedule to ensure that all the big sides get ‘easy’ matches initially. So essentially, so long as the money pours in, and the money-spinning teams are ‘facilitated’, a little fixing is fine, right?

Hambantota, February 21
The bans imposed on three players for spot-fixing will not distract the Pakistan team during their World Cup campaign, coach Waqar Younis asserted today. Former Test captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Aamer were banned early this month by the ICC for bowling deliberating no balls at last year's Lord's Test against England, depleting Pakistan's squad for the World Cup.

Waqar said the controversy is not even discussed in the dressing room and it will not haunt the team in the World Cup. "It (spot-fixing controversy) is not haunting Pakistan at all. We all know we have been through tough times in recent past but that does not mean that we don't have talent," Waqar said ahead of Pakistan's World Cup opening match against Kenya here on Wednesday.

"Despite all these we are a good enough team to beat anybody. None of us is even talking of match-fixing or spot-fixing, whatever it was. It happened in the past and is beyond us now," said the 39-year-old former fast bowler. "We have stopped reading newspapers and watching TV. We are now just keeping our focus on the job. That's what we talk about," he said.

Waqar refused comment when asked about England paceman Stuart Broad's remarks that they were maintaining a distance from the Pakistan players in the aftermath of the controversy. — PTI 

Nagpur, February 21
Set to experiment with Kevin Pietersen as an opener, England take on the Netherlands in their World Cup Group B match here tomorrow aiming for the flying start that would set them up for the bigger battles that lie ahead in the mega event. Drubbed 1-6 by Australia in the ODI series just before the World Cup, Andrew Strauss and his boys would be desperate to put aside the disappointment when they face off against the Dutch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamtha.

When Steven Gerrards and John Terrys are pitted against the likes Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie, there isn't much to choose between the two teams but when the English cricket team takes on its 'Oranje' counterpart, it becomes a mismatched battle. But as England wicketkeeper Matt Prior yesterday pointed out, it would be important to have a good start and taking the Netherlands lightly could end up giving the English a rude shock because World Cups have had a history of having at least one match in which the David manages to down the Goliath.

The English, in fact, don't have to look too far behind for an example. Two years ago in their opening encounter of the World Twenty20 at the Lord's, the Dutchmen stunned the hosts by four wickets which is till date the most memorable achievement by the Oranje brigade. Six players who played that day - Bas Zuiderent, Peter Borren, Pietar Seelaar, Tom de Grooth, Alex Kerevezee, Ryan ten Doeschate - are in the current squad and would be looking to do an encore here.

However, Dutch coach Peter Drinnen is all cautious when reminded of that achievement. "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves as we want to perform to the best of our abilities," Drinnen said. — PTI 

Melbourne, February 21
Australian batsman Michael Hussey was so upset by the selectors' decision to drop him from World Cup squad that he wanted to prove his fitness by playing in a Sheffield Shield fixture yesterday only to be stopped by Cricket Australia, a report claimed. Hussey was dropped from the Australian World Cup squad as he had a surgery a month back to repair the hamstring tendon that ripped off his knee bone during Australia's first ODI against England following the Ashes series.

He, however, had claimed that he would be fit by the second group match of the World Cup. The right-handed batsman had a strong training session with Western Australia and he was selected to play against Tasmania but had to be withdrawn when higher powers at Cricket Australia intervened, a report in 'Daily Telegraph' said. Had Hussey played for WA, it would have been a major embarrassment for CA, the newspaper said.

The report also claimed that Greg Chappell met with Hussey in Perth earlier this month and the national selector had told the latter that his days in international ranks were numbered. But Chappell denied that he had not told Hussey to consider retirement.

"That's untrue," Chappell said. Chappell said there was nothing sinister in Hussey not playing in the Sheffield Shield and the decision was taken after discussion between CA medical staff and their WA counterparts.

"In the nets yesterday he was pretty excited by the way he pulled up, but in discussions between Cricket Australia medical staff and West Australian medical staff, they decided it was probably imprudent to try and rush it," said the former India coach. — PTI