Monday, February 4, 2002 At the best of times, watching cricket over three time zones simultaneously can be exhausting. But watching India take on England at home and Australia, South Africa and New Zealand battling it out in Australia was frightening. It wasn't just about watching games played in two different continents: it was like watching two different levels of cricket.

With India v England, the cricket was exciting, full of dramatic turns and twists and nerve-wracking finales. The fans got their money's worth, and although either team could have won 5-1 - England will be miffed with the umpiring at Kolkata and Kanpur and India will be chaffed that they didn't win at Delhi and Mumbai - 3-3 was a fair result. But the quality of the cricket itself was ordinary.

There was Virender Sehwag's raw brilliance, the occasional flash of genius from Sachin Tendulkar, a couple of typically aggressive innings from Sourav Ganguly, two memorable solos from Marcus Trescothick and some inspiring bowling from Andrew Flintoff. But matches turned more often on ineptness than on excellence. The series will be remembered more for mindless batting, shoddy catching, poor application and shocking displays of cricketing naivete.

Despite the dubious lbw decision against Trescothick, England should have won in Kolkata. And despite Ganguly's dismissal at crucial junctures in the last two games, India should have cantered home. England were competitive without being brilliant, India were brilliant in patches but were unable to sustain their competitiveness. England lacked genuine class to assert their superiority, India simply didn't have, to put it bluntly, the balls to win.

Admittedly, neither Australia nor South Africa were at their best either. Adam Gilchrist flopped, Australia's middle order was patchy and Shane Warne looked lost when batsmen got after him. Lance Klusener lived a nightmare and Allan Donald only got some rhythm going in the last couple of matches. But even then, the intensity of the competition was in a different plain.

Fielders slid around like ice skaters, spectacular catches were pouched, singles and twos were conjured out of nowhere. There were stirring fightbacks, audacious strokeplay and breathtaking solos. And individual brilliance was backed up by sterling teamwork: would Michael Bevan's 102 at Melbourne have been enough without vital support from Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Andrew Bichel? Could Chris Cairns have taken New Zealand home at Brisbane without Adam Parore?

There was some poor umpiring too, but that didn't prevent the best teams from entering the finals. Even Steve Waugh wouldn't argue with that. It's for the first time since 1996-97 that the home side will not be playing in the finals, but Waugh's men gave their all in their last match against South Africa - including a feisty half-century from Brett Lee at No. 9 - and it a took a magnificent hundred from Jacques Kallis to deny them.

Self-denial and self-destruction were the buzzwords for India and England. It wasn't a case of who'd win, but of who'd lose. Both teams bungled by the bucketful but, mostly, the side that bungled more lost.

India and England are scheduled to meet again on February 23 next year at Durban and the encounter may well decide which team goes through to the Super Six stage of the World Cup. The less-than-super six-match series just concluded has provided little indication as to which way the tide will turn. England can claim moral victory by holding India to a draw in India, but sterner tests await them in New Zealand, easily the most improved side in international cricket. But while England lay claim to consistent improvement themselves, India haven't moved an inch in three years.

India have plenty of talent, but little professionalism or common sense. Grit and character, England have shown in abundance, they could do with some talent. England need a Tendulkar; India need a Hussain.

Sambit Bal is editor of Wisden.com India and of Wisden Asia Cricket magazine. His column appears every Monday.

More Sambit Bal

Mark Mascarenhas: larger than life

India needs to sack 50 umpires

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd