Best & Worst Cricket Tournaments?

[Somerset]

Originally Posted by GeraintIsMyHero

Better organised, better matches, no politics. Same sorry England, though.

Yup, didn't take two months to finish which was nice.

[DaRick]

Best Series:
- 2006/07 Champions Trophy
- 1999 World Cup (more than one thriller to go, particularly where Australia was involved)
- 2005/06 VB Series (was compelling during the early stages)
- 1987 World Cup (Australia winning, despite the apparent 20:1 odds)
- 1993/94 Benson and Hedges series (very tight, from what I heard, particularly during the round robin stages)

Worst Series:
- 2007 World Cup (need I say more?)
- 2002/03 World Cup (for the tiresome issues of Zimbabwe, Kenya and ambush marketing)
- 2004 Champions Trophy
- 2005 Super Series (of all the adjectives I'd use to describe it, super would not be among them)
- 1991/92 World Cup (as much for Australia's dire performance as for the rain rules)
- 2000/01 CUB Series (utterly one-sided - and there were three teams!)

T20 tournaments (including the 2007 one, which was better than I expected) aren't considered, as I simply dislike that form of the game.

Has anyone got an opinion on those Asian test cricket tournaments that were played during the late 1990's?

[sunilreddy]

Best:

1992,1996 World cup
2007 T20 WC
1998 Titan cup(India defeating RSA in the finals)
1996 Carlton and United involving Pakistan, WI, AUS

Worst:

2007 WC

[Richard]

Originally Posted by NZTailender

T20 World Cup>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>2007 World Cup.

The organisation was on a different plane, as was the good fortune (or lack of misfortune) - no awful deaths of leading cricket figures mid-tournament, no upsets which skewed the tournament of its intended axis, few woeful-quality games between teams that should be relatively evenly-matched.

Nonetheless, purely from the POV that the 2007 World Cup was played with ODIs and the Twenty20 thingy with Twenty20, 2007 WC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2007/08 T20 World thingy.

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Richard

The organisation was on a different plane, as was the good fortune (or lack of misfortune) - no awful deaths of leading cricket figures mid-tournament, no upsets which skewed the tournament of its intended axis, few woeful-quality games between teams that should be relatively evenly-matched.

Nonetheless, purely from the POV that the 2007 World Cup was played with ODIs and the Twenty20 thingy with Twenty20, 2007 WC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2007/08 T20 World thingy.

The suggestion that Ireland beating Pakistan ruined that tournament is the one opinion in cricket i absolutely can. not. stand.

[Arjun]

BEST:

• 1992 World Cup
• 1996 World Cup
• 1999 World Cup
• 2002 VB Series
• 2005 VB (or was it CB?) Series
• 2008 CB Series
• 2000 Champions Trophy (or International Cup)
• 2002 Champions Trophy

WORST:

• 2007 World Cup
• 2003 World Cup
• 2004 Champions Trophy
• Any exhibition tournament at a neutral venue- for their almost-total uselessness

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

The suggestion that Ireland beating Pakistan ruined that tournament is the one opinion in cricket i absolutely can. not. stand.

It didn't in itself ruin the tournament - as pointed-out by one person especially, it's fairly unlikely that Pakistan would have put-up much of a show in the Super Eights had they got there. This among other things.

But that Ireland victory over Pakistan was one piece in a massive jigsaw that ruined the tournament.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Arjun

BEST:

• 2002 Champions Trophy

The one that had negligable crowds, even in Sri Lanka, and had the final twice washed-out (despite a virtual first-time-then-action-replay of the first 52 overs)?

[NZTailender]

Originally Posted by Richard

The organisation was on a different plane, as was the good fortune (or lack of misfortune) - no awful deaths of leading cricket figures mid-tournament, no upsets which skewed the tournament of its intended axis, few woeful-quality games between teams that should be relatively evenly-matched.

Nonetheless, purely from the POV that the 2007 World Cup was played with ODIs and the Twenty20 thingy with Twenty20, 2007 WC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2007/08 T20 World thingy.

Minus the death, or skewed 'upsets', and woeful-quality games, it was still boring. One game a day, and it dragged on forever.

Ironically, you've removed the most interesting parts of the tournament there. I enjoyed one match in the T20 championship more than the entire World Cup.

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Richard

It didn't in itself ruin the tournament - as pointed-out by one person especially, it's fairly unlikely that Pakistan would have put-up much of a show in the Super Eights had they got there. This among other things.

But that Ireland victory over Pakistan was one piece in a massive jigsaw that ruined the tournament.

Ireland beating Pakistan was the one highlight in an otherwise dire tournament.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by NZTailender

Minus the death, or skewed 'upsets', and woeful-quality games, it was still boring. One game a day, and it dragged on forever.

And if the games had been of better quality, it'd not have dragged-on forever, but marched on for a nice long time providing a long spectacle that all would have enjoyed for all it lasted.

One game a day, much as some decry it, is the only way to make a large profit. Having multiple games per day vastly decreases TV revenue.

Ironically, you've removed the most interesting parts of the tournament there. I enjoyed one match in the T20 championship more than the entire World Cup.

Yeah but you don't dislike Twenty20 - therefore that's near-inevitable.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Ireland beating Pakistan was the one highlight in an otherwise dire tournament.

If you're an Ireland (or underdog-in-general) supporter yeah, sure - but if you'd prefer watch India vs Pakistan than Ireland vs Bangladesh (as I can't help but suspect most cricket fans would) then it was a lowlight.

I happen to think that, few and far between though they may have been, there were a few highlights of that tournament, Pakistan-vs-Ireland not included. The incredible Sri Lanka-England match; the brief time when Smith and de Villiers were looking like reprising The Wanderers; the Sri Lanka-South Africa match where the easiest position ever to be thrown away almost happened before they got over the line. And probably 1 or 2 others that I've forgotten. Games which were anticipated and lived-up to the billing.

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Richard

If you're an Ireland (or underdog-in-general) supporter yeah, sure - but if you'd prefer watch India vs Pakistan than Ireland vs Bangladesh (as I can't help but suspect most cricket fans would) then it was a lowlight.

I happen to think that, few and far between though they may have been, there were a few highlights of that tournament, Pakistan-vs-Ireland not included. The incredible Sri Lanka-England match; the brief time when Smith and de Villiers were looking like reprising The Wanderers; the Sri Lanka-South Africa match where the easiest position ever to be thrown away almost happened before they got over the line. And probably 1 or 2 others that I've forgotten. Games which were anticipated and lived-up to the billing.

Did you not enjoy the Pakistan batting lineup being ripped through by a team of part-timers? Or did you sit grumpily thinking "oh gosh, this tournament's now going to be less fun than anticipated..."?

Have to agree on some of those highlights too though, also Malinga's 4 in 4 alluded to, the Ireland-Zimbabwe tie.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Did you not enjoy the Pakistan batting lineup being ripped through by a team of part-timers? Or did you sit grumpily thinking "oh gosh, this tournament's now going to be less fun than anticipated..."?

TBH, I didn't actually sit through it at all - I was at work during most of the game and only watched the closing stages.

However, had I done so that would indeed probably have been a fair estimate at my feelings.

I never enjoy seeing supposedly top-class teams being ripped-up by part-timers - never. That just isn't the way I swing, and I make no apologies for the anti-romantic feelings. Romance can be dealt with elsewhere - I just don't enjoy it in cricket.

Have to agree on some of those highlights too though, also Malinga's 4 in 4 alluded to, the Ireland-Zimbabwe tie.

Was going to mention the tie TBH.

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Richard

TBH, I didn't actually sit through it at all - I was at work during most of the game and only watched the closing stages.

However, had I done so that would indeed probably have been a fair estimate at my feelings.

I never enjoy seeing supposedly top-class teams being ripped-up by part-timers - never. That just isn't the way I swing, and I make no apologies for the anti-romantic feelings. Romance can be dealt with elsewhere - I just don't enjoy it in cricket.

Hmm, that's understandable then. But i don't think it's fair to say it made the tournament worse, because looking back on it, the best i can say of it now is "well at least we saw some surprises". Without those, the tournament had nothing.