Australian Twenty20 in a time warp
Roar Guru
By vinay verma, 10 Jun 2009 Vinay Verma is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, One day cricket, Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket
Cricket coaches, from schoolboys to the Centre of Excellence, need to rethink their ideas and throw out the Alf Gover Coaching manual.
Since the advent and subsequent proliferation of One Day Cricket, in the late seventies, Australia and England have been slow to change. The first World Cups were won by the West Indies.
Naturally gifted athletes all and not over coached. Think Fredericks, Camacho, Cammie Smith and then Viv Richards, Lloyd, Greenidge and Haynes.
India won in 1983 with Srikanth at the top and Kapil in the lower middle order. Lots of bits and pieces players.
Australia won in 1987, with Steve Waugh and Dean Jones being influential.
Imran Khan got Pakistan up in 1992 and Sanath Jayasuriya and Kalu changed all conventional thinking with their kamakazi assaults in 1996.
Suddenly the first fifteen overs were producing a run a ball.
Australia caught up and won the last three. Now they have to play catchup again and think differently. It’s no longer hit and giggle. It’s serious money and there is no doubt that some like Ponting and Clarke can adjust.
Selectors have to look at the Pomerbachs and the Ronchis.
D’ Costa, who coached Michael Clarke, has coached Philip Hughes in an entirely different manner. Philip Hughes has a penchant for cutting over the top and is not afraid to slog sweep when in the nineties.
Philip Hughes has been coached to play all three forms of the game. More coaches will increasingly follow D’Costa’s blueprint.
Properly handled, Twenty20 can energise the longer versions and, more importantly, sustain them. It is an increasingly fast paced world and the paying punters will demand and get what they want.
It is irrelevant that traditionalists decry this new kid on the block. I was one that rubbished the Pyjama Game. I am optimistic that there will be a balance in the future.
For now, the numbers favour Twenty20. Players like Kallis, Ponting, Clarke and Smith all want to be part of this new game and its attendant rewards.
More power to them because for far too long cricketers were paid slave wages.
Finally, the administrators will take heed and enforce 90 overs in a day. If the Tests are attractive, the fans will attend. The last six Tests between Australia and South Africa produced entertaining and riveting cricket.
There is a new generation waiting to make its mark.
I would not write cricket’s epitaph just yet. All three forms will feed off each other and could all emerge attractive and viable.
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John said | June 10th 2009 @ 8:01am | Report comment
I could not agree more. Out with the old and in with the new. The leading performiers in Australian domestic 20/20 competition where not rewarded with selection in the Australian side eg. Brad Hodge. Once again favourites got the nod.
El Capitan said | June 10th 2009 @ 8:49am | Report comment
I’ve always seen that there was two types of players. Test players that could perform long gruling overs of batting and bowling, and the players naturaly gifted to the short form of the game.
Looking at some of the ODWC teams you see that they arn’t really stong at test level (Sri Lanka, Windies now), but are excellant players of the short game. Also some players only play on type of cricket. this is the way Aust must go. Entirely new team that just plays ODI or Twenty20 and Test matches. Truth is there is no money in test cricket so players will drift towards the faster games.
What will Cricket Aust do?
vinay verma said | June 10th 2009 @ 2:59pm | Report comment
John.there certainly seems to be a clique within the Australian setup. Harder to get in than get out. The IPL has scouts all over the world including Australia and they saw the potential in Shaun Marsh,Ronch,Travis Birt and Nannes. Brad Hodge is valued by his IPL franchise. Players like Mike Hussey have to make way for someone like Cameron White. CA may well be valuing certain players more than they are worth iin an effort to keep them loyal.
El Captain Sri Lanka is not a bad Test side at the moment. They have good batters in Jayawardne,Sangakarra,Dislshan and Sameerawara. And two fantastic spinners. Actually Sri Lanka are to be commended because they have gone through 23 years of civil war and a Tsunami. For a small country they have certainly fought above their weight. I agrre Australia needs at least four new players in their Twenty/20. Callum Ferguson,Travis Birt, Hodge and Pomersbach would be a start.
Hemjay said | June 10th 2009 @ 3:14pm | Report comment
Vinay,
When talking small country you are talking land area right not population?
Population wise Sri lanka is very similar to that of Australia and 5 times that of NZ.
I’m not 100% but isn’t cricket an obsession in Sri Lanka like it is in India, Pakistan and more recently Bangladesh?
They are a very good team and it will only bet a matter of time before they are rivalling the top teams.
I find it amazing that NZ is so crap at test cricket but are generally very good at one day and T20 cricket
vinay verma said | June 10th 2009 @ 3:23pm | Report comment
Right on Hemjay. Land mass is what I was talking about. Yes cricket is an obsession in Sri lanka and with Sri lankans in general. You may be surprised but both India and Sri Lanka also play Rugby union,which was a product of the private schools. In fact at school in India I played cricket,rugby,hockey and took part in boxing but gave up after being knocked out in the first minute of the first fight.
New Zealand suffer because of their lack of bench strength. And of course the national obsession over the ditch is Rugby.A few Kiwis have played both Rugby and Cricket at Test level. I am not sure if Brian Mckechnie,he of the underarm drama with Trevor Chappell,played for the All Blacks?
Kersi Meher-Homji said | June 10th 2009 @ 7:05pm | Report comment
Vinay,
I hope that you are right in predicting that all three forms of cricket will co-exist. But the problem is time. If IPL will be staged twice a year and more T20 clashes at the drop of a hat, would 365 days a year be sufficient to play Test cricket embracing most countries? Wouldn’t MacDonald fast food take over from mother’s / wife’s home-cooked meals?
Proceed with caution is all I say.
And include Phil Hughes in T20s. He would have made a significant difference in the 2009 ICC World T20.
vinay verma said | June 10th 2009 @ 7:51pm | Report comment
Kersi,I would hope that Cricket Boards like ECB and CA would resist the two IPL scenario. I doubt that Boards or cricketers from Sri lanka,NZ.West Indies and South Africa will object as apart from SA the other three Boards are not cash positive. In fact all Cricket Boards will be paid between 7to15 million dollars each from the TV rights for the upcoming Cham,pions League in India. Of course this is limited to the Boards that have participating teams. Pakistan is excluded and I need to check if bangladesh have a team qualified.
The recent contracts for Australian players may be enough incentive for them to continue to play more Test Cricket. Really,the future of Test Cricket is very much in the hands of Australia and England and to a lesser extent South Africa. If the upcoming Ashes prove as close as 2005 then Test Cricket will get a reprieve. But the knives are out and the paying punters want excitement and value for money. So Test Cricket has to continue on the path of the last decade where there are fewer draws. Cricket Boards have to ensure sporting pitches where everyone has a chance. The dead pitches that produce boring draws have to go. Broadcasters want pitches that will last 5 days so the advertisers get bang for their buck. Little do they realise that boring cricket over five days is going to turn people off. An exciting Test over three or four days will enhance a sponsors brand more. So Test Cricket cannot afford to sit on its backside. They have to bowl 90 overs for a start. And this will encourage spinners. Ponting was forced to use part timers in India to keep up the over rate. This probably cost him the Test. .
Working Class Rugger said | June 10th 2009 @ 8:21pm | Report comment
Vinay
Good point about Rugby in India and Sri Lanka. Actually the are over 100,000 Rugby player’s in Sri Lanka these days.
Kersi
Personally I love the T20 format of the game. And I love Test criket. I could do away with the 50 over version. With T20 Cricket has finally found the right formula expand the game beyond it’s traditional borders even though I have heard many ‘experts’ openly critise the format. No one could after watching both T20 and Baseball be able to tell you Baseball more exciting. And Philip Hughes should have been in the T20 squad. He has been described as unorthodox. Which is exactly what T20 calls for.
vinay verma said | June 10th 2009 @ 9:45pm | Report comment
WCR : Is Rugby In SL just played in Schools or is there an organised club scene. That is a lot of players. Where do they rank in the Asian Rugby and is there a Confederation. I know there is still some organised Rugby in Kolkata and Mumbai.
I personally still prefer the 50 overs as it offers more ebbs and flows. The 50 overs game has helped speed up Test Cricket and I feel the 20/20 will brighten up the 20-40 over period in the 50′s version. Baseball is a bit like Aussie Rules. It does not come through well on TV. But live in a packed stadiumit is a spectacle. I watched the Padres in San Diego and I can understand what they mean when they say “Take me to the Ball Game”
Working Class Rugger said | June 10th 2009 @ 9:54pm | Report comment
Umm.. There is a growing club scene with many more now filtering out of the schools. But it’s a major game in the schools system. and they get very big crowds to school games.
I have actually played Baseball. And was offered a place at Westfield Sports High for it. It was ok to play but I could never sit down and watch it. Being at a game probably enhances it through atmosphere. But T20 as a TV product seems to be able to transfer the crowd atmosphere through the screen.
Supposedly there is an American PL on the books. It will be interesting to see what reaction and exposure that gets.