Who wins, who cares in cricket?

NEW DELHI – With Australia and England concentrating on the Ashes and the rest nervously awaiting the World Cup next March, is anyone really interested in winning the Champions Trophy ? The International Cricket Council’s biennial tournament, which starts in India on Saturday, is regarded by the sport’s governing body as the second-biggest event after the World Cup.

After all, the limited-overs jamboree features all the 10 Test-playing nations for the only time outside the World Cup. Yet its importance has been diluted by the much-awaited Ashes contest which begins less than three weeks after the tournament ends on November 5 and the all-important World Cup in the Caribbean.The rivals have made polite noises of how much it means to win the Champions Trophy to gain a psychological advantage ahead of the World Cup.But few can hide their lack of enthusiasm for an event that is clearly ill-timed and does not have the charisma of a World Cup or bilateral series like the Ashes.Australian captain Ricky Ponting stressed the tournament, coming at the start of the new season, will give his team useful practice for the Ashes battle.England’s chairman of selectors David Graveney stressed the trip to India was not wasted – it will help to judge the fitness of key players like captain Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Steve Harmison for the trip to Australia.”The Champions Trophy is a good thing for us to be involved in because it gives us a chance to test the players out,” Graveney told reporters while announcing the Ashes squad in London last month.The unpredictable nature of limited-overs cricket ensures there is no guarantee that whichever team wins the tournament will also be favourites to take the World Cup.Australia have never won the Champions Trophy but they remain the team to beat in both versions of the game and have underlined their supremacy by winning the last two World Cups in 1999 and 2003.The West Indies, on the other hand, have been reduced to playing in the qualifying round of the Champions Trophy despite being its defending champions, having won the 2004 event in England.Brian Lara’s men were not among the top six teams on April 1 that gained direct entry into the tournament.They will battle with Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh for the remaining two spots in the main event.The six teams that avoided the qualifying round were Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, England and New Zealand.The ICC, which hopes to raise 65 million dollars from the tournament for its development programme, chose to put a spin on the event by dedicating it to the ‘spirit of cricket’.It also resolved to use the tournament to “help raise awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on people throughout the cricket-playing world,” according to ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed.The lofty ideals impressed few, least of all the host nation, whose vast cricket-crazy audiences drive the sport’s finances.Indian cricket chiefs, who need no excuse to organise lucrative one-day tournaments anywhere in the world, are clearly reluctant hosts of an event that raises money mainly for the ICC.”The effort is ours but the money goes to the ICC.Frankly, this tournament is of no use to us,” one official told AFP on condition of anonymity.”We would have been better off organising our own series.”Hopefully, the cricket on the field will dispel the pessimism off it.Nampa-AFPYet its importance has been diluted by the much-awaited Ashes contest which begins less than three weeks after the tournament ends on November 5 and the all-important World Cup in the Caribbean.The rivals have made polite noises of how much it means to win the Champions Trophy to gain a psychological advantage ahead of the World Cup.But few can hide their lack of enthusiasm for an event that is clearly ill-timed and does not have the charisma of a World Cup or bilateral series like the Ashes.Australian captain Ricky Ponting stressed the tournament, coming at the start of the new season, will give his team useful practice for the Ashes battle.England’s chairman of selectors David Graveney stressed the trip to India was not wasted – it will help to judge the fitness of key players like captain Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Steve Harmison for the trip to Australia.”The Champions Trophy is a good thing for us to be involved in because it gives us a chance to test the players out,” Graveney told reporters while announcing the Ashes squad in London last month.The unpredictable nature of limited-overs cricket ensures there is no guarantee that whichever team wins the tournament will also be favourites to take the World Cup.Australia have never won the Champions Trophy but they remain the team to beat in both versions of the game and have underlined their supremacy by winning the last two World Cups in 1999 and 2003.The West Indies, on the other hand, have been reduced to playing in the qualifying round of the Champions Trophy despite being its defending champions, having won the 2004 event in England.Brian Lara’s men were not among the top six teams on April 1 that gained direct entry into the tournament.They will battle with Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh for the remaining two spots in the main event.The six teams that avoided the qualifying round were Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, England and New Zealand.The ICC, which hopes to raise 65 million dollars from the tournament for its development programme, chose to put a spin on the event by dedicating it to the ‘spirit of cricket’.It also resolved to use the tournament to “help raise awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on people throughout the cricket-playing world,” according to ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed.The lofty ideals impressed few, least of all the host nation, whose vast cricket-crazy audiences drive the sport’s finances.Indian cricket chiefs, who need no excuse to organise lucrative one-day tournaments anywhere in the world, are clearly reluctant hosts of an event that raises money mainly for the ICC.”The effort is ours but the money goes to the ICC.Frankly, this tournament is of no use to us,” one official told AFP on condition of anonymity.”We would have been better off organising our own series.”Hopefully, the cricket on the field will dispel the pessimism off it.Nampa-AFP