Why round-robin format was not a good idea amid waning popularity of ODIs

The opening match of the ongoing World Cup between holders England and New Zealand was one of the most anticipated ones in the tournament, but ended up becoming a painfully one-sided affair. Exactly three weeks have passed after the commencement of the tournament and looking back, it feels like the first game really summed up how the tournament would go.

It was shocking to see so many empty seats at the magnificent Narendra Modi Stadium in that game and it has often been the case for non-India matches in the World Cup. The general disinterest has been evident. Just like that first match, the on-field competition between teams has been pretty much non-existent so far. 

There have been quite a few stunning results, but given the way Afghanistan beat England and Pakistan and the Netherlands defeated South Africa, it will be slightly unfair on them to call the results "upsets". All the teams have already played at least five matches in the World Cup and we only had a solitary close encounter. 

It's an exceptionally long tournament with everyone playing everyone before the semis and teams have to be incredibly consistent to make the top four. So it's important to have a fully fit squad throughout the tournament which teams have not been able to do because of the challenging conditions in India. 

Almost all the teams have lost players to injuries. Things are not looking very good for New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and his World Cup campaign is all but over because of a fractured finger. Pakistan have had problems with the players' health earlier in the tournament. South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma missed two matches in a row. Lungi Ngidi has missed one.

India missed all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the last match and he is likely to miss a couple more as well. England have already lost Reece Topley to an injury and they have to manage the workload of Ben Stokes and the fast bowlers as well. 

Bangladesh missed Shakib Al Hasan in a vital clash against India and are missing the services of premier fast bowler Taskin Ahmed for a recurring shoulder problem. Sri Lanka have lost Dasun Shanaka and Matheesha Pathirana to injuries. 

Teams like India, New Zealand and South Africa did not have much of a problem replacing the injured players because of the squad depth but the other teams had to really struggle to find the balance. Bangladesh looked like a clueless outfit with the ball without Shakib and Taskin. England without a swing bowler with a left-arm advantage up front like Topley have not looked threatening. 

The injury problems might not end here. The heat has been causing a lot of problems on some grounds. 

South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen said playing in Mumbai felt like "batting in a sauna" and Joe Root said it was difficult for them to breathe. Jos Buttler went on to admit that it was a bad decision to bowl first in the heat and the tired bowling attack ended up giving away too many runs.

Due to the dew factor, initially teams looked to field first as batting under lights generally becomes a bit easier. But now they are not willing to do that, mostly because of the heat which leaves the players with little energy to compete in the second half.

David Willey, one of the fittest players going around, suffered from cramps against South Africa and Root suggested that playing in such conditions is unhealthy. 

There have been issues with the outfield as well. The HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala is one of the most picturesque grounds in the world but the condition of the outfield has raised eyebrows. It has garnered criticism from the teams and players have been careful while throwing themselves to stop runs, often deciding not to dive in order to keep themselves injury-free.

The round-robin format can be a very cruel one and Bangladesh have come to realise that very well. After starting the tournament with a win over Afghanistan, they had to play England, New Zealand, India and South Africa one after another. Having lost all of them, Bangladesh are now on the brink of elimination. 

England have faced a similar fate with their World Cup being all but over with four losses. This means it's very difficult for teams to turn a corner after a tough run. And thus a lot of games for many teams in the second half of the tournament will not bear any importance. With the popularity of ODI cricket already on the wane, a World Cup in this format was not probably the best idea. It's probably the fairest event layout, but sometimes the end result becomes too predictable. 

The World Cup has already made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Besides the lack of mass interest, the hostile crowd behaviour towards Pakistan cricketers and a Bangladeshi superman caused a lot of harm to the reputation of the host nation. The authorities received a lot of flak for making the tournament look like an "Indian event" only. Add the on-field action to these and you'll be able to find out the reasons why the 2023 World Cup has not been the best advertisement for ODI cricket and the game overall.