The cricket fans will agree when I say that it doesn't get bigger than that when 2 cricketing giants like Aus & SA meet in the semi-finals. But the semi-final was all but big! The lop-sidedness has been on the rise now for quite sometime.
In the last couple of seasons and in this World Cup in particular so many matches which I thought would be closely fought affairs turned out to be absolutely one-sided. The batsmen, the bowlers just failed to deliver on the big occasions. Batsmen like Kallis, Gibbs, Tendulkar, Younis and bowlers like Vaas, Murlitharana, Pollock, who you would expect to rise to the situation and deliver their best. But instead they failed especially in those matches where much was expected of them.
I figure that the problem is that they do not get a second chance to correct their mistakes especially the batsmen and the toss, is all too often the deciding factor.
I suggest the each inning of ODI be divided into 2 innings of 20 overs each, which will be played alternatively. The advantage is that the batsmen will get a second life. The team can rethink their batting strategy and reshuffle the batting order etc.
But what about the bowlers? And how to neutralize the effects of the toss?
This division of ODI innings would make it like playing 2 Twenty20 matches on the same day. Ok, now to neutralize the effect of toss and giving some advantage to the bowlers. This format will let the team who lost the toss in the first place to decide if they want to bowl or bat in the second inning. So, this will ensure some advantage to the bowlers of the toss losing team.
Now this format seems to me to be fairer than the one we have today where umpires' wrong decisions, D/L mathematics, one "unlucky" ball! decides the course of the match than the batsman's calibere itself. So often the batting just collapses as a result of that "one wicket".
I think this new format will not only produce well fought matches, it will definitely increase the attendance in the stands and likewise the viewership(fans who just switch on their tv sets to watch Sehwag, Ganguly, Dhoni)
Be Happy & Spread ONLY Happiness!!! :)