India and Pakistan pay price for arrogance

In the end it was a classic case of what might have been for Inzamam-ul-Haq and Rahul Dravid.

At the post-match press conference, following their methodical beating at the hands of Bangladesh, Indian skipper Dravid exhibited flashes of Twenty20 vision - it was a quality developed in hindsight.

A pity Dravid failed to read the relevant signs before going out for the toss. A tragedy that Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had to bow out - from what may be his last World Cup - in such pathetic fashion. His glorious career lying in tatters, Inzamam had lost the last vestiges of his resolve.

The factors that contributed to Saturday's two stunning losses indicate that Pakistan and India were not just outplayed but were facing a moral crisis.

These two giants have crossed over to the dark side - thanks to their naivety, over-confidence, under-performance, being overrated and, more importantly, arrogance.

The cricketers, administrators, sponsors, fans and the media should share the blame for this. They have contributed to what is being touted as a glorious lie.

When the critics carped that this was going to be the most open World Cup ever, they never bargained on the likes of Ireland and Bangladesh making a possible bid for a Super eight slot.

Fitting conclusion

What seemed incomprehensible then looks plausible now. They have provided a fitting conclusion to the debate on whether minnows should be allowed to play in cricket's most premier tournament.

Despite its significance, India's loss to Bangladesh and Pakistan's exit at the hands of Ireland could have been just that and nothing else. The history of sport is littered with such incidents.

But factor this: Bangladesh dedicated their victory to the memory of national cricketer Monjural Eslam, who died in a tragic road accident back home, and a bits-and-pieces Irish team, not otherwise known for playing cricket, played for pride and won on St Patrick's Day. It's the kind of script that films are made off.

Sport is never partial towards the formation of empires. Sportsmen and women and, more significantly, teams have gone through periods of dominance, but the process of their demise has been clinical and unemotional.

Sport is partial only to the winner, not the loser. When the end does come, the one emotion that is missing is sympathy. It is the appropriate process.

Thus disowning the two teams, purely in the context of sport, is befitting. They have achieved absolutely nothing to deserve the praise of their proud cricketing nations.

The Indian and Pakistani cricketers need to look within themselves and isolate the spark that will restart their engines.

So what else is left to do? Take a fresh guard.