Twenty20 turning players into million dollar babies
Roar Guru By vinay verma, 18 Jul 2009 Vinay Verma is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Symonds, Ashes series, Champions League, Chris Gayle, Cricket, Ian Chappell, International Cricket, Sunil Gavaskar, Test cricket, Twenty20, West Indies
Andrew Flintoff, Chris Gayle and Andrew Symonds all have different reasons for forsaking Test cricket. However, the common denominator is money.
I have just returned from a quick trip to India and my worst fears have been realised.
Test Cricket in the sub continent is dead and the haste to bury it is both depressing and alarming. India has been utterly and irrevocably seduced by Twenty/20 and the love affair is no one night fling.
Cricket administrators, including Cricket Australia, seem powerless to stem the tide.
The TV rights for the Champions League Twenty/20 were in excess of 1 billion dollars and all participating boards will share in revenues between 8 and 15 million dollars a year for the duration of the contract.
The rush to sign overseas stars by Australian State sides all points to Twenty/20 being a bigger part of the Australian cricketing landscape.
The ECB is pushing ahead with its own Super Pro Twenty/20. Television Broadcasters are demanding Twenty/20 be played in prime time television.
This is the major reason for the push for Day/Night cricket.
These sentiments are not the ravings of a disillusioned cricket traditionalist. It is the lament of a realist seeing the basic fabric of the game being ripped apart by administrators who have been wined and dined too often.
The MCC seems the lone voice of reason and has once again implored administrators to organise a Test Championship. This was high on the agenda of Cricket Australia until it was jettisioned by the BCCI and consigned to cricket’s back burner.
The current Ashes series in England is sold out and it may well be the last time that Test Cricket evokes such interest.
Andrew Flintoff stated this week he is retiring from Test Cricket as his body cannot take the strain anymore. This was the same refrain from Adam Gilchrist two years ago.
They have both espoused the view that Test Cricket is the ultimate form of the game for them. Yet, the alacrity with which they have abandoned Test cricket leads me to label them as hypocrites.
I expect to see these players playing all year around in the various Twenty/20 leagues in India, Australia, South Africa and England.
The sad part is that these players are not exactly penurious.
There is concern among former cricketers like Ian Chappell and lately, Sunil Gavaskar, that administrators need to strike the right balance. Twenty/20 appeals to the vast majority of Indians who see the abbreviated form as a neat fit with their pressured lives.
The Indians are passionate about their cricket and it dominates their psyche.
Test Cricket on the subcontinent has to be promoted as relevant in an ever-changing world. Midweek Tests will not work.
Day/Night Cricket in India is an absolute imperative if Test Cricket is to survive.
The quality of the competition is also paramount. The viewers will not watch Bangladesh or the West Indies. The Championship of Test Cricket limited to the top six countries will appeal.
The administrators have a choice. Be innovative and change. Or just accept the money and lose the tradition. If this were to happen, it would be an insult to the memory of those that went before.
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July 19th 2009 @ 4:11pm
Dave said | July 19th 2009 @ 4:11pm | Report comment
is it possible to find crowd figures for india?
July 19th 2009 @ 5:44pm
vinay verma said | July 19th 2009 @ 5:44pm | Report comment
Chandra-thank you for the TAM Ratings. Forget the West vs East Divide. The point is that Test Crowds,ie physically at the venues in India are down. And have been declining for a while.Cricket drives Television revenue and Broadcasters have enormous influence on administrators.
If you were a lover of Test Cricket and Tests were planned during Holidays or weekends would you go? And of course if the amenities were presentable.
Chandra,there are many people in the West,Indians and Anglo Saxons who genuinely care for and empathise with Test Cricket lovers in India. The passion of the Indian cricket fan is not replicated anywhere else. So the need to make Test Cricket accessible to Indians is paramount for the future of Test Crciket. Test Cricket in enclaves like Australia and England will not be able to sustain the game 100 years from now.
The excitement generated by 100,000 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata is a sight to behold. And the Indian fan will not turn out to see inconsequential matches aginst the lower ranked Test countries. Australia is not due to play a Test in India for another two years. Yet we have 7 meaningless,and high TAM rating,ODI’s coming up in September.
Thank you for your input,Chandra and the very fact you have responded shows you have the interest of Cricket at heart. That is the bigger picture.
July 19th 2009 @ 8:36pm
Fred Magee said | July 19th 2009 @ 8:36pm | Report comment
Vinay, I have to agree with you. The cricket world, including the ICC need to embrace both 20/20 and Test cricket for both to survive. This involves making sure that there is a place in the calendar for regular tests and 20/20. It also means not milking the 20/20 cash cow for all that it can offer. That is, making sure that the 20/20 games that exist have some meaning.
It also comes does to the fact that there is now a viable alternative to making a living from the game – that is being a 20/20 specialist. It means a player doesnt have to represent their country to have a earn from the game.
July 19th 2009 @ 8:39pm
Chandra said | July 19th 2009 @ 8:39pm | Report comment
Vinay
Again, you are obsessed with watching the match in a stadium. Have you been to any of India’s cricet stadiums? They are horredous. One visit to the loo and you are done.This bring to me an interesting point. Many lament of the few spectators at Mohali when India played Australia. What people donot point out is the fact that very few spectators also watched IPL matches last year.
July 19th 2009 @ 9:43pm
vinay verma said | July 19th 2009 @ 9:43pm | Report comment
Hi Chandra
Surely some of the millions generated by the BCCI can be spent on providing decent toilets. The point I am making is that the Indian spectator deserves better. If i had to queue up like the average spectatator I would never go to a stadium. Fortunately the last time I watched in Mumbai I was a guest of one of the corporates.
Chandra we both agree that the facilities are basic. If the facilities were better I am sure more would go.
Chandra,if you are correct that the interest in Test Cricket on TV is high that is encouraging. Now if the officials can make the ground as comfortable as your lounge.
July 19th 2009 @ 10:00pm
vinay verma said | July 19th 2009 @ 10:00pm | Report comment
Fred-I love my Test Cricket but I struggle to make the effort to get to the ground as a spectator. I use my son’s guest pass to occassionally go to the Members but have you noticed the diehards lining up from 4AM? Some are in wheelchairs and crutches. Is this any way to treat our senior citizens? Why dont they open the gates at 7AM instead of 8AM. An extra hours pay for two or three attendants is not much.
Thankfully the Press box at the SCG is somfortable and state of the art.
It is time the spectators were given a fair go. If you are driving in it is a 12 hour day getting in and out for a Test Match.
July 20th 2009 @ 4:39pm
AndyS said | July 20th 2009 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
Well, I’ll say this, the last two Test matches have had more drama and interest than the last four one day series and all the T20 cricket I have ever watched all put together.
If it is such an ordeal for the West Indies or India to play it, then perhaps they should just be stripped of Test status. Then they can focus all they like on the simple version.
July 20th 2009 @ 10:52pm
vinay verma said | July 20th 2009 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
AndyS, the point Chandra was making was that Test Cricket still holds interest for Indians but they are loath to go to the stadiums because of the amenities. He is right in that the interest on TV is still high.
Administrators have no choice but to make it relevant and attractive for spectators in India. The sheer numbers and the love for the game in India make it imperative that Test Cricket is relevant in India. Apart from the Ashes the current rivalry between India and Australia augurs well for the future.
July 20th 2009 @ 11:58pm
jonno said | July 20th 2009 @ 11:58pm | Report comment
The IPL is the first nail in the coffin of TEST cricket.
July 21st 2009 @ 9:37am
Dave said | July 21st 2009 @ 9:37am | Report comment
Who owns the stadiums in India? Is it the BCCI?