ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Semi Final 2: India v/s SL - The Quick Flicks

When Sri Lanka was confirmed as India’s opponent in the second semi-final of the Champions Trophy, the first thought that went through my mind was: “Not Again!“. Every year, it’s the same story. I sometimes think that the ICC ought to simply conduct a series of bilateral matches between these two sides instead of having an open tournament (even the quadrennial World Cup won’t be needed any longer). Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of watching them play each other over and over again – it’s like those old audio cassettes that keep playing the same songs repeatedly. However, the game did have its interesting moments, some of which are highlighted below:

Score Less, Bore More

After toiling painfully for 50 overs, the Lankans managed to score 181. What is it with the teams that have participated in this year’s edition? Why put the spectators to sleep if your batsmen aren’t able to give them their money’s worth? I’ve never seen a tournament, even in England, where low scores have become the norm. Honestly, if I had been in the stadium today, I’d have fallen asleep about 5 overs into the SL innings. Even Slowpoke Antonio (google it) would have scored faster than these guys. The same thing happened during the chase, though India did not have to take too many risks. But there’s no way 50-over cricket can survive if such games peter out to become almost like Test matches.