On a show on All India Radio’s FM Gold, I had said England would win its ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 group B match against Ireland quite comfortably. In fact, I had even said that I wish this was a football contest between teams from the two nations. And that sounded a darn good thing to say when Ireland was down at 111 for five in the 25th over, chasing 328 for victory.

What a lovely innings Kevin O’Brien then played, unleashing some wonderful strokes that took the England attack apart with a century off just 50 deliveries. And what wonderful support he had from the likes of Alex Cusak and John Mooney as the team coasted home with five deliveries to spare. Ireland, epecially Kevin O’Brien deserve all the praise for that the stunning performance on Wednesday.

Yet, when I read that the victory sends a message to ICC around its decision to reduce the number of teams in the next edition of the World Cup to 10, I cannot help smiling. Ireland made it to the Super Eights in the World Cup in 2007 on the basis of its victory over Pakistan and a tie with Zimbabwe. In the Super Eights, it beat Bangladesh and lost six games.

I have maintained that the minnows have watered down the quality of cricket and lowered the brand equity of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Of course, the Netherlands put up a gallant show against England — what is it about England that it has made each of its three games in the World Cup memorable? — but the minnows have only been bringing up the numbers rather than be competitive.

Sri Lanka became the first associate member of ICC to beat a full member in the World Cup when it defeated India by 47 runs at Old Trafford, Manchster, in 1979. We know that in two and a half years’ time, Sri Lanka was playing its Test match. And, we know how well Sri Lanka has evolved as a Test team. Can the same be said of Bangladesh?  The 2003 semifinalist, Kenya, is also case in point. Instead of progressing, its standards have only been on an eternal slide.

What of Ireland since its victory over Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup? Going into this year’s edition, it has played all of 42 ODIs in four years, including two against the West Indies and just one each against Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa and none against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Is that how much exposure a team must have before it steps into the World Cup cauldron?

The Cricket World Cup should not be the platform on which teams like Ireland and the Netherlands, Canada and even Kenya gain exposure. If the ICC is really keen on developing cricket in these lands, it must ensure that their teams get to play a lot more at home and away — against the big sides and even their A teams. Else, we will only get to see an upset once in a while. And one Swallow never makes a summer, does  it?

Had India drawn, if not won its match against England in the Hero Honda FIH World Cup at the Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday night, it would have kept its slim hopes of making it to the last four alive. But a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the European champion left it with only mathematical chances of getting there.

I believe where England scored over India was its players’ greater control over fundamentals of passing and trapping besides working as a unit. Simple stated, it meant that more often than not, when an England player passed the ball, he would find a team-mate running to be at the right place to receive the ball.

Inda made a deliberate attempt to slow down the pace of the game – and therefore control the flow in the first half. There was a method to breaking into the striking circle with long passes but there was not much talent on show inside the scoring area. Each time a striker could not get a clear view of the goal, he would end up losing the ball to the England defence.

And when that discipline was forgotten and almost rustic scrimmages became the order of the day early in the second half, England was able to wrest control with an assured defence that sparked swift counterattacks that led to a couple of goals by Ashley Jackson – one off a penalty corner and the other to end a melee.

Yet, in the fightback that India launched after being 0-3 down, we could see glimpses of the future. Sardara Singh, Bharat Chikara, Dhananjay Mahadik, Gurbaj Singh, Shivendra Singh, Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Sandeep Singh showed that they could be shaped into a good unit in the coming years. There are young men who are ready to play their hearts out.

Sardara Singh and Gurbaj Singh played their roles adequately enough and can be the mainstays for some time to come while Dhananjay Mahadik and Bharat Chikara guarded the left flank with zeal. And though Sandeep Singh’s skills in defence can always be improved, his presence becomes important because he is India’s best drag-flicker.

There are many who do not think that Gurwinder Singh Chandi is ready to don the striker’s mantle yet but the lad showed that he has a good ball sense and the knack of figuring in the frame at crucial moments. He just needs to increase the frequency of such appearances and make his presence felt as a scorer in the manner in which he tapped in India’s first goal on Saturday.

Each of these lads just needs to focus on sharpening his own game – and enhance his ability to work with the others in the squad – rather than worry about anything else. If they need to secure player contracts, they can always have some former players handle that rather than get their feet themselves as Deepak Thakur and Prabhjot Singh did a few weeks before the World Cup.

If all those who care for hockey – and believe me you, this is not a small number – can lend their shoulders to the wheel, it will move in the right direction. We have seen a groundswell of support for Indian hockey, despite the team’s successive losses to Australia, Spain and England after that heady start against Pakistan. We have some talented players, too.

Believe me, it won’t be long before we figure in the top four bracket again.

This piece was written for www.stick2hockey.com