Cricket World Cup is going to be well worth watching

At the risk of making Helen Zille jump up and cheer, we have to say that British Imperialist colonialism did leave the world with an enduring legacy – in sport.

Football (of the Association kind, which originated in England in the 19th century) is the biggest sport in the world… no matter what the Americans might like to think about their version, or baseball, or basketball.

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As we sit back and enjoy the Rugby World Cup, we, in His Majesty’s former Colonies, are about to see another sporting spectacular in the ICC’s Cricket World Cup which takes place in India, the country which has, effectively, become the engine room of the modern international game and has been behind its increasing globalisation.

This is the one-day format which offers huge entertainment without requiring a time commitment from fans, in contrast to the Test Match version. It won’t be quite as gaudy as T20, but the shortest format of the game has wrought huge changes everywhere in cricket.

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Cricket has, long since, shrugged off its reputation as the dusty refuge of sporting pedants and has grown into one of the most exciting sports in the world… so this global tournament is going to be well worth watching.