I thought I'd start to compile a list of reasons why the forthcoming Cricket World Cup is far superior to its footballing equivalent. I do reckon it shouldn't be too difficult. After all, unless you're Italian, last year's fußball tournament was pretty dismal, at least once the group stages were over.

Plenty of inspiration available then, so here goes:

1) No Sepp Blatter.
2) No expert analysis by anyone named Lineker, Lawrenson, Wright or Milovanović.
3) Match officials who know their arse from their elbow.
4) Not a Brazilian or an Argentine in sight. Or, more to the point, a Frenchman.
5) England have a small, but genuine, chance of winning.
6) Scotland have actually qualified for this one.
7) So have Ireland.
8) No idiots sellotaping England flags to their car windows.
9) And then leaving them there for 3 months after the tournament ends.
10) Kingston, Georgetown and Bridgetown instead of Kaiserslautern, Gelsenkirchen and Baden Baden.
11) England fans behaving themselves (admittedly this is relative).
12) Decent weather guaranteed.
13) No "Thine Be The Glory".
14) Monty diving to save 4, not C Ronaldo diving to save his bacon.
15) Geoffrey Boycott.
16) The Spirit Of The Game®.
17) Has-been singers won't be clogging up the charts with shameless World Cup cash-in songs.
18) The players will get more column inches than their wives & girlfriends.
19) Fair chance that no-one will headbutt an opponent over a childish comment about his sister (unless Graeme Smith takes a catch to dismiss KP).
20) Tony Blair will not do a World Cup phone-in on Radio 5Live.

I hope to come up with more. Feel free to add your own...