I can happily sit and watch cricket for five days in a row. But there are many who don’t have the time or the inclination to do so.
Fortunately, I also love T20, the newest format of cricket, which is growing rapidly and creating new opportunities for the game.
In Australia, the Big Bash League is about to enter its sixth season.
It’s a competition that is building momentum, to the point where after two lacklustre international seasons in a row, it’s likely that more people will attend Big Bash matches than Tests in every city except possibly Adelaide.
It’s not hard to see the appeal of the T20 Big Bash League.
Attending the game or watching on TV, you can follow a complete game from start to finish in the evening after work.
Tickets are affordable and it’s a family-friendly package. There’s big hits, colourful uniforms, stumps and bails that light up; and plenty of music, crowd interaction, cheerleaders and a constant flow of entertainment.
The critics shake their heads.
“That’s not real cricket”, they say.
But why isn’t it?
Were there not three stumps with two bails at each end; was there not a cricket ball, or overarm bowling, or willow bats; then indeed it would not be cricket.
But there’s nothing in T20 that deviates from the MCC Laws of Cricket.
There’s not the time to build an innings that there is in the longer forms. There’s not the ability to bowl well wide of the stumps, or to leave a swinging ball.
Although these are valid strategies in the longer forms of the game, there’s nothing set in stone about them.
Teams hitting sixes in the first over of a game, opening the bowling with a spinner and changing the bowling for the third over doesn’t in itself disqualify a game from being cricket.
Is it that the teams are city-based clubs rather than national or state representative teams?
Clubs are par for the course in other sports. Clubs with their own emblems and colours in the AFL, NRL, A-League – the list goes on.
Domestic leagues are played by clubs. They sign the best players they can, not relying exclusively on local residents.
Why shouldn’t cricket have a national club competition?
The music between deliveries, the flame-throwing machines, the cheer-girls, the vox-pops, the selfie wall on the scoreboard, the bouncy castle and face-pointing, and the other entertainment.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the crowd loves it. And it keeps the kids entertained.
It reinforces that we’re at a game and that we’re following it for fun. Nothing wrong with that.
T20 has, on occasions, been blamed for the drop-off in Australia’s international performance.
It has been suggested that Australia would have been better prepared for Tests had the Big Bash not been in existence.
Which is interesting, as India are the number one rated Test team. And they too have a domestic T20 league.
The best players still make themselves available to play for Australia. Unlike the West Indies, who we saw tour Australia last year without the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell.
They’re holding up at the moment, but Pakistan could be ripe for a raid by T20 franchises. They’ll never play at home again, and it’s hard to imagine they’re enjoying playing on roads in the desert heat in front of 20 people.
But, love it or loathe it, there’s no doubt the Big Bash is on the rise. Last summer saw the amazing sight of the biggest cricket crowd of the season being at the Melbourne derby.
In scenes reminiscent of the switching on of the lights at the SCG in World Series Cricket, a crowd of 80,883 surged through the MCG gates, while TV ratings on Channel Ten raced over the million mark.
For Channel Ten, the Big Bash has been massive. The network was originally given the rights as a consolation prize after missing out on the international rights, but they’ve turned it into a winner.
The Big Bash has helped the rise in the profile of women’s cricket too.
With the shorter games, it’s viable to play a curtain-raiser. Our female cricketers, used to playing in relative obscurity, are now able to get a slice of the action on these blockbuster game days.
The Women’s Big Bash came into being last summer with selected games being televised, originally on Channel One.
Then, on that fateful day last summer, as the 80k crowd was filing into the MCG, Channel Ten showed a WBBL match on their main channel for the first time.
And it was a ratings winner.
The second season of the WBBL started last weekend. And Channel Ten was there, showing four games live.
Publicity for women’s sport that would have been unimaginable even recently.
If someone had told me just two years ago that a commercial TV network would show women’s domestic cricket in primetime on their main channel, my response would have included a reference to the hallucinogenic drugs I would have assumed they were taking.
But times change quickly.
We’re a week away from the start of the BBL’s sixth season.
There’s plenty of big names, both Australian and from overseas, ready to make their mark.
It’ll be a season with big hits, glamour and entertainment on the cricket field.
A season where dreams will be made and broken.
A season where the turnstiles will click over quickly as crowds flock to the grounds.
A season I’m looking forward to.
It’ll be cricket, and it’ll be fun.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
First of all, cannot wait for the BBL to kick offvthis season. As an avid Cricket follower I enjoy all forms to a degree but both Test and T20 are my favourite. I really hate the whole 'it's not Cricket' line. Complete rubbish, of course it is. Regarding the WBBL and the apparent issue with the standard. Well, 1)it naturally will improve as it gains more financial strength and the players are more and more able to concentrate on training etc. as proper full time professionals. And, 2)I'd like to see those critical of the standard square off against these ladies. I suspect a few servings of humble pie may be dished up. Don't assume that your experience as a park Cricketer means you can naturally criticise the skill of a player because of your preconceived notions of them being the weaker (and therefore arhletically inferior) sex. As a young man, George Gregan was a very classy Cricketer. Played in many national tournaments. At those tournaments he had the opportunity to square off against a number of future Test Cricketers including the likes of Ricky Ponting. In his own admission, you could see the difference between those who would go on to further honours and those who wouldn't even among a fairly high level of competition. They were on another planet. Same would go for those who seem to think these wonderful athletes are less than worthy of our attention. Just as 'those who cannot do, teach' much the same goes with criticism. Put them on the pitch against these women and they'llcsoon feel about two inches tall.
mds1970
Roar Guru
There's nothing wrong with T20 not being someone's favourite form of cricket. But I don't see any rational argument for it not bring real cricket.
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
Women will get stronger when they get more time. Not a lot of them are fulltime cricketers. So compare them to the other cricketers who are working during the week and playing cricket on the weekend.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Sounds like a criticism to me. Have the guts to own your comments, no-one is censoring you
I hate pies
Guest
That's a statement of fact, not a criticism.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Not at all. But criticising women for not being as strong as men is really stupid.
I hate pies
Guest
Are you suggesting that I'm not allowed to be critical of women's cricket? Is it ok to be critical of soccer, or men's cricket? Certain people on this forum go out of their way to put the boot into those who dare to question anything about women's sport; is that ok?
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Don't watch it then.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I don't watch much of it myself, I just don't see the need to go out of my way to put the boot into it if I'm not watching it - and I'm not someone who has a great deal of interest in women generally, haha. Appreciate it for what it is, or don't, but keep it to yourself if you're not interested.
I hate pies
Guest
I'm quite capable. What they're not capable of is getting stronger, so they will always bowl slowly and struggle to hit the ball off the square. The women's game is less tactical than the men's game, because they're not as skilled. What you seem incapable of understanding is that not everyone has to like something just because it's played by women.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Some people appreciate the points of difference and the more tactical game that is women's cricket, but if you’re just going to sit there saying they don’t hit as far as Gayle or bowl as fast as Starc so it’s rubbish it’s pretty clear you’re not the target audience. Moreover you seem incapable of understanding that they will improve over time and the standard will get better.
I hate pies
Guest
North Sydney Oval is a round about; sort of confirms what I'm saying. Don't get me wrong, if there's a market there for them then more power to them, but I'm not going to pretend that the cricket they are playing is of any sort of standard just to appease the PC types or those with a vested interest. Accepting mediocrity promotes mediocrity. Even if their skills improve they're never going to have the pace or power to make it interesting.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Last summer the question was asked if the Big Bash has taken over from the internationals as the highlight and biggest part of the cricket season. It may well be asked again this summer. Next year will be different because of the Ashes. But England only come here every 3-4 years.
Slane
Guest
I'm also a big fan. Love how I can basically watch the whole season unfold one night after the next.
Paul Nicholls
Roar Guru
“That’s not real cricket”, they say. But why isn’t it? Good call MDS - and I certainly don't find it any less real than 50 over cricket where it can be quite easy to build an innings for 25 overs when the bowlers aren't trying too hard to get you out
mds1970
Roar Guru
It starts next Tuesday, the day after the Gabba day-night Test finishes. First game is the Sydney derby at Spotless. I've got a Thunder membership this season and will be at that game. As for the women, the standard won't be the same as the men, who are full-time professionals on big money. But increasing opportunity and profile will see it steadily build in standard. It'll be similar when the AFLW comp starts next year. The standard at first will be nothing special, but we'll see it improve every season.
Paul Nicholls
Roar Guru
I hate pies - did you see it on Sunday? The West Indian girl (Dottin or Ditton) was smashing the crap out of it - very entertaining - North Sydney Oval great size for the women's game. Pie after pie? It is getting better each year - maybe one day you'll start appreciating pies a bit more (instead of hating them)
Perry Bridge
Guest
The WBBL is off to a ratings flier - (putting some other mens sports to shame). The BBL itself - it seemed a gamble - but, as Paul D mentions - a game on TV every evening across the school holidays - it knows it's core demographic. It puts the A-League soccer to shame - but then I don't think soccer could've carried it off like the BBL has. The BBL pretty well owns late Dec/Jan primetime summer FTA tv. We've got the 'Gades family day/praccy match this Sunday down at Merv Hughes oval - might be ducking down and getting a membership.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Some of the skills need work. Running between the wickets and fielding especially. But this will improve the more exposure the women’s game gets, history has shown increasing professionalism will result in higher quality cricket.
I hate pies
Guest
I like being able to watch cricket every night of the week; that's what I like about the big bash. My kids are even excited for it to start...when does it actually start? I still can't get into women's cricket; they bowl pie after pie that should be dispatched to the fence but the players can't do it.