.............by playing as many if not more games - doh!

Seriously someone has suggested having fourteen teams in two groups of seven and then the "last eight stage" as a way of shortening the next World Cup.

Well I've got news for them, there were 51 games in the 2007 World Cup and their proposal would be 49 if the last eight were QFs and 61 if it is a super eight!

2007

Four groups of four play each other once = 6 games x 4 groups = 24 games
"super eight" where teams play the six teams they haven't already = 24 games
Semi finals and final = 3 games

Total = 51 games

2011

Two groups of seven play each other once = 21 games x 2 groups = 42 games
"super eight" where teams play the four teams they haven't already = 16 games
Semi finals and final = 3 games

Total = 61 games

If you did play QFs, SFs and a Final instead of the super eight then you would reduce the total by 12 but it would then still only be two less than 2007. The problem is £££ and televising so many games, having two "super sevens" is hardly going to produce less games than one "super eight" - round robins are effectively leagues, these clowns need to minimise the league/group stages not maximise them

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7254936.stm

Australia are so far ahead of the rest we might as well have a best of 15 match Australia v Rest of the World X1 World cup.....Could be over in 30 days if they play every 2nd day!!

quote:

Originally posted by BPRG:
Australia are so far ahead of the rest we might as well have a best of 15 match Australia v Rest of the World X1 World cup.....Could be over in 30 days if they play every 2nd day!!

.....Or in 16 days if Australia win 8-0 !!

Australia esp Symonds Ponting and even Hayden are in different ways succumbing to fantastic line and length bowling this series.

Symonds must stop his ridiculous cut shots.

We are not that superior after all at least to tight bowling.

Fewer ODI games betwen World Cups might make the tournament itself more interesting. The whole tournament was a novelty in 1975 ... every game was of interest. Now no-one's pulse quickens until the semis, or perhaps even the final.

I wouldnt say until that far in.