Something HAS happened

I had said in the previous post that something was going to happen on Sunday. It happened in the field of Sports, events which were shocking and even Tragic. India's loss to a weaker side like Bangladesh and Pakistan's loss to an Unknown Ireland team has led to tremors in the Subcontinent. While India face an uphill task to stay in the Cup, Pakistan are out of the competition. The news late in the day was filled with Tragedy, as Bob Woolmer, the coach of the Pakistan team, was found dead in his Hotel room. This World Cup has taken a really tragic turn, and there is all probability that this World Cup might be remembered for the wrong reasons.

The reasons behind Bob Woolmers death are still unknown. But, in the back of my mind, i would have to assume that the backlash that Bob Woolmer anticipated after this poor showing would be too much for him. Cricket in the subcontinent is so much defined by passion and fanaticism that they people forget that it is afterall a Sport. Along with the Bob Woolmer incident, the youth wing of a political party in Jharkhand, home of Wicketkeeper Batsmen MS Dhoni, destroyed his under construction house in Ranchi. The activists were angry at the failure of Dhoni to perform against Bangladesh. So, just like 2003, when several player's houses were attacked following a string of bad performances, history repeats itself.

Both the cases point out to the Detrimental Fanaticism that Cricket takes on in the Sub-Continent. It would be terrifying and indeed interesting to visualize the Indian Cricket teams early return, for there will be chaos and in some instance incidences of Violence. Already, the fans are calling for the Blood of some of the players, and many expect that the team will not even reach the competitive stage.

The failure of the Indian team has highlighted the negativity of their commitment to Advertising. Irate fans, instead of targeting the players, should instead target Advertisers, who feed upon their popularity. When there should be serious preparation for a important competition, Advertisers distract them and lay out a path to endorse their products. The incident that happened in MS Dhoni's house in Ranchi was unfortunate, because that same thing should be directed at all Advertisers and their agencies. If India go out of the World Cup, dont blame the players, blame the Advertisers and the lack of mental strength among the team.

As for Bob Woolmer, the tenure of Coaching Pakistan has unfortunately being filled with Controversy. This has ultimately got to him, and hence has resulted in his breakdown, leading to his unfortunate demise. Woolmer transformed teams like South Africa into the Number 1 side that they are today, but with Pakistan, he tried hard but could never get the results. Whenever Pakistan committed Self Destruction, the repercussions proved deadly for him too. Now, he is no more, and it will be interesting to see how Pakistan go from here. Wether Pakistan Cricket's ride to hell has just begun, is a speculation, just as the causes leading to Bob Woolmer's unfortunate death