The problem cricket has today is maintaining popularity and attracting new fans. In order to enjoy a game of cricket, you must first understand the game – not just the rules, but the intricate and subtle strategies involved.
Cricket is an extremely complicated sport, and it took me a long time to even begin to understand it. As a child, and as a teen, I hated cricket.
I thought it was boring and slow.
But after living with some fans at university and being forced to watch a few Test matches, I began to understand the game and I grew to love it.
How do explain the significance of a dot ball to someone who doesn’t know about cricket? How can you explain the intrigue and excitement felt when a batsmen plays and misses or is forced to block 20 balls in a row?
Unless you understand the game, the strategy and tactics of a captain’s field placements will mean nothing to you.
Twenty 20 cricket has done a lot to attract new fans, but this short form of the game contains very little of the strategy that makes cricket so entertaining to me.
There simply is not enough time in this shortened form of the game to implement the tactics that allow pressure to be built up on the batsmen or the entire batting side.
The value of each wicket is often not of much importance. Batsmen can swing and take risks without significant consequence to their team.
In a way, this makes for an entertaining match. But for me, the novelty and enjoyment of watching batsmen try to slog at every ball didn’t last much more than a few games.
I much prefer the intensity and suspense of a duel between an opening batsmen and bowler; the battle of wits and of nerve when a batsmen has to build his innings through cunning and skill.
I love to watch a bowler trying to out think the batsmen, To force the batsmen into playing the wrong shot or into leaving a ball he should have defended.
As opposed to Twenty20, where the bowler just tries to bowl dot balls and wait for the batsmen to make a mistake.
I love to see an attacking field setting, men up close surrounding the batsmen, trying to force him to hit over the fielders, trying to cut off the singles and frustrate the batsmen into a rash shot.
As opposed to Twenty20, where fielders sit on the boundary waiting to catch a miss-timed shot, ready to cut of boundaries but happy to give up runs so long as its only one at a time.
Twenty 20 cricket is fun and great for TV channels, who can fit the three hour match neatly into their schedules and it’s a great source of much needed revenue. But for me, it’s a completely different game. And it’s just not cricket.
True Tah
Guest
Agree with this article Like the author I didnt really enjoy cricket much growing up, never played it and didnt have much time for it. Maybe the perception was its not a cool sport, this was when basketball was the next big thing to take over our country. But I enjoy test matches, couldnt care about one-day or 20/20. I couldnt care less we we thumped by the Poms in the 20/20 final this year, the Ashes are far more important. I accept that the Indians basically control world cricket these days and they are pushing 20/20 to make money, at the expense of test matches...I think cricket is worse off because of 20/20 to be honest. Maybe people have shorter attention spans these days and want a quick fix???
Elisha Pearce
Expert
I tend to agree that T20 cricket is mostly infulfilling. There are parts of it that are exciting and I like watching it still. However, nothing draws me in like a great test match. I believe some of the skills and even the essence of real quality cricket isnt present in T20 the same as Test Cricket. I do like that people that otherwise might not watch cricket are coming because of T20 though. Hopefully those people have mates who can answer questions well and educate the masses!
betty b
Guest
i really should have known. It's still Australia in here ain't it?
rugbyguy
Roar Pro
JB you make my point so well, if you dont understand cricket you would never know whats going on, you should go watch baseball it would probably be of more interest to you. leave the cricket to those that know whats happening
rugbyguy
Roar Pro
of course, a few beers at a cricket match are almost mandatory, if thats what you mean, in NZ a tinnie is something different altogether, [small amount of cannabis wrapped in tinfoil] just so you don't get yourself into trouble should you ever visit i'd remember to ask for a beer not a tinnie ;)
JB
Guest
I absolutely hate cricket. It's boring, pointless, they hit the ball and don't run, and it takes forever. I never watch cricket. Until Twenty20 came along and i've actually sat through a few games on tv and would even maybe consider going to a game. I still hate cricket, but Twenty20 got my interest and is much more enjoyable to watch than the other forms of the game. Nothign beats bechc ricket or backyard cricket though. Perhaps they should look at introducing tip & go, and one hand one bounce.
NY
Guest
I don't particulary like 20/20, although I can watch the end of a match if it is close. It is the same for 50 over games these days for me. Prefer tight test matches between Australia, England, India and South Africa. But let's face it, all sports have changed a lot in 20 years. Just accept it and watch the part of cricket you like. 20/20 is here to stay I believe. It will interest some people, and some it won't. I don't believe slagging it off will really achive anything for cricket.
betty b
Guest
aah rugbyboy! you should bring your rugby habits to T20 games. a few tinnies may help.
rugbyguy
Roar Pro
I still watch and enjoy T20 but i cant get my cricket fix in 3hrs
betty b
Guest
Think you're being a bit harsh rugbyguy. Sure - it's not test cricket, but it's still a form of the game that can be very entertaining. I love the domestic T20 big bash where we've had some great matches and seems to me they will only get better. The tactics are different in each form of the game and certainly there are many more factors at play in a test, and more tactics available. But I can't agree that there are no tactics in T20. Field placings vary considerably with captains and bowlers. Maybe you should watch the Big Bash next season, and listen to Shane Warne commentate a few T20s - you'll learn more from him than anyone. I love my test cricket as the ultimate in team sporting contests, but T20 is still exciting, to me more akin to a game of football than test cricket.
sheek
Guest
Vinay, I understand the revenue factor T20, which helps keep test cricket alive (for now!). On the other hand, can test cricket be tweaked to conform with modern pursuits, without altering its essential essence considerably? Suggestions like max overs per innings - 125 (1st inns), or 110 (all inns), or 100 (2nd inns). Or day/night tests. Or coloured clothing.
rugbyguy
Roar Pro
I like the baseball analogy, Emphasis is largely on hitting but don't forget about the bowlers! A great pitcher can win games with more regularity than great batters, in T20 too great bowlers can have a huge impact on the match. this effect is perhaps exageratted in baseball by the fact a single pitcher can throw every delivery in the entire match. A couple of quick early wickets in T20 can really put a team on the back foot. The main difference however is that Baseball batters have two shots, The bunt which is the equivelent of the drop and run for a cheeky single. And the big swing, baseball batters tend to swing as hard as they can at every ball, its a 6 or out mentality but thats how their game is played. We do see some tactics creeping in to T20 and batsmen still need to play each delivery on its merits but like baseball they don't really concern themselves a lot with getting out. If they connect great, if they miss then better luck next time. Brendon McCallum has played some great T20 innings but they are sparse, on his day he will win the game for his team but the rest of the time he just costs his side an early wicket, unfortunately thats the name of the game and he is not alone in this regard. TM Dilshan is of a similar mold, Chris Gayle too, its not their fault, its their job to be super aggressive and they can't be accused of wasting precious deliveries. But in my opinion McCallums best performances have been in the test arena, when he has displayed a cool temperament, great defence and great shots to build his innings in a measured and calculated manner. Gayles best innings ín my opinion was on the recent tour to Australia where he dislayed a full range of shots and skills to get a great hundred and defy those who labelled him a basher. I will give credit where its due without t20 we would never have seen the ''Dil-scoop'' come into the game, we would never have seen Shane Bond getting reverse swept for 6 bowling close to 150km, sorry i forget the batsman but the image of that shot will stay in my mind for ever. T20 has a place in cricket and just because i dont like it is no reason others dont. But do we have to see so much of it? A one off match at the start of a tour is plenty, save it for the World cup and the IPL. I dare say the only reason we are seeing T20 International series being played is for the TV dollars.
Mark Young
Guest
Hiya Sheek, Thanks for responding mate. OR... In a Baseball game, there are about 100 to 150 pitches thrown by each team. In a game of T20 there are 120 balls bowled by each team. So in that way, they are pretty similar, it isn't JUST the time factor, which is about the same as you pointed out. I think that the reason everyone seems to rip on T20 is partly down to it being different, but also because of the high regard in which we hold traditional test match cricket. The idea that a game which could go for 350 odd overs could be reduced to 40 overs is quite unpleasant to many cricket fans. Rather then criticise T20, we should celebrate the unique nature of Test match cricket. How many other five day sporting events have even survived let alone remained popular! But just because it pales in insignificance compared to Test Cricket, doesn't mean it isn't fair dinkum. Also, do you think the incremental scoring harms it? Just like how people rip Basketball because of the drip drip nature of the scoring, maybe that is why people rip on T20. In baseball there may be only one score ion the whole game, and normally between 5 and 10 in total. While T20 could potentially have incremental scoring off every shot. It is like baseball giving a run for every base, as opposed to every completed set of bases. Have a good day mate!
Jammy
Guest
I agree on your point about the hitting but in baseball the ball has the advantage, the complete reverse of twenty20.Sadly, Twenty20 will take over from test cricket in the next fews years, not because its a better game but because it is financially more appetizing to television, cricketing boards and players. I for one have no interest in it.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
sheek,I like tradition but not just for the sake of tradition. Cricket would be dead by now if it were not for the Packer "circus". I prefer Test Cricket but I would not call any form of cricket a farce. I would rather cricket was played in some form than not at all. This in the end to me becomes a philosophical debate about elitism and egalitarinism.
sheek
Guest
Mark, That's not much of an argument. That's like me saying you can play two rugby internationals in the same timeframe. Baseball is historically predicated on the 9 innings per team, that's its essence. And it happens to take 'x' amount of time to complete. Sorry, T20 is a farce, & I only watch it when there isn't anything else on sport. But I understand its revenue importance.
sheek
Guest
Vinay, I'm with rugbyguy. T20 has been devised as a revenue driver, nothing more, nothing less. Oh, & to allow generally less talented players their time in the sun. T20 is like the 50m freestyle dash. You don't require skill or technique, just brute power.
darwin stubby
Guest
it's more akin to baseball because the emphasis is on the hitting - the competition between bat and ball has been reduced severely ...
Jammy
Guest
Baseball and twenty20 couldn't be more different. Most baseball games only have an average of 20 hits per game and maybe 10 runs per game. Of those hits/runs you get about 5-6 over the fencers (home runs). This against 250 odd pitches. Therefore it could be said that baseball is more like a mini test match action wise.
Mark Young
Guest
Well said Vijay, Brendon Mac in the IPL a few years ago was one of the greatest things I have ever seen in Sport. Don't forget, American's treat Baseball just as reverently and seriously as we do Cricket, and that game is over in the same time as a T20 match. It is still cricket, just a different form of cricket. One of the enjoyable things about watching cricket over the next ten years will be watching how the tactics and strategies evolve in the short short game (I know, I know, Its just a slogfest, but that is what everyone said about ODIs and it didn't take long for tactics and strategies to pop up there.)