Team effort

In victory,we must be modest. In defeat,gracious. When the remains of the day lie abandoned by the exhausted revelry,it is that generosity of spirit — in both defeat and triumph — that judges us,on either side of the celebratory divide. The Indian and Sri Lankan cricketers at Wankhede were exemplars of the virtue,as much in the thick of it,as after the battle was done. But as we drift further from the headiness of the night of April 2 with each passing day,now is the time to gather together what we want to remember World Cup 2011 by in our collective memory. To begin with,it will be the hospitality and effort of the three host nations — Bangladesh,Sri Lanka and India. That includes hard technicalities — upgrading stadia and infrastructure and making the host venues welcoming in look and feel — as well as words and gestures,to say nothing of the initiative seized by the Indian and Pakistani political establishments.

To begin with,it was in the fitness of things that the opening extravaganza took place in Dhaka,announcing the arrival of the subcontinent’s junior-most full member of the ICC on the world hosting stage — and that at a time when Bangladesh is a healthy turnaround story on many indicators. To end with,this edition of the Cup takes away two conspicuous claims to uniqueness — the first title victory by a host nation,and the first intra-subcontinent final match. And this story of the triumph of cricket will never be complete without recounting the runner-up captain Kumar Sangakkara’s gracious speech at Wankhede. From M.S. Dhoni and Shahid Afridi to Ricky Ponting,captains at World Cup 2011 rose to the occasion as leaders and as ambassadors of sport. And barring a couple of poor cheers,so did the spectators,who are such a tiny fraction of the huge TV audiences but absolutely critical to the proper conduct of sport.

There were,of course,slip-ups and misses. So it was unfortunate,but unavoidable in the circumstances,that Pakistan lost its status as a co-host long before the tournament began. In every other way,the purported “snooze-fest” of February ended as the delight of spring,to which ICC associate members like Ireland contributed every bit.