With the invention of T20 cricket, the game of cricket became interesting to many more people.
Rather than a five-day Test of skill, wits and expertise, cricket turned into a four hour smash-a-thon, with glory and riches going to whoever can hit the most sixes.
Is it just me, or is this form of the game turning our Test team into a bunch of easy-out individuals who think it’s more important to score runs fast than to construct an innings for the team?
Australia hasn’t been doing well in cricket for many years. Granted, we still perform in T20s and one day games, but that’s because that has become our strong suit.
If you have a look at Australia’s T20 teams of the recent past, they hold the likes of Clarke, Ponting, Haddin, Lee, Hilfenhaus, Watson, White, Katich, Hussey, Gilchrist and McGrath.
These are all players who at some stage in their career have played in Test matches, many who play or have played for Australia in the Ashes.
It is becoming apparent that Australia’s cricket culture is more of a backyard cricket bash than a game of strategy and cunning play.
Only 10 years ago, Australia was ranked number one in both Test and 50 over cricket, and it’s not just that we have lost the skill level of the likes of some of the names mentioned above.
As a cricketing nation we seem to be more focused on winning a contest where it’s not about how well you bowl, but whether you can put it in the strike zone of the batter. Because if you can’t, you get penalised.
It seems we’re transforming our cricket to be much like our current foods – cheap, easy and over and done with quickly. It doesn’t necessarily matter what it is so long as it looks good and goes down well with a beer.
I believe that the country’s cricket system is being overrun by people who are only worried about winning the easy matches; not the matches that have anything to do with any long-standing skill, but which batsmen and bowlers happen to be ‘in form’ that week.
Brett Osmond
Roar Rookie
Yes, lets, Kallis is good in T20 and One day but failed in the test environment. Its not that T20 is a scape goat, it differs from batsman to batsman, what T20 does for them, however when you get 50 runs from 20 ball's with five 6's it applaudable. When you get 50 runs from 150 ball's it shows a true batters skill. it takes patience and timing to build an innings not just swinging the bat and hoping for the best.
Brendon
Guest
Yes, lets go back to the days of Lawry and Boycott and sub 2 runs an over. Apparently thats skill. Jacques Kallis is a much better batsman since T20 since his scoring is now over 40 runs per 100 balls. People need to stop scape goating T20.
Brett Osmond
Roar Rookie
I agree with most of the points you make abigail, however. As you say "The new breed of Indian batsmen like Dhawan, Sharma, Kholi and Raina are world class whether playing tests, ODI or Twenty20 cricket." That isnt neccessarily to do with T20 games, first and foremost, Australia and India, have different types of player, grounds, conditions but mostly they have different selection criteria, in some aspects its a completely different game in India. and due to this, I have seen a pattern evolving in regards to CA which puts many T20 players in test matches, and im not stipulating that its extremely hard to adjust and change between the types of cricket, but merely suggesting that when a batsman gets comfortable playing one type of the game for example T20, it is difficult to make the mental switch in order to stop yourself from playing stupid shots and getting out. In response to "The Twenty20 format mostly favours batsmen and disadvatages bowlers." I would have to aggree with that, however one of my subtle points was this indeed, when a pace bowler like Watson bowls for T20, its about getting dot balls, without giving wides or no balls, but to do this every ball has to be in line with the stumps, or on the off side of the wicket, anything down leg is a wide obviously... but when the format changes its highly possible for a bowler to put one or two more balls astray because they have more freedom. I honestly cant tell you what CA are thinking when they pick a team, i am only speculating on our last season of cricket. However, i think that Australias past affinity of resting on the shoulders of our pace bowlers to get the batsmen out for a chase-able total are almost if not over, we were really lucky in the past with the likes of McGrath one of the best fast bowlers of australian cricket who could land the ball on a 5 cent piece 9 times out of 10. and then having Gilespie and Lee to back him up but as the bowlers get faster the batters get more used to quick bowling and its simple physics. For example Newtone 3rd law " for every action there is an oposite and equal reaction, the faster the ball comes out of the hand, the faster it comes off the bat. anyway i have strayed from my point. ill basically leave it here with this. In the last ODI Austaralia went out and scored 352 runs. and lost by 6 wickets, you cant have a good batting half and no bowling half. and india just proved my point.
abigail
Guest
Blaming the rise of Twenty20 cricket for the demise of our test team and the inability of Australian batsmen to show any patience at the crease or contruct an innings is an easy out. India plays more Twenty20 cricket than almost anyone and they are still turning out exceptional batsmen who have no problems switching between the different formats. The new breed of Indian batsmen like Dhawan, Sharma, Kholi and Raina are world class whether playing tests, ODI or Twenty20 cricket. The recently retired (and soon to be retired) Tendulka, Laxman, Sewag etc equally so. Twenty20 cricket can provide some real advantages to test cricket. It increses the number of people interested in cricket generally (it is then up CA to try and hold their interest). It is a big money spinner for cricket, so if handled and administered professionally, it should provide good incomes for players and still give CA plenty of money to grow the game. Through the Big Bash, state level ricketers are becoming household names again, and commanding good wages overseas. The Twenty20 format mostly favours batsmen and disadvatages bowlers. The grounds are small and the wickets are flat and offer nothing to the bowlers, yet most would argue that our fast bowling stocks are as deep as they have ever been.
Dylan
Roar Pro
Much the same. The cheaper and easier the better
JGK
Roar Guru
What about your women?
Dylan
Roar Pro
I like my food cheap and easy
Hookin' YT
Guest
Not qualifying for the Test Championship will be the pinnacle.