To the purists, Twenty20 is a series of glittering moments minus context – but maybe that’s what the regular fans want.
Cricket will never be football; for all of the ICC’s expansionist ideas, it will never spread to 100 countries. It’s a game that reveals itself in layers; it’s a game that demands commitment and not fleeting indulgence.
And, as recent series between Australia and South Africa demonstrated, Test cricket, when it’s a contest, can keep large audiences thoroughly absorbed for days.
I like Twenty20, I really do. I know it’s here to stay, and as long as I choose to write about cricket, I feel an obligation to watch the game and write about it but the Big Bash is only a week old and already it seems to have started a long time ago.
I’m still coming to terms on how to best enjoy the shortest format of the game. Perhaps, it’s best to enjoy the moments but for many, that will take time because it is not the way ‘we’ grew up watching the game.
Yes, cricket is about subplots, many subplots that will determine the overall result but a lot more goes into determining those moments.
In Twenty20, the moments are the plot. Games can often be decided by one innings, one spell, one over: it is cricket without pauses. You flow with the tide, soak in the atmosphere, and come back for more the next day. It’s designed to give you a kick but not to linger.
It’s easy to see why Twenty20 has a future. The format is far less demanding on the spectator: it requires much less patience, engagement, and understanding of the nuances. Most of all, it is short and something is happening all the time. People having a good time can’t be such a bad thing after all. Can it?
I wasn’t at all shocked when former Aussie wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist predicted that the 50-over format will be “dead and buried in three years” as he is not the first person to voice this opinion and you can bet your bottom dollar he won’t be the last.
In response, cricket authorities are adamant that the ‘middle child’ is here to stay. The enormous television revenue the 50-over game generates here and, importantly, on the subcontinent means it is going nowhere. Instead, powerbrokers are intent on radical changes to bring the format back to life.
CA have a 10-point plan to address one-day cricket. Some of that line of attack has already come to fruition in the form of rule changes and tweaks.
There was the trial of split innings, since removed and rejected by the ICC, in the Ryobi Cup two summers ago, leniency on leg-side wides and the introduction of new balls at each end, and an allowance for more bouncers, which have been taken up internationally.
Fans won’t wait long for these changes to be implemented but the facts are the process is a slow one. Not only have you got to convince your own playing conditions committee, then you’ve got to take it to the ICC cricket committee and they need to consider it on the basis of international cricket.
Unlike many sports, cricket is fortunate to have choice of different formats but there’s no denying the balancing act will always be a difficult task. What’s too much cricket for one person is not enough for another.
ojg1997
Roar Rookie
Third Rate comp. Not so sure about that. Your calling players like Hussey, Pollard, Gayle, Malinga, Finch, Marsh third rate players? Also if BBL is going to have a structure of a normal league it is going to have to run from October to March and that would never happen. About you calling the league fake it will take time for people to really start getting into their teams and showing passion for their teams. They couldn't give Brisbane maroon because they didn't want it to be like the old State Big Bash. I think the Brisbane Heat is actually a pretty good name and the teal goes well aswell. Remember the comp has only been going for two seasons.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I struggle to really follow the BBL. When the best thing you can say about a competition is that it beats the usual rubbish mid-week television in summer, I think you have a problem. I just can't get invested in a competition that has so little meaning; 1. The BBL is a "third-rate" comp for me. Cricket, more than any other sport, including Rugby Union, is built around the national team and when that national teama already plays two (2) forms of the sport all summer, it's hard to get into yet another form of the game, the least important, that contains so little substance. Then you need to throw in the fact that having all our national stars absent is like having a Super 15 without the Wallabies, it's no wonder it feels third rate. 2. The BBL is so "fake" for me. I just can't get into a team called "Brisbane Heat" that wear teal or whatever colour it is. They are never going to have multiple teams from Brisbane, so the least they could have done is give us the usual colours or at least some decent colours and a decent name. 3. The BBL is a "circus" for me. This is the biggest problem, the competition doesn't have the structure of a normal league. It isn't home and away and it isn't contained to the weekend, so teams play more games than other in certain periods, creating a false look to the table and making it difficult to ensure you're following your team after every game. Don't even get me started on this strange system where players come and go for a game or two and you never know who is actually in your team... I don't mind watching it during the week and when it's done right and a game isn't decided on the DWL System it can be quite enjoyable, but it'll never be the cashcow league that Cricket Australia is hoping for.
ojg1997
Roar Rookie
I think for the test matches to get bigger crowds simply they have to lower the ticket prices. People go to T20 because it is very cheap, entertaing, exciting, and only goes for 3 hours
k77sujith
Guest
T20 is just not cricket. It's all glamour and slam-bang. Crowds at the Big Bash are disappointing too. I just hope in the decades to come, the real game of cricket, Test cricket, wont become extinct. ODIs are on the wane. But who knows....in generations to come, T20 mght be the only format that will exist considering the dismal crowds at the Bellerive Oval.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
He who brings in the money have the most say
Ballymore
Guest
Cricket doesn't have many countries, but it does have arguably the most or second most important - India. India would represent a significant chunk of 1B viewers.
Peter Young
Guest
In passing, I note there are 105 countries which are ICC members altho to be fair, cricket is not a major sport in all of these countries. Cricket does have a global audience of about 1 billion viewers for the ICC World Cup. T20 is seen as a format that might give cricket its best chance of establishing a stronger foothold in those parts of the world where it is either not played or not played much.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
It could spread to a lot of countries but all roads leads to the IPL. Players are putting back surgery just to pl;ay in it. Welcome to the world of American Professional sports where you have short career to make bundles of money. Fast bowlers stay away from it
shane
Roar Guru
I have no doubt that the T20 format could spread to many other countries but my concern is if these T20 tournaments are being run in the best interest of the game. Take the Bangladesh Premier League for instance. That particular competition had its issues re player payments and transportation. It is my understanding that some players are yet to receive their payments.
Wesley from Gundagai
Guest
T20 cricket will never expand much further than what it already it is. Cricket is not the world game.
I have nothing against T20. But I find I lose interest in it very quickly. Maybe as you say there aren't enough subplots in T20's. It is a great night out for the family, it is colourful and hyped up. i think it has a better chance to reach 100 countries than baseball has, but it will never ever take as much importance for me as test cricket. In fact, I just realised why T20 is not for me, there isn't a fair contest between bat and ball.
The no. Three
Guest
The fact is T20 can never threaten Test cricket, although exciting to a point, it hasnt got a soul. Test s in the main have a soul, and a journey. A team gets in front then falls behind, it ebbs and flows between both teams. In T20, its over after about 15 minutes.
Johnno
Guest
Disagree with you about T20 expansion, . T20 has the ability to spread to 100 countries , or even more in the the next 50 years. Test cricket is what i fear Irleand has, been the only country that has popped up that has shown potential for longer form of game.e. T20 T20 comps are happenign everywhere, a US T20 tournament is being planned for next year too, Bangladesh has had one. Like sevens rugby, T20 is here to stay and will expand, like sevens rugby it's alot easier for countries to develop and get good at the game, unlike the longer forms of the game. T20 doesn't even need to be an Olympic sport, and i don't even think it's in it's best interest too goo Olympics, as that would risk devaluing it's lucrative comps like the IPL ,and the champions league IPL tournament, and T20 world cup.