It rained all day Wednesday and didn't relent much on Thursday either as the India vs New Zealand World Cup fixture was finally called off around an hour before the final cut-off time on 13 June.
“It was like a skating rink out there,” was how Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun described the outfield at Trent Bridge as both teams left the stadium with one point each from the fixture.
This, however, wasn't the first time this World Cup – or even this week – that teams spent all their time on a game-day in the dressing room, as four matches have seen point being split due to rain.
So, would the ICC consider keeping reserve days for matches next time around? Quite unlikely, according to ICC General Manager-Commercial and spokesperson Campbell Jamieson. On the sidelines of the rained-out fixture at Trend Bridge, Jamieson told The Quint,
“ICC has never ever had reserve days outside of the knockouts, for any event, ever. I think we’ve had only 2 games washed-out at any World Cup historically. It would extend the event to a period of time which would be… we would probably be sitting here another month if we had a reserve day for every game.”
The ICC’s General Manager-Commercial’s statement seems to then suggest that the situation in England could be a one-off with even the hosts not expecting such erratic weather when the tournament was originally scheduled.
“Based on historical data, you wouldn’t think of doing it, having had just 2 matches washed-out in the history of World Cups played. Just based on that, simple data,” he added.
The next World Cup is being hosted by India in 2023 with wash-outs unlikely in the months of Feb-March, much like the last time the nation hosted the tournament.
While the fans and the cricketers may not be happy with the current situation of games being decided by rain, Jamieson clarified that sponsors – including official ICC partner Coca-Cola – have not raised concerns regarding the current situation.
“All the feedback we’re getting is that the brands that we’re partnering with have been exceptionally happy with what’s taking place so far and the reach and engagement with the audiences.”Campbell Jamieson, General Manager-Commercial & spokesperson, ICC
Coca-Cola in fact renewed their partnership with the ICC earlier this year, after a long gap of 23 years. The partnership runs through to the next World Cup, in 2023.
While the list of sponsors expands along with the reach and following of the game, many believed the ICC to have taken a step back after reducing this World Cup to a 10-team tournament. Jamieson, however, reiterated that this was done keeping the growing reach of the T20 format in mind.
“Every ICC member, all 105 nations, have an opportunity to qualify of the tournament but what we’ve seen is the T20 format of cricket is the way that a lot of member nations are playing. So if you go to a lot of the so called non-cricket countries, they’re all playing T20 cricket. You will see that we have 16 teams in that event and the there’s more likelihood of us expanding that event than any other format of the game.”Campbell Jamieson, General Manager-Commercial & spokesperson, ICC
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