Andrew Flintoff did his best to anchor the show. Image: ICC

Bengaluru, May 30: The 12th ICC Cricket World Cup formally started in London on Wednesday (May 29) and the opening ceremony was not really a grand one.

Special page | Schedule | Squads

Even though one cannot really compare the opening ceremony of an ICC Cricket World Cup with events like Olympic or even football, it has to be admitted that those of cricket's biggest event have somehow remained dull mostly.

The opening ceremony of the 1999 World Cup, the last time it was held in England, was also an unimpressive one with lots of smoke and haziness blurring the clarity on a cloudy day.

The opening ceremony of the 2019 World Cup saw inclusion of some interesting bits like former cricketers and celebrities teaming up to represent their respective countries to score runs, yet the overall it looked chaotic. Andrew Flintoff did his best to anchor the show, but he seemed fitter to do the jersey-waving job after castling Javagal Srinath in Mumbai in 2002. Was Sourav Ganguly around?

The World Cup finally starts!

The only relief that this opening ceremony brought is that it officially started the tournament the world was eagerly waiting for. Far too many predictions and opinions have come out analysing the event and the only thing that was left was the beginning of the tournament. Now it has started and all that was futuristic will now be played out. The fans, watch out.

The worse part with the opening ceremonies in World Cups held in England is that they are being held in broad daylight which largely neutralises the effect. A mega event needs more lighting and focus to make an impact and England just have not done it to make the occasion a memorable one.

England now have only one task to accomplish since hosting a not-so-impressive opening ceremony. And it is about their power-packed performance on the field. Eoin Morgan's men have a rare tag of being the favourites at home and unless the law of average catches up with them, the Three Lions do really look strong to pick up their maiden title.