At this moment a week or two since the greatest extravaganza this game has ever seen, cricket in its highest form is expected to be on display. We can take comfort from the fact that even in the backwaters of the sport, we too had played a part in the greatest fiesta of them all.
This is the time when performances are expected to count; to justify all the efforts, innovations and novelties that have been introduced into the game. To raise the ante for the supposedly lamented 50 over game so that it conclusively counters the challenge (and the affront to cricketing sensibilities), of namely the new upstart on the block, the T20. More than ever before the teams in contention for the biggest prize of them all must confront the beast within. Soon the time shall arrive when they will need to soak themselves in the sort of satisfaction born out out of a job well done. There will be time too for most to drown in the depths of despair, both deep and maudlin. There shall be many ups and even more downs before this tournament is dead.
By the end of this month teams shall arrive at the point of no return. The world of cricket, cruel as only it can be, would remember simply the one that is able to scale the peak. Quarters, semis and even the final are of meaningless concern, if the biggest prize cannot be claimed. The tone and tenor of World Cup 2011 is gradually being tuned. The contenders have maintained their ratings, inspite of some embarrassments and hiccups along the way. Some may have surprised all and sundry with their sporadic or sustained level of gritty determination. A few had faltered when least expected, but have still shown enough strength and resilience of character to last them till the end. Predictably, Darwin will have the last laugh, as the lesser teams will die an early death. Some of them will of course not perish with a whimper. At times with their backs to the wall, they will somehow summon surprising reserves of will to extricate themselves from even the most compromising of situations. Cricket has that kind of effect on individuals as a group.
Since the bizarre lies just an inch below the surface, fast bowlers will somehow be able to squeeze life out of spin friendly subcontinental wickets. There are more than a few of the fast men on view who shall only endeavour to showcase what is referred to as High Definition Performances. This breed of cricketers are no nonsense, single minded in their approach and aggressive to the core. Rest assured many a match will be set alight by the sight of these thoroughbreds racing in with ball in hand. For as long as cricket has been played there has been no love lost between them and those who stand and wait for them at the other end. As Herman Kahn spoke about his relationship with his wife, in a non cricketing context, beneath the surface layer of antagonism lies another layer of genuine hostility. The soap opera of batsman and fast bowler will be on the world stage again. To me that is the ultimate visceral thrill.
And when the music fades and the lights are dimmed eventually, the world shall pause to take a deep breath and marvel at the courage, the spirit, the passion, the stoicism and the single bloodymindedness of these gladiators from every continent and clime. They will have displayed incredible levels of tenacity under immense pressure, and performed heroically over and beyond the call of duty. They will have put their reputations on the line and shed blood and sweat to have protected them. At the end of the day all of these would be buried under a mound of petty statistics, but cricket as we kanow it to be will have truimphed, pajamas, lights, warts and all. It is a funny game, and because of that only, it is so serious.
