Cricket World Cup: Short game with long appeal

Stephen Brenkley, Cricket Correspondent, says that it is vital for England to peak early

THE SEVENTH World Cup is being heavily promoted as a Carnival of Cricket. It would be splendid if it could approach those giddy heights but the overriding priority from England's point of view is that it does not become a requiem.

Everybody with an interest in the game in this country has repeatedly emphasised the importance of the tournament to the future. Their sentiments are not misplaced. If the World Cup is a success, then cricket could be revived for a generation; if it fails, the sport, at least as part of the national round, may wither.

By success is meant significant progress in the competition for England. It is reckoned that anything less than a semi-final place, which would take them to the final week, would represent failure. Actually, this may prove not to be so.

The way England play will be quite as influential as the advances they make. It would be wretched were they to fall at the first group stage - eminently possible - but what the wider public will warm to above all else is a series of dashing, cavalier exhibitions in which the team give the impression of enjoying their work. There have been brief periods in the three years since the last World Cup when they have been smiling in the sunny uplands, but more often they have been scowling in the dark.

How the England and Wales Cricket Board must pray that their players do not let them down. Whatever else the ECB can be accused of, and the charge sheet is longer than the Friday evening queue at a Tesco check- out, neglecting to try is not on the list. Their blazered officials have tried their socks off to convey the message of World Cup 99.

They have spared nothing in an effort to enhance cricket's popularity on the back of the tournament. In doing so, they have sought desperately to appeal to the young market - because of the future, you understand - and in doing that they have been equally frantic to make the game, as they say in the modern vernacular, sexy. To this end, they wheeled on the celebrity model, Caprice, who confessed both to never having watched a game and knowing nothing about it (although the posed publicity pictures showed a top-handed grip with left elbow firmly over the bat which some members of the England team may like to duplicate). Still, it was difficult to know what Caprice's recruitment has been intended to achieve: stunning blonde gets paid lots of money to appear in coloured clothing and support game she would otherwise never have seen. The "so what" factor comes immediately into play.

Caprice has been flanked by several other celebrities who have been designated as World Cup ambassadors. These are mostly people with a genuine interest in the game, some of them are prominent faces on the telly, but the fact that the former doctor from Casualty and the late priest from Ballykissangel are showing up at a few matches may not actually persuade many hitherto unimpressed teenagers of the game's merits.

Then, there is the World Cup song. It was essential, presumably, to have a World Cup song but "All Over The World" by Dave Stewart, to be released on 31 May, 17 days after the competition has begun, was neither inspired by cricket nor mentions it. Then again, if the organisers were cute, they would point out that "Nessun Dorma" had precious little to do with football.

These marketing ploys are perhaps an integral part of any giant sporting event these days (and, to their credit, the ECB have also seized the most important opportunity of all in this seminal summer, by pushing cricket in primary schools) but they can never supersede the game. Looking beyond England and Caprice, there is every reason to suspect that the next seven weeks will truly become a carnival. Half a million people are expected to watch matches live, the total profit should be pounds 22m. These figures compare with 158,000 and pounds 200,000 in the first competition in 1975, though there were then 15 matches compared to 42.

There are more superior sides in this World Cup than have ever before appeared in a properly formulated contest. The one-day game is frequently disparaged for being predictable and playing fast and loose with sound technique. This argument not only ignores the potential boredom that still lurks around the orthodox method of Test cricket but also fails to recognise the shortened version's virtues.

The limited overs game continues to mature but it has developed its own style and its own merits. Innings are played out in three acts, overs one to 15, overs 16 to 40 and overs 41 to 50, but plays and films have customarily been structured like that and still managed to come up with new twists. The players have profound respect for Test cricket but they know that this is the only way to be world champions.

Steve Waugh, the captain of Australia, was not being disingenuous when he was paraded before the press the other day and said any one of nine teams might win. Scotland, Kenya and Bangladesh are the only ones not in the frame.

However, it can probably be narrowed down a little further than that. Waugh probably had in mind both the progress made by all countries simply because they play so often and the fact that no favourite has lifted the trophy since West Indies in 1989. For all his diplomatic caution, he will be clear in his mind that South Africa and Australia are ahead of the rest and Pakistan are not far behind.

It will be vital to peak early because points from the initial group stages - at least in matches against the other qualifiers - will be taken through to the next stage. That is one reason for going with the form, class sides.

But if, let us say, South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and West Indies make it to the last four it is one of the beauties of 50-over cricket that anything can happen from there. On a given day anybody can be beaten. There are also remains the nagging belief that somebody will choose the moment not to find form, allowing an unfancied runner to come through. New Zealand or India may be the sides to benefit.

Caprice and the other ancillaries are symptomatic of the game's sad lack of belief in its own merits, which is unfortunately reflected by the England squad. If they can find some and bottle it for a few weeks they might, as public fervour grows, keep their noses in front.

The key match might be between South Africa and Australia at the Super Six stage. One of them might, just, go out as a result. That will help somebody. England's slogan at the start should be redolent of early pioneers: semi-final or bust. England can win the World Cup, South Africa probably will. The hosts have to ensure that on 21 June they are not attending a wake.