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Alistair Campbell talks about the tyranny of the TV rights cricket economy and why it’s not realistic to expect the weaker teams to progress in all forms of the game

Interview by Saurabh Somani25-Jan-2020Alistair Campbell knows Zimbabwe cricket better than most. He had a decade-long career with the national team, was among the country’s most successful captains, and later took on administrative roles with Zimbabwe Cricket and spent time as a chief selector of the national sides. Now a globe-trotting commentator when he is not running his cricket academy in Zimbabwe, Campbell keeps a close eye on world cricket, particularly on how the smaller nations are faring, and retains a deep affection and concern for his home country. He spoke to ESPNcricinfo about the realities of cricket’s financing model, and the potential road ahead for the weaker teams, Zimbabwe included.You said as far back as 2015 that Zimbabwe could be lost to cricket if things didn’t change drastically.
You say things in the spirit of the moment and emotionally. I’m so passionate and care so much about Zimbabwe cricket that when things aren’t going right or I see them progressing in a way that is not going to end well, I get a bit emotional.It almost came true. Zimbabwe were almost lost to cricket last year.
Yeah, it did. The last few months have been well documented, about being thrown out of the ICC. But that wasn’t Zimbabwe Cricket’s fault, that was government becoming involved. But at the end of the day it’s the players and supporters who have [borne] all the stuff that’s happened.I just hope that it’s a wake-up call for our administration and for the ICC to say, “How can we help you get this right again?” Because world cricket needs a strong Zimbabwe, it needs cricket to be strong in that part of the world, in Africa.ALSO READ: Zimbabwe suspended by ICC over ‘government interference’Everybody is going through their trials and tribulations. I mean, South African cricket, every day I read an adverse article. But what Zimbabwe could have done, and can do a lot better insofar as their structures and player pathways are concerned, is to get their cricketing structure [up to scratch] to make sure they are more competitive at the highest level.You have a good player base and there’s talent there. If there’s lots of raw material, why are we not better? One thing is, we don’t play enough top-class cricket consistently. But this year, I’ve seen the FTP [Future Tours Programme] and it’s one of the best FTPs for a long time.I just think that we don’t have the right amount of talent coming through of the right standard that can feed into the clubs and franchise first-class teams. That gap needs to be bridged and resources need to be put in to make sure that we can compete.

I don’t think anybody can sit in front of you with a straight face and say that the way it stands, there’s going to be any meaningful progression from the [smaller] nations

The other nations are catching up or have surpassed us. Afghanistan have been rags to riches, unbelievable progress. Bangladesh have proven themselves on the international stage. Then the likes of Ireland, Scotland. And Nepal – their domestic games, there’s 10,000 people watching! That’s good for world cricket, that all of these nations are coming up.Yes, Zimbabwe cricket has regressed – not enough talent realised, and early retirements. The likes of Tatenda Taibu retiring when he was 29, and a lot of well-documented fighting between board and players, that sort of thing. But I also think that other nations have progressed [in contrast].Did you think the suspension by the ICC last year was too harsh? The ultimate losers were the players.
I think it could have been handled a bit better. If ICC knew they were going to suspend Zimbabwe because they had breached whatever article it was, they could have said so. Our sports minister, Kirsty Coventry, decorated Olympian, is an approachable person. This wasn’t some, you know, deep, secret intervention. She was just trying to make things better. As the governing body, the Sports and Recreation Commission, they suspended the board [in June 2019] because they didn’t agree with how things were being run. Now [the ICC ban has] been lifted but there was six months of going on in Zimbabwe. No salaries, no cricket. Crazy, crazy, crazy that in this day and age you can’t intervene and say, “Hold on guys, you can’t do it this way.”ALSO READ: Experiencing the pain of Zimbabwe cricket through Tatenda Taibu’s eyesThings seemed to be looking up after the ban, but now it appears the first-class competition is on hold?
I think a few rounds were played, but from what I gather, the ICC’s funding hasn’t resumed yet. They gave a bit of money to settle players’ arrears and bills, but the bulk of the funding to run cricket has not been released. The ICC wanted to go there and they wanted a full PricewaterhouseCoopers report as to where the previous funding had gone and a proper audit. My sources tell me that after these two Test matches [against Sri Lanka], funding will resume. So then the programme can carry on again.Are there enough young people taking up the game in Zimbabwe? It seems like it should be a lucrative option to make a career in cricket?
Definitely it is a better living than most others. But cricket is not like football, where you just need a ball to play the game. In cricket you need a bat, gloves, pad, boots… suddenly it all starts adding up. To [players from] poor households, it’s not possible. To get them playing at a proper level where they can become professionals, you’ve got to have resources for that, structures. At the moment [they aren’t enough].Why aren’t the structures in place? Zimbabwe was a Full Member and was receiving ICC money for many years.
It should be better, yes. Why is it not there? It’s been spent on fixtures and players and salaries. All the stuff that comes with running a business, being a corporate.The price of top-flight cricket: Afghanistan’s Test match against West Indies last year cost them a fair chunk of their ICC grant money•AFPWhen you’re an Associate country, the ICC’s paying for your flights, accommodation [when you tour], and now, suddenly, like Ireland and Afghanistan are seeing, they say, “Okay, you’re big boys. Here’s your money, sort your own problems out.” Now they need a CEO, they need secretaries, this and that, and suddenly it’s a big corporate [operation].I don’t think people quite understand how costly it is to host a game of cricket if you don’t have a proper TV rights contract. Take the Afghanistan v West Indies game in Lucknow. It finished in two and a half days, but all the people working on it have been booked for the five days. The grounds, the staff, the food, everything. So yes, they have played a Test match, but it’s probably cost them US$200,000 to $300,000. Perhaps more. And if your yearly grant is to the tune of $4 million, that means you have spent close to 10% of your budget on playing one Test match!A lot of countries like Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands want to play more but cannot because the cash is not there. It’s not that they don’t want to play cricket, but they can’t play because they don’t have enough cash to host.What makes it so costly to host a cricket tour?
If you host, you pay for the hotel, the buses, the security, the facilities. When Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland – they’re now with the big boys – want to host, say, West Indies or India, they’ll need to send people beforehand to check the facilities out. The hotel needs to be five-star, it needs facilities. They’ll need specific balls for the warm-ups. One Kookaburra ball is about $150, and you need about 50 for practice. You don’t begrudge them that because it’s professional sport, so you have to have the best equipment. So when you play with the big boys, the costs escalate.Then there’s television. The broadcaster might want a 12-camera or 16-camera production. I don’t think production is less than $30,000-40,000 a . That’s for a bog-standard production. So for a Test match, just for television that’s about $200,000 at least. You have to sell the TV rights [for more than that]. Not many people take it. They’ll take the content and say, “If we get any money from advertising revenue, we’ll share it with you.” Unless you play against India. Or unless you have your own domestic market. The lesser nations with no lucrative TV deals cannot survive on just the ICC grants and play meaningful cricket against everybody. It’s not possible.

I don’t think anybody can sit in front of you with a straight face and say that the way it stands, there’s going to be any meaningful progression from the [smaller] nations

It’s important to get it on TV. So many success stories have come by someone saying, “I saw my hero on TV.”Once upon a time the ICC had a Test grant [Test match fund], I think it was $10 million [over eight years], that they put aside for subsidising Test matches for the “lesser” nations. To help them out, because it’s costly to host a Test match. They’ve withdrawn that now and said, “No, you guys should be able to make your own plan.”Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan – for them to play more cricket, with the odd matches against some of the bigger nations, it’s not possible without the infusion of cash. The current grant [which amounts to approximately $94 million out of the ICC’s projected earnings of $2.7 billion for the 2016-23 TV rights cycle] is probably enough to run your infrastructure, first-class tournaments, pay your players, and run an organisation. But it’s not possible, with that amount of money, to host and play as much cricket as you should be playing to improve.And yet, Zimbabwe are hosting Sri Lanka for two Tests.
() That’s going to make a big hole in the budget. But it’s a sort of catch-22 isn’t it? You know that you’re making a loss, and it might impact some of your further tours, but you’re eager to play Test cricket. These opportunities don’t arise [often], so you can’t cancel it. You have to go ahead and try to make a plan.But the bulk of the cost is the television production, and they’re doing a cut-back production and live streaming, as opposed to a full production. That’s an option the ICC have said is acceptable, so you’ll get a lot of smaller nations live streaming as opposed to a full television production.Campbell favours a structure where the ICC bankrolls a certain amount of international cricket every year for the weaker teams•Arif Ali/AFP/Getty ImagesYou saw with this Sri Lanka tour, there were no warm-up games, it’s very congested. There is still going to be a loss, though, and the powers that be will have had to cut a few other bits and pieces off their budget for the year. It’s just how you can reduce the quantum of that loss and absorb it.What’s the way out? Is there a way to bootstrap one’s way through a tough period and wait for larger rewards?
Well, Zimbabwe’s going to try it now. Their FTP is really good. They’re travelling to Australia for three one-dayers. That’s just going to cost them airfares. You can say, “We’re not going business class, we’ll go economy.” You can keep costs down.There’s also a home and away against Pakistan. I think India are coming to Zimbabwe – they’ll make money from that, TV rights in Zimbabwe. It’s a lucrative tour for them. They can probably get through this year because India’s coming. But if there’s no India tour, then probably they’d be scratching around for cash to try and host.Is there a corner you turn?
I say this tongue in cheek, but the only way is to play against India. Everyone wants to play against India. Everyone says, “Play India two games and it solves our problems for the next two years.” But there’s only 365 days in a year, and players need rest. If India do agree to play you, they’ll sometimes rest some of their senior players. And then the TV companies are going, “No, he’s not playing so we can’t pay that much.”India could say, “Look guys, our players need the rest. We’ve got lots of money, so we’ll pay you and we won’t come there.” ()But the only real way is, there needs to be an increase [in revenue]. If you’re not paying your players, and if you produce a really good player, they’ll start playing in other leagues or leave. If a Steven Smith comes out of Zimbabwe, he might not get as much money as he thinks he’s worth. So he goes, “No thanks, I’m going to go sign an IPL deal and other deals.” If Zimbabwe then say no, they won’t give him a no-objection certificate, he’ll say he won’t sign a contract with Zimbabwe. It’s a slippery slope. As soon as you start to get better, it means you’ve got better players, but then you have to pay more players and pay them better!

It’s a slippery slope. As soon as you start to get better, it means you’ve got better players, but then you have to pay more players and pay them better!

If Zimbabwe are suddenly beating everybody, it doesn’t increase their TV rights because those TV rights are based on your domestic market. You’ve got to have people in your domestic market paying to watch you play. That’s how you generate cash. It’s sort of like a ceiling – these nations can’t progress any further than where they are because of the commercial constraints.So then it seems like cricket is fated to be, unofficially at least, a two-tier sport? The top half is always going to be a bit out of reach of the bottom half.
You might have the odd game that’s an upset and everyone goes, “You see, they’re competitive.” But that’s the nature of life and sport. Occasionally Zimbabwe beat Australia, like they did at the inaugural T20 World Cup. But if Zimbabwe or Afghanistan have to play India or Australia in a Test match, the games would be finished in two and a half days.You can be competitive in the white-ball format, particularly T20. One person can make a difference on a day. There will be those upsets, there will be the World Cups where everyone is together, like the T20 World Cup. It’s “Rah rah, 16 nations, everyone is playing and it’s nice.” But if you actually peel all that back and say, “Are Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan progressing as Test nations?” No.In the one-day and T20 stuff, it’s easier to get everyone involved. We all know why there were only ten teams at the [50-over] World Cup – because India needed to play more games. That generates more cash, so everyone can get paid. It’s quid pro quo, really. So all that stuff going around about why there should have been more teams there – well, if India play less games, there’s less money! So smell the coffee.Take the Afghanistan v West Indies Test. It had no meaning or context. It’s lovely for guys to play Test cricket. Rahkeem Cornwall [did well]. Shamarh Brooks got a hundred – he’s got a Test match hundred, you can’t take that away from him. Amir Hamza, five wickets. But in the greater scheme of Afghanistan cricket, could that $250,000 have been better spent?That Test match is finished in two and a half days. There’s no back-up to that. It’s not a series, they’re not playing another Test in two weeks’ time. They’re not playing games and constantly improving. So you play two Test matches a year and they cost you about half a million dollars. How on earth is that benefiting anybody?”World cricket needs a strong Zimbabwe, it needs cricket to be strong in that part of the world, in Africa”•AFPMaybe the ICC [can give] you a base programme: that they are going to fund, say, four Tests guaranteed, ten one-dayers and four T20Is, so you’re guaranteed 25 days of cricket a year. The ICC underwrites it. After that, you get your grant and sort out your own bilateral series. Then guys will be playing [a good amount of cricket] a year.The next step is to talk about how we can have promotion-relegation. And the ICC can guarantee that the funding won’t change for those guys [who get relegated]. Because a lot of the nations do their budgets in line with the grants, so you can have a development programme for a long time ahead, but suddenly you get chucked out of the Test Championship and you’ve got no money.At the moment I don’t think anybody can sit in front of you with a straight face and say that the way it stands, there’s going to be any meaningful progression from those lower nations. It’s not possible when you don’t play any cricket.ALSO READ: Zimbabwe to scale back on Test cricket at homeMaybe the solution is, we tell Virat Kohli, “Look, we need you 365 days in a year. You might lead India A teams but you have to be there and tour various countries.” That way they’ll get television deals!If India went and played three T20Is in Ireland, Ireland would be able to budget for the next two years. For Afghanistan, [India] don’t even have to go there. They can be in their own country, go to Lucknow [Afghanistan’s designated home venue] for a week. Play three T20Is and Afghanistan cricket are sorted. That’s a simplistic plan… but it might be better than big ICC meetings, boardrooms and vetoes.I just think at the moment, a meaningful FTP is not possible in the current budget that the smaller countries have. It’s only possible with the intervention from proper TV rights or if ICC give you a supplementary playing budget.

There’s only 365 days in a year, and players need rest. If India do agree to play you, they’ll sometimes rest some of their senior players. And then the TV companies say, “No, he’s not playing, so we can’t pay that much”

What’s the way forward for Zimbabwe?
Prioritise. When you shrink your budget in any business, you’ve got to do that.Player pathway is critical. A guy that’s talented, how do you get him to first-class cricket and then to international cricket? That player pathway is not clear-cut right now. Club structures and facilities aren’t good enough. Just a simple thing like games getting rained off or people not being able to get to stadiums because of transport problems. Why doesn’t Zimbabwe Cricket provide transport? A set of covers is no more than $3000 or 4000. Little things like that.Start with your best 30 or 40 cricketers and have three first-class sides. And then you can expand from there. But have those playing and the amateur structure below that.For me, right now Test cricket is a drain on resources [for Zimbabwe]. If I was in charge, I would say we have to concentrate on white-ball cricket. We have to get to the 2023 World Cup. Is it a realistic goal to be in the top eight by then so you qualify automatically? Yes, it is. We have to automatically qualify for all the T20 World Cups – also a realistic goal. Let’s concentrate there.You can’t focus on all three formats. You don’t have the resources to do that.You should have your own domestic T20 competition. Try and get some more ex-players involved.Finally, putting aside the economics of it all, how does it feel as a former captain to see Test cricket back in Zimbabwe?
Well it’s the ultimate, you know? It’s a heck of a thing. My only concern, as I mentioned earlier, is that I wish it had more context, like the World Test Championship that the big guys play for.Even if it’s a second tier, there should be promotion-relegation. I don’t mind starting with the top eight [for the WTC] but then the bottom five should have their own championship, and the winner of that gets promoted to the top and whoever comes last in the top eight gets relegated. If there was that sort of context, it would be marvellous.

Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on Lucas Chevalier as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s future hangs in the balance, with talks at an advanced stage.

• PSG closing in on Lucas Chevalier
• Deal worth €40m, final talks underway
• Donnarumma's contract talks stalled

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG are on the verge of signing Chevalier from Lille in a deal worth around €40 million (£34m/$46m). Talks are in the final stages, with both club presidents – Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Olivier Letang involved to iron out the add-on structure. The 23-year-old has agreed to a five-year contract and is set to replace Donnarumma, whose own future remains uncertain amid stalled contract talks.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chevalier’s arrival marks another step in Les Parisiens' commitment to a new transfer model focused on young, high-potential talent. Meanwhile, Donnarumma, despite a strong 2024-25 campaign, has rebuffed their offers to extend his contract. His current deal runs until 2026, but a disagreement over the salary has stalled progress, resulting in interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Saudi Arabian clubs.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The French goalkeeper made his professional debut in 2022 and has rapidly become one of Ligue 1’s most reliable goalkeepers, earning praise for his calmness and passing under pressure. Chevalier impressed with Lille last season, keeping 13 clean sheets in 48 games and showing strong distribution skills that align with Luis Enrique’s style of play.

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

  PSG are expected to finalise the deal with Lille in the coming days. Once completed, Chevalier will join preseason training and begin preparing to succeed Donnarumma, while the club continue exploring transfer opportunities for the outgoing Italian star.

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ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2019Remember when the World Cup started? It feels like a long while ago, when most of the cricketing world was wondering about when the first 500-plus ODI score would be made, Virat Kohli was peering into his crystal ball and declaring 250 would be hard enough to chase, and Sir Viv Richards was smashing it to all parts of the Mall in central London during the opening ceremony.Here’s the story of a long, memorable tournament, told through the eyes of social media.May 29

Captains including @Eoin16 and @imVkohli met Her Majesty and His Royal Highness before joining a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/AjS5eZBrVH

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 29, 2019

May 31
While every other expert was predicting semi-finalists and winners, Brendon McCullum went many steps further and put out his results for every game of the league phase. He even predicted the impact rain would have on the tournament.

View this post on Instagram

World Cup game by game predictions. 4 teams will fight out the 4th qualifying spot and net run rate will decide who progresses. Rain and luck will likely play a part as well. I hope Nz gets that little bit of luck and can qualify. Enjoy the 6 week celebration of the best players on the planet. #CWC2019

A post shared by Brendon McCullum (@bazmccullum42) on May 31, 2019 at 12:13am PDT

The other Pakistan turned up for their first game against West Indies, for a good reason, as we found out soon enough.

Great bowling against the Pakistani batsmen. This sort of planning is needed every game. Well done!
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@ICC
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.#MenInMaroon #Windies #iccworldcup2019 #Excellent #bowling #WIvsPAK #WorldCup2019 #Pakistan #CricketWorldCup @cricketworldcup pic.twitter.com/v1c0vpIFPm

— Brian Lara (@BrianLara) May 31, 2019

June 1
Ben Stokes and Co finished eighth in the Under-19 World Cup eight years ago. How far could they go this time, at home?

@vincey14 @root66 @josbuttler pic.twitter.com/lmS2vZCQOY

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) June 1, 2019

June 2
These two were welcomed by fans dressed as sandpaper sheets in Bristol.

Good to see these champions back in green & gold. #WorldCup @davidwarner31 @stevesmith49 pic.twitter.com/KOvgxWXhLY

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) June 2, 2019

June 3
England were favourites, and they hadn’t lost chasing at home for 20 successive games, but none of that mattered, because they were facing the Pakistan.

Good bounce back from, Pakistan #CWC19

— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) June 3, 2019

June 4
In one of the lines of the tournament, Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood had said, “England have to play 300 balls to get to that record, but we have to bowl ten good balls to get ten wickets.” Turns out he was off by a ball.

Congratulations PAKISTAN. I said 10 good balls you guys did it in 9 ! 😉 fantastic from each one of you. Keep the self belief and passion. Guys Keep supporting them – we need the fans to back them ! Eid Mubarak to you all !

— Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) June 3, 2019

June 6
AB de Villiers wasn’t even at the World Cup, but news about his near return from retirement sent shock waves through the cricket world.

All that’s important is that we should all focus on supporting the team at the World Cup. There is a long way to go and I believe the boys can still go all the way #ProteaFire

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 6, 2019

June 9
Twitter superstar Jimmy Neesham turned it on with the ball, picking up his first five-wicket haul in international cricket. The self-deprecation that followed was just as good.

I’ve always been a 5 wicket taking bowler, it just usually takes me seven games https://t.co/bLF46bAAbZ

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) June 9, 2019

June 10
A high-profile retirement came early in the tournament, just as India were finding their range in a World Cup.

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Enjoy retirement Legend @yuvisofficial

A post shared by Stuart Broad (@stuartbroad8) on Jun 10, 2019 at 3:17am PDT

June 14
Everyone said it at the start of the World Cup, but Michael Vaughan served a mid-tournament reminder, in case you’d missed it.

Having seen 15 days of the World Cup I can confidently say the trophy will be lifted by either Kane Williamson,Virat Kohli,Aaron Finch or Eoin Morgan !! #CWC19 #OnOn

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 14, 2019

As many as four games were washed out in the space of a week, one of them being the New Zealand-India encounter. Neesham’s gesture to disappointed fans at Trent Bridge came in for praise on social media, before…

They were actually Kane’s gloves pic.twitter.com/hsf5bchwj1

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) June 14, 2019

June 15
The memes were out in full force. Maybe rain had dropped the World Cup?

New @cricketworldcup pic.twitter.com/70AU1fQhr6

— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru)June 15, 2019

India-Pakistan was just around the corner. Not everyone had to pick one side, as Chris Gayle reminded us.

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Yup! I’m rocking my india Pakistan Suit, all love and respect!… I really love it and this will be one of my outfit at my birthday party September 20th…its lit #FashionOverStyle #UniverseBoss #KingGayle #45 #333 #Suit @sidbafna #Attiitude #CWC19

A post shared by KingGayle (@chrisgayle333) on Jun 15, 2019 at 5:16am PDT

June 16
India v Pakistan at Old Trafford wasn’t entirely one-sided, but it wasn’t quite a treat either. Try telling that to the press pack, though.

Apparently 41 kilos of biscuits were eaten in the media centre yesterday during the India-Pakistan game at Old Trafford. That is a lot of custard creams.

— Nick Hoult (@NHoultCricket) June 17, 2019

While Indian fans were in overdrive, revelling in the victory over their neighbours, Stokes left a note to everyone reminding them he was getting bored.

I may delete Twitter just so I don’t have to see another tweet reading “He’s saying Ben Stokes”(when he’s clearly not)in reply to a video of Virat saying you know what it was funny the first 100,000 times.

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) June 16, 2019

Three centuries from Rohit Sharma and the recently retired Yuvraj Singh was predicting that his former India and Mumbai Indians team-mate would go all the way, just like he himself had done in 2011.

Chatting to Rohit at ipl time ! Discussion about getting starts but not getting big runs , and I was like you don’t know what lies ahead of you it’s happening for a reason ! Same words told to me by @sachin_rt before 2011 wcup , my mos of 2019 prediction from india @ImRo45

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) June 16, 2019

June 17
Rohit sent a square-cut six flying into the stands. You knew the throwbacks were coming.

We both are from INDIA and in this case, AAMCHI MUMBAI as well….So heads I win, tails you lose! https://t.co/doUMk1QU2b

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 17, 2019

His press conference performances were even better. It all started here.

Q: How do you suggest Pakistan batsmen come out of the current crisis?

Rohit: pic.twitter.com/5cPdElM5rA

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 17, 2019

Old Trafford cricket ground, Theatre of Dreams. Who knew?

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Old Trafford is really the 'Theatre of Dreams' #CWC19 #INDVSPAK #dreamdebut #gratefulandblessed

A post shared by Vijay shankar (@vijay_41) on Jun 16, 2019 at 2:44pm PDT

Meanwhile, Bangladesh were motoring along, carried largely by one man’s sustained excellence.

Shakib. What a player. Contributes so much in so many areas. Barely even celebrates here because he still has a job to do and brings up his century with so much class. #CWC19 #BANvWI

— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) June 17, 2019

June 18
Pakistan were smarting after another World Cup defeat to India. Their fans weren’t sparing them and players took to social media appealing for calm.

Pls dont use bad words for the players yes u guys can criticise our performance we will bounce back InshAllah we need ur support

— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) June 17, 2019

June 19
India’s injury scare turned out to be a tournament-ending one. Shikhar Dhawan was on his way home.

I feel emotional to announce that I will no longer be a part of #CWC19. Unfortunately, the thumb won’t recover on time. But the show must go on.. I'm grateful for all the love & support from my team mates, cricket lovers & our entire nation. Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/zx8Ihm3051

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) June 19, 2019

Not all great Jofra Archer tweets are from his archives. There was some refreshing candour from him through this tournament as well.

Terrible tweet https://t.co/3ybKo3pKcE

— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) June 18, 2019

June 22
As the league phase was in danger of turning into a dead-rubber-filled snoozefest, Sri Lanka woke everyone up with a shocking win.

Wow Wow Wow
Today v England Team Work was the winner … A big salute as well to Angi , Mali, Avishka and Dhana you beauties .. It's starting to happen for Team SL pic.twitter.com/ZVmw5pCO3m

— Dimuth Karunaratne (@IamDimuth) June 21, 2019

June 23
Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name? Ben Stokes sure does. In case you didn’t, he served another reminder.

First it was Virat now it’s @TridentSportsX is clogging up my mentions,I wonder why???that was a unbelievable innings Carlos thought it was going to be a repeat of 2016 in Kolkata…how good was that game by the way

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) June 22, 2019

But when West Indies fell agonisingly short of winning against New Zealand, it was Brathwaite who had to be consoled.

View this post on Instagram

What a game! Super hitting @ricky.26 @cricketworldcup #cwc19

A post shared by Ross Taylor (@rossltaylor3) on Jun 22, 2019 at 2:36pm PDT

June 27
Pakistan were back in business and making a late surge for the qualifying spots. Remember when it last happened?

Edgbaston atmosphere, generated by Pakistan's fans, really was electric last night. Incredible atmosphere. Local residents I've spoken to today can't remember a summer evening like it for noise (in a good way)

— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 27, 2019

What a great and memorable victory for our entire nation! This is for my #SoniDharti. This is for #Pakistan. #RiseAndRise #WeHaveWeWill #NZvPak #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/4dC3GWR4al

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) June 26, 2019

June 28
England were on the mat after two successive defeats, to Sri Lanka and Australia, and Jonny Bairstow laid into his “critics”. Fellow Yorkshireman Vaughan wasn’t having any of it.

How wrong can @jbairstow21 be .. Never has England team had so much support but it’s you and your team that has disappointed Jonny .. WIN 2 games and you are in the semis .. With this negative, pathetic mindset I… https://t.co/olrefg6IFP

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 28, 2019

June 29
There were plenty of great catches at this World Cup, but it didn’t get better than a full-blooded Steven Smith pull caught at leg gully, and certified by one of the greatest modern-day close-catchers.

Now that is the catch of the tournament from M.Guptill.

— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) June 29, 2019

By this point, the 1992 parallels were getting more uncanny by the day.

Well, that was never in doubt, was it?https://t.co/XjyxyGJwAO #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/SqW4v8gYLO

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 29, 2019

South Africa’s tournament had few silver linings. Imran Tahir’s performance in his final ODI tournament was one of them.

Absolute Legend @ImranTahirSA …will gladly be number 2 behind you for another 3 years if need be!

Gonna miss having you around and learning from you all the time https://t.co/43b6gtisSr

— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) June 28, 2019

June 30
With one injury after another, some former players wondered if something was afoot in the Indian camp.

If Vijay Shankar has a toe niggle and that's the reason not to play why is he running drinks.. No one else there to do that job…. #CWC19

— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) June 30, 2019

July 1
The runs were flowing for David Warner and there was some happy news for him on the personal front too. Newlands seemed a long time ago.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/8m4xK1f9hF

— David Warner (@davidwarner31) July 1, 2019

July 2
Up in Durham, there was a surprise visitor for West Indies’ game against Sri Lanka.

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When Rihanna met the Universe Boss #CWC19 #cricket #lovecricket #MenInMaroon

A post shared by Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) on Jul 1, 2019 at 12:02pm PDT

TV broadcasters spotted 87-year-old Charulata Patel blowing a horn and rooting for India during their game against Bangladesh. Soon enough, she became an internet sensation.

View this post on Instagram

Also would like to thank all our fans for all the love and support and especially Charulata Patel ji. She's 87 and probably one of the most passionate and dedicated fans I've ever seen. Age is just a number, passion takes you leaps and bounds. There was only love and blessings for the whole team in her eyes. What an inspiration. With her blessings, on to the next one.

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on Jul 2, 2019 at 11:13am PDT

July 3
There were only eight league games in the 1992 World Cup. By the time the ninth game came along in this World Cup, Pakistan were in uncharted waters, having left themselves with too much to do.

To qualify, Pakistan must:

Beat Bangladesh by 311 runs after scoring 350
Beat Bangladesh by 316 runs after scoring 400
Beat Bangladesh by 321 runs after scoring 450

Incidentally. The biggest ODI win in history was by 290 runs.

So that's where we are… #CWC19

— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) July 3, 2019

July 5
Their campaign was over, and so was one of the last surviving international careers from the 20th century.

Today I retire from One Day International cricket. Huge Thank you to all the players I have played with, coaches I have trained under, family, friends, media, and sponsors. Most importantly my fans, I love you all#PakistanZindabad pic.twitter.com/zlYvhNk8n0

— Shoaib Malik (@realshoaibmalik) July 5, 2019

July 6
Master and protege reunited, less than two months after teaming up to win the IPL.

An honour to play with you and an honour to play against you! LEGEND pic.twitter.com/SMjpeOaziV

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) July 6, 2019

July 7
Bangladesh’s campaign that had promised so much ended up with an unflattering position on the points table.

Bangladesh definitely didn't deserve to finish eighth on the #CWC19 table

— Alan Gardner (@alanroderick) July 6, 2019

July 11
India bowed out of the World Cup, but not before Ravindra Jadeja had played one the finest knocks in a World Cup semi-final.

Sports has taught me to keep on rising after every fall & never to give up. Can’t thank enough each & every fan who has been my source of inspiration. Thank you for all your support. Keep inspiring & I will give my best till my last breath. Love you all pic.twitter.com/5kRGy6Tc0o

— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) July 11, 2019

In the black corner, the victors were marching on, on and on to Lord’s.

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How good?! Off to the big dance once more! #CWC19 #BACKTHEBLACKCAPS

A post shared by Ross Taylor (@rossltaylor3) on Jul 10, 2019 at 8:45am PDT

Arguably the most memorable New Zealand performance on the day came from the commentary box, from Ian Smith.

Watch , listen and learn if you fancy getting into this business … absolutely nailed it …. and one of the greatest blokes on the planet https://t.co/pHC4ZfTmLL

— David 'Bumble' Lloyd (@BumbleCricket) July 10, 2019

Is this the end for MS Dhoni? We don’t know, but Adam Gilchrist dropped a thank you note in advance.

Not sure if you are playing on but thanks @msdhoni You have given the game so much. Always admired your calmness and self belief. #CWCUP2019 @BCCI

— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) July 11, 2019

Only three teams were left in the competition, and pre-match nervousness gave way to full-blown schadenfreude for England fans. Australia’s barefoot-walking routine was an unfortunate victim.

The Aussies should try bowling in Barefoot !!!! #CWC19

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 11, 2019

July 12
The AB de Villiers saga wasn’t going away anytime soon.

pic.twitter.com/ahCQBPEo2X

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) July 12, 2019

July 13

Dear Indian cricket fans. If you don’t want to come to the final anymore then please be kind and resell your tickets via the official platform. I know it’s tempting to try to make a large profit but please give all genuine cricket fans a chance to go, not just the wealthy

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) July 12, 2019

The stories of elderly Indian fans enjoying the game were among the most heartwarming of the tournament.

Just like the rest of us, the mothership was so impressed with Bumrah's performance in the world cup, that she decided to mimic his run-up. pic.twitter.com/bJYGUqzJvd

— Shanta Sakkubai (@himsini) July 13, 2019

July 14
An epic Wimbledon final. A World Cup final for the ages. It was a day to remember for sports fans.

Impossible to flick between the channels here!!! Sweaty hands

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) July 14, 2019

Of course, a Jofra tweet had called the ending.

You got your wish Jof https://t.co/IUgygOdkCw

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) July 14, 2019

16 from 6

Spooky https://t.co/xiFEegloMT

— Carlos Brathwaite (@TridentSportsX) July 14, 2019

July 15
New Zealand didn’t lose the final, didn’t lose the Super Over, but went home without a trophy yet again.

Cruel!

— Stephen Fleming (@SPFleming7) July 14, 2019

Naturally, there were contrasting emotions from both sides.

That’s a game of cricket!

— Jason Roy (@JasonRoy20) July 14, 2019

Kids, don’t take up sport. Take up baking or something. Die at 60 really fat and happy.

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) July 15, 2019