It is official. Or perhaps as official as it can get, coming as it does from a former ICC chief executive. The World Cup 2007 was a flop for reasons we already knew.
The World Cup of 2007 was supposed to be one big Caribbean party with the steel bands, steel bodies and sandy beaches. Instead the World Cup drew fewer local crowds than at any previous time in the history of the game. Worse still, as the tournament crept along, such was the pace with the number of matches encompassing a near two month affair, it became more apparent of the ways in which not to host a World Cup.
Malcolm Speed, who was early politely let go of as ICC’s Chief Executive admits there were logistical errors that cost the World Cup its charm. Amongst others were the highly priced tickets that ensured the locals kept away from their beloved sport. Not to see the free flowing crowds that are a spectacle in themselves was perhaps one of the major disappointments of the tournament.
Speed was also aware of the final that was played out in darkness in farcical fashion in a match of foregone conclusion. It was the one match in itself that caused the ICC much flak and further set back the image of the umpires.
The World Cup should have attracted back West Indian crowds that had deviated towards European football and American sport. Instead it proved a dampener the world over and certainly did not do justice to the objectives of the ICC in lifting the image of the game amongst the crowds.
