Roar Guru
Joined September 2018
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Like so many other Australian Cricket fans, I was mortified by the ball tampering scandal in Cape Town in March 2018. It made me question my life-long passion for Cricket and my steadfast support for the national team. And so, combining my passions for cricket, the law and writing, I embarked on a search for `The Spirit of Cricket'; one cricket tragic's attempt to define `the line'. Does Cricket have a distinct spirit? Can we define 'the line'? How are the values Cricket holds dear different from any other sport?
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I fear you’re right.
Doubtless there are many examples, but each team scored 213 in the classic Aust v SA semi-final in 1999 and each team scored 241 in the WC Final in 2019.
Classic matches where every run and every dot ball was critical.
Think pink: The surefire way to add colour to 50-over cricket as World Cup breathes new life into tired old format
I’ve contemplated that too. I wouldn’t mind seeing it trialled at State level.
Mind you, if I had my way, we’d have 10-day test matches where each side bats four times with the ability to substitute a maximum of 3 players after each team has batted twice. Perhaps a maximum of 150 overs per innings.
Can you imagine a team getting rolled on the first day but fighting back in the third innings on the 6th day??!?!?! 😛 😛 😛
Think pink: The surefire way to add colour to 50-over cricket as World Cup breathes new life into tired old format
Thanks Big Gordon.
During the WSC years (1977 to 1979), the Windies had foisted upon them a coral pink uniform.
This article includes a picture from that era:
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/nothing-pretty-in-pink-about-latest-west-indies-woes-20151005-gk1o91.html
I think “rose-tinted” is accurate!
Think pink: The surefire way to add colour to 50-over cricket as World Cup breathes new life into tired old format
I’m neither woke nor compelled to support the female commentators. I enjoy the different perspective the the variety in the sound.
I note you base your opinion partially on the ability of female cricketers to play the game…
How do you feel about Mark Howard, Jim Maxwell, Norman May, John Arlott etc etc, who never played the game at a high level? Are they qualified to comment on the men’s game? Or the women’s game, for that matter?
How to save Test cricket in a T20 world
Thanks Zozza.
I agree with you about bringing back the Tri-Series (even if in a T20 format) and encouraging the commentators to see more than just rainbows and daffodils.
But I 100% disagree with you about female commentators. I’m the same age as you and I couldn’t disagree more.
How to save Test cricket in a T20 world
I like your thinking Brian.
Looks like we’re on similar page.
I still have reservations about splitting Test cricket into two divisions, though.
It doesn’t seem likely at the moment, but what if Australia and England end up in different divisions? It could happen. And what then? No more Ashes contests until they are both in the same division again?
How to save Test cricket in a T20 world
The benefit of 4-day Tests is that it’s easier to fit them into in a shorter timeframe. And, as you say, not many Test make it into the 5th day anyway…so why not?
How to save Test cricket in a T20 world
Well, that’s what I once thought too, Elmer.
The difference is that in the 80’s, we didn’t have 50-over franchise competitions dominating the cricket calendar with huge amounts of money on offer.
These days a talented young batter has a choice of honing their red-ball technique in the hope of being one of the best six batters in their country and, depending on which country we’re talking about, making a reasonable living…OR… developing their hitting technique in the hope of being one of dozens and dozens of batters making lots of money in the T20 franchises.
Can’t blame a bloke for opting for the second choice. More chance of success for more money.
But it’s become a genuine threat to the health of Test cricket.
How to save Test cricket in a T20 world
I reckon you’re on the money, SDHoneymonster. Which is partially my point. Slog-fests have their place, but not for 100 overs and seven hours. If I’m gonna watch a slog-fest, let’s get to the pointy end quickly.
There’s still hope for the 50 over game if rule changes and/or pitch conditions can reintroduce the low-scoring, heart-gasping, every-run-counts, encounter as the norm.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
My thoughts exactly, Geoff…although I will be turning on the TV (perhaps with the same down) later today for the ODI between Australia and England…
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Maybe not quite as epic as Bevan’s innings – but more important given the context – Steve Waugh’s ton against Sth Africa in the final Super Six match in the 1999 World Cup.
Chasing 271 to get into the semi-final, Waugh came in at 3-48 in the 12th over and, 38 overs later, scored the winning run in the final over with 120 next to his name from 110 balls.
I watched ever ball and Waugh kept our noses just above water level for the whole of the journey. Terrific innings.
And, no, that kind of thing ain’t possible in T20.
But, then again, ODIs ain’t really played that way anymore, either, because pitches are prepared for a 50 over slog-a-thon.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
I guess you’re referring to the fact that Snakes & Ladders is a pure game of chance and that ladders are akin to overs with plenty of fours and sixes and snakes are akin to wickets or low scoring overs.
If so, I get the point, but think your underestimating the skill involved in sustained controlled hitting and overestimating the extent to which there’s more skill involved in an ODI.
Unless the pitches are “sporting”, I fear that ODIs have just become an elongated version of a T20.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Not sure I can agree with that Don Freo.
The white ball formats are draughts and snakes and ladders. I’m happy for others to decide which is which.
Test matches are chess.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Yes, perhaps I was being cheeky and should have made that clear. 😛
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
A get your point, Rellum, but – as I said in the comment you’re replying to – there’s got to be some minimum content to set up the finish to attract a crowd. Nobody’s going to turn up to see one over or one ball.
I agree with you about the majesty of seeing a batter prospering after surviving some tough conditions. We get a mini-version of that in T20 when the opposition’s best bowler finishes is seen off.
But if you really want to see batting skill…there’s always Test cricket. 😁
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Thanks JamesH. I agree with everything you’ve said, particularly about the best games of cricket involving a genuine contest between bat and ball.
I also agree that ODIs do give a team more scope to fight back. I wrote about two classics in this article:
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
I totally agree that any form of cricket is better when there’s a genuine contest between bat and ball.
I live for games where seeing the ball penetrate the infield and the batsman scamper for 3 runs results in a tension release. Thank God for those 3 runs! That’s just what we needed…
And where every boundary is an event.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
You make some more good points, Sheek, and I agree with you.
I guess what appeals to me about a tri-series that if we are compelled to have a proliferation of white-ball games each summer, at least give them a context.
By the way, your “more is not always better” point inadvertently supports my argument that T20 is a better white-ball product than ODI.
If I’m going to try and get something out of a contest where every over features at least 2 boundaries, I’m more likely to get bored in a 100 over match than I am in a 40 over match.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Yes, you’re right, again, Matth.
Bi-lateral 5 match white-ball cricket really does very little for me, with it be ODI or T20.
A tri-series has its problems too, but at least there’s a bit more context to each match.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
I agree 100% Matth.
I haven’t watched the IPL since, I think, the first season. With the BBL, I usually monitor the game on the internet and switch it on if it looks like a good finish. And – to Sheek’s point – I generally can’t remember what happened the next day.
Same, by the way, with bi-lateral ODIs…
But if the game has a context, like a World Cup, then I’m all in.
What do you think about bringing back the good 0l’ tri-series? But in T20 format?
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Thanks for the entertaining response Sheek. It gave me a laugh whilst making some good points.
I do remember the climax of the India v Pak game three weeks ago. India had no chance, to my mind, with 8 balls to go. But Kohli hit the penultimate ball of the penultimate over over the long-on fence and then flicked the last ball of the penultimate over over the fine leg fence. The final over was replete with drama. Scampered singles, a stumping, another six over square leg from a ball deemed over waist height, a wide down leg side and a hit over the infield to win.
It was everything you hope for at the end of a limited overs contest. Controlled hitting, human error, potential injustice arising from a line-ball umpiring decision (ie: the above the waist no-ball) and the game in the balance as the bowler approaches the wicket for the last ball.
My point is that we didn’t need 100 overs to produce the thrilling finish. 40 overs was sufficient.
You’re right. My argument would potentially justify T10 or T5 cricket down the track. But nobody’s going to turn up for a super-over contest…so there’s obviously a minimum amount of cricket which has to be played. I reckon, with T20, the balance is just about right.
Oh, and please don’t misunderstanding me. Test cricket has been – and always will be – my game. No version of the limited overs game nourishes the cricketing soul more than 5 days of ebb and flow.
But if it’s white-ball cricket you want than I think T20 is the future.
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Aren’t ODIs played the same way, these days, as T20s, just over a longer period?
I saw Australia v India at the SCG two seasons ago when India scored 340 odd runs in the second innings and still lost by some margin…
Why T20 trumps 50-over cricket
Thanks Brett. Removing or relaxing bowler restrictions is an excellent idea which I had not considered.
Think pink: The surefire way to add colour to 50-over cricket as World Cup breathes new life into tired old format