The official motto of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 was It Takes One Day. If this sounded grudging – much less eight hours of sustained sporting thrills, extra parental persuasion earlier than a rain-sodden journey to a stately dwelling – then the truth was extra exhausting.

But after 46 days, 48 matches, 10 cities, and infinite, infinite air miles, the event had delivered a becoming stage for the cream of the game and a dramatic plot twist on the finish: Australia broke the hearts of an expectant India with victory in the final, the underdogs triumphant on the day even when it was additionally their sixth males’s title.

The good

Starting amid existential angst about the way forward for one-day worldwide cricket, the event noticed a file variety of attendees and TV viewers. Wikipedia – an uncommon barometer admittedly – even reported it was its third most-viewed web page globally in 2023. In brief, the format could also be dropping traction as bilateral fodder however its quadrennial gathering continues to be prime actual property.

So a lot of this got here all the way down to the dizzying tamasha that’s cricket in India and a house facet that charged like a bull down the streets of Pamplona. That was till Australia swished the matador’s cape on the ultimate straight, denying Narendra Modi the photograph alternative India’s prime minister so craved. He reluctantly handed the trophy to Pat Cummins and – within the ensuing memes not less than – shuffled off to the theme tune of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The good was very a lot Australia within the knockouts and on the day, be it the impresario captaincy of Cummins, a wing-heeled fielding show, or a gunslinger’s century from Travis Head. A run of three successive dwelling champions was additionally ended right here – one other boon for a contest that risked changing into too predictable, even when 92,000 attendees and thousands and thousands watching at dwelling have been unlikely to have been consoled by the very fact.

Had India been hoisted by their very own petard? Schadenfreude actually abounded on this regard after stories their staff administration had an enter into Ahmedabad’s moonscape of a pitch. Either approach, it was a merciless finish for a facet that had shone so brightly. And in equity to the groundstaff throughout the ten venues, the number of surfaces and circumstances witnessed over seven weeks was wonderful.

They allowed for technicians resembling Virat Kohli to showcase their class, so, too, a Twenty20 maverick resembling Glenn Maxwell, whose unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan was spoken about as one among – for mine, the – best ODI innings of all time. But bowlers have been within the contest, India’s assault the irrepressible decide of them till the final. Mohammad Shami struck a blow for purveyors of seam-up precision in a world of T20 Bertie Bassetts; so, too, did Australia’s large three quicks.

South Africa’s run to their inevitable semi-final heartbreak featured some splendidly dynamic batting, whereas Afghanistan’s 4 wins – together with England’s debacle in Delhi – made for heartening fare (even when offset by the ban on girls’s cricket again dwelling). Having elbowed apart West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe within the qualifiers, the Netherlands additionally snatched two juicy group stage pelts: South Africa and Bangladesh.

New stars introduced themselves, resembling Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand’s shiny left-hander, the South African hell-raiser Gerald Coetzee, or Azmatullah Omarzai, fearless opener in an Afghanistan facet with an array of waspish bowlers. And if this was a ultimate World Cup outing for Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the pair not less than signed off with particular person assertions of their ODI greatness, if not the silverware.

The dangerous

The parameters of a “good game” are sometimes a bit too exacting however, even nonetheless, shut contests have been in brief provide. Perhaps the worldwide discount in bilateral ODI cricket through the intervening years was an element, Twenty20-grooved gamers dropping coronary heart somewhat too simply regardless of the far broader canvas of fifty overs.

It took some 26 matches for the primary munching of fingernails, South Africa sneaking home against Pakistan by one wicket in Chennai. But that consequence additionally underlined considerations in regards to the event’s construction, with the semi-final spots at this juncture showing – and finally proving to be – settled with 19 group video games nonetheless to play and plenty of ifs, buts and maybes thereafter.

Afghanistan did briefly threaten to shake issues up right here – halted by Maxwell’s cramped-up miracle of Mumbai – and the all-plays-all format is just not with out advantage. But even missing quarter-finals – knockout ODI cricket is by far essentially the most compelling, people – the mooted change to 14 groups and two teams in 2027 ought to hopefully produce extra jeopardy.

This being 2023, the discourse turned a bit bitter at occasions, not least throughout India’s semi-final victory over New Zealand. The Daily Mail had revealed considerations from the International Cricket Council’s pitch guide, Andy Atkinson, of potential dwelling interference within the preparation of the Wankhede Stadium’s floor. And but what appeared a sound story – Atkinson quoted in a leaked e-mail, no much less – was met with an avalanche of Indian indignation and discuss of “propaganda”. Sunil Gavaskar referred to as reporters “morons”.

Travelling supporters have been skinny on the bottom, with fixtures not introduced till 100 days earlier than the beginning and, following some additional tweaks to the schedule, tickets not on the market till six weeks out. After a sparse begin, an more and more engaged Indian public delivered some electrical atmospheres, with Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens a private favorite. But, with a bit extra discover, the pockets of “away” shirts might need been better (for all however Pakistan’s followers, after all, who have been denied visas).

And even with out swathes of tourists, the carbon footprint of a event that required groups to jet backwards and forwards throughout India was manifestly huge. At least the ICC spared us lofty claims on the contrary – not like its counterparts Fifa in Qatar a yr earlier – even when the governing physique’s ongoing partnership with Aramco instructed its personal story.

The ugly

And so to England, who can declare an ethical victory of kinds by taking over a whole class right here. And they have been fairly ugly, rocking up with designs on being there on the finish of the celebration, solely to finish up in a puddle of their very own piddle effectively earlier than midnight.

Jos Buttler insisted his reigning champions had no intention of defending something. And after defeats in six of their first seven matches, it was very a lot mission achieved for a staff that had climbed the mountain in 2019, barely performed in between, and have been now tumbling down the opposite facet.

Alarms rang earlier than departure after combined messaging in regards to the provisional squad – mainly Harry Brook’s absence, earlier than making the minimize. Ben Stokes was additionally out of retirement, solely to undergo a hip damage upon arrival in India. The uncertainty bled into the techniques and by their fourth fixture – a shellacking by South Africa in Mumbai, when Buttler boiled his males by bowling first in a furnace – England had used all 15 within the squad.

They had arrived to organize later than the likes of Australia and New Zealand and their bowlers – already the weaker go well with – duly struggled to find the correct lengths till it was too late. The batting additionally suffered a collective lack of type and identification, summed up by Buttler averaging 15 and, like his outdated Test avatar, eternally unsure whether or not to stay or twist.

At the tip, face solely mildly saved by two late wins and Champions Trophy qualification, the staff director, Rob Key, accepted that complacency on his half had set in; a perception issues could be all proper on the night time, that outdated habits would kick in after prioritising the Bazballing Test resurgence and T20 World Cups through the intervening years.

Key was shielding Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott – the latter’s messaging queried by Eoin Morgan from the sidelines – and it felt a card that might be performed solely as soon as. With a frightening Test tour of India beginning in January, probably too quickly additionally.

Lessons discovered

For England it was a reminder that the world had moved on from 2019; for India it was that being one of the best staff till the ultimate counts for little. As for the event as an entire – its size unlikely to vary however its cricket nonetheless compelling – it stays to be seen whether or not this was a well timed flexing of the muscle groups by the ODI format, or a twitching of the corpse because the crimson weed of T20 engulfs the panorama.