The Pakistan v United Arab Emirates (UAE) match on March 4 was poor and last Sunday's UAE v West Indies affair was an abysmal 500, including an army of volunteers and officials.
Did the fan base feel short-changed with the cup's offerings?
It didn't help that Cyclone Pam was threatening to crash the party although the Bay's trusty weather delivered.
The Windies were always going to prevail against minnows UAE even without Chris Gayle and despite tripping over Ireland in the opener.
Regrettably, UAE didn't help the cause with their conservative batting against Pakistan to save face amid robust debate over whether the cup tourney should be downsized to eight nations from the 14 that took part this time.
Fact: The so-called associate nations' games were predominantly one-sided affairs although individual performances were commendable.
Not supporting a major event can result in the provinces losing fixtures but then who wants crumbs off the table?
The soothsayers will no doubt argue the minnows deserve to be at the cup but last Sunday's game suggests otherwise.
Fans didn't go through the turnstiles and no one can blame them for it even though it was an opportunity of a lifetime for many to savour the atmosphere of World Cup cricket because who knows when New Zealand will co-host with Australia again.
Oddly enough, it seems as if the tourney was boosted to include 14 nations to enable both countries to stage a satisfactory number of games.
It is criminal that some countries, primarily minnows, were subjected to a yo-yo schedule between the two countries.
No way were Australia, India, England, New Zealand, South Africa going to play three games in the space of 9-11 days, as UAE and Afghanistan did.
In fact, what were the criteria on scheduling and who was responsible for it?
It seems as if the attitude was: "Okay, minnows, you want in, you've got it, but please don't moan about hectic turnaround times between matches."
You have a better chance of Peter Moores resigning from the mantle of England coach than captains of lesser nations crying foul over Third World treatment.
It's a futile exercise to invite non-test nations to a party they are not going to enjoy simply to fulfil diplomatic obligations.
India captain MS Dhoni's declaration that they don't have time to offer games to minnows smacks of arrogance.
Surely cricketing giants should be capable of providing compatible competitions for the have-nots to improve their lot and not be so paranoid about how they could evolve into a force to deny them a berth in future.
However, the cup tourney shouldn't be transoformed into a platform for "participation" for fear of fostering an NCEA exam-type mentality.
It is an elite arena so nations must earn the right to compete.
Anything else is detrimental, not just to the code and the quality of ICC's product but also a disservice to the fan base wanting a better bang for its dollar.
Consequently cricket lovers can be excused for feeling as if the World Cup proper started yesterday with the first quarterfinal between Sri Lanka and South Africa in Sydney.
Test nations such as Pakistan and Windies did start sluggishly but can be excused for not trying to peak too early.
Bowler Wahab Riaz made the bold declaration in Napier: "We have belief in each other that Pakistan will win the World Cup."
Said a camera-shy Windies coach Stuart Williams: "So once we qualify, nobody will want to play the West Indies. On our day we will beat anyone ... "
Enough said. Watch out Australia and New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
From a Bay perspective, everything wasn't lost.
Take a bow the army of Bay volunteers which did the province proud with not just its efficiency but also its effervescence.
From a journalistic outlook, I can attest to eating the best meal last Sunday at any sporting occasion - a Portuguese chicken with red lentils and al dente beans with broccoli.
It was great to see Bay fruit and produce available at every turn.
The media facilities in the new wing of the park, including a potent internet connection, and the professionalism were the best for any code I've been involved with.
The security guards were great but overly officious at Nelson Park net sessions.
The most disconcerting thing for me was finding out from disgruntled foreign scribes that some prominent former cricket internationals in the country were demanding "fees" when approached for interviews.
Shouldn't they slip on their ambassadorial hats to give something back to a sport that has given them so much rather than tarnishing the country's image for some loose change?
For the record, the minnows have won the World Cup in the media's eyes hands down.
Realising the significance of publicity and marketing themselves to the public, they had no qualms about fronting up to share their stories.
It's a far cry from some of the test nations who take a prima donna stance in what is effectively the people's game.
