T20 World Cup: ‘Cricket’s American Dream finally puts world into World Cup’

There is also a purity to the T20 World Cup that sets it aside from domestic competitions, which are often just the same players shuffled into different coloured shirts. There will be no impact subs, no revolving door of overseas players jetting in and out from other leagues, just the best players trying to win a World Cup for their country. The stop-clock between overs should keep the action bumping along, too.

Cricket being cricket, there are some imperfections and idiosyncrasies.

As has become the norm, the draw is arranged so that fierce rivals England and Australia, and more lucratively, India and Pakistan meet in the first round. No other major team sport would take this approach.

The schedule is chaotic, with matches commencing at all hours and the only pattern to start times is a desire to satisfy Indian TV audiences. If they get through, India already know which semi-final they will play and the final in Barbados on 29 June gets under way at 10.30am local time.

Defending champions England are in the weaker half of the draw, under pressure after a feeble defence of their 50-over world title. A semi-final spot feels a minimum requirement to calm speculation over the futures of captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott.

The top-order looks exciting and the return of Jofra Archer is a massive boost to the potency of the bowling attack. There is the subplot of Jonny Bairstow and Phil Salt chasing the wicketkeeping spot in the Test side and the prospect of a last global event for some of the golden generation that made England double world champions.

With just two matches possible in the series against Pakistan and little T20 cricket since the last World Cup, England could be undercooked, though the Indian Premier League has disrupted the preparations of others, too.