Monday 19 December 2011

50-50 vs 20-20 - A Perspective


Hi Friends,

It is a well documented fact that T20 cricket has overshadowed all forms of the game of cricket! With the advent of the IPL, World T20, Champions League T20 and even the new kid on the block (the Big Bash in Australia), ODI's and Test cricket seem to have taken a back seat in the minds and lives of cricket fans!

I was having a casual discussion with one of my good pals about the game. I said Test cricket is the purest form of the game and obviously should always remain and flourish; T20 cricket is the in thing today, the short duration, short bursts of excitement and adrenaline, big hits, unorthodox and flamboyant shots and not to forget the cheerleaders (one of the several reasons perhaps why fielders in the deep drop catches so frequently)!

But what about ODI cricket? Do people still have the patience to watch the full 50 overs with the same level of intensity and excitement as they would for a T20 match? Graeme Swann, the English off spinner, thinks this format of the game should be scrapped. There are many supporters of this philosophy which might even have included me before this discussion.

However, there have also been revolutionary and innovative suggestions to re-ignite the increasing loss of interest among the spectators. Many people including the master blaster Sachin were quite interested in the concept of dividing the 50 overs into 2 innings of 25 overs for each side; the Australian Cricket Board even implemented this concept in their domestic tournament for one season, but it eventually died out.

Perhaps, one of the main reasons for this is that the division of the match into four innings of 25 overs basically converts it into two T20 matches emphasizing the modern paradigm of the shortest form of the game dominating the elder brother, the boring and lengthy 50-50.

However, my friend made a very enlightening revelation with an observation from his own perspective. He asked me the format of the game we grew up watching? The format of the game which our parents introduced us to when we were perhaps watching the game for the first time on our television sets? The format in which we cheered Sachin hitting a straight drive to McGrath in the 1996 World Cup? Did we have T20 cricket then? Did we want a 20-20 over match at that time? Weren't we just as excited (if not more) to watch the game as it was?

I reflected within myself for a while. The answers to all the questions were in the affirmative. When we think about it, T20 cricket is more like a flash in the pan. I am by no means diminishing players who are specialists in this format. But more often than not, big hitters with negligible technique do seem to gain popularity in T20 cricket. This is particularly evident as most T20 specialists fail to make an impact in the other formats, especially in Test Cricket.

One of the most essential qualities required in the longer formats are patience and the desire to build an innings. In ODI's spectators get an opportunity to see captains planning and masterminding the dismissal of the opposition batsmen, batsmen settling down and building an innings, bowlers out thinking batsmen by employing cunning plots.. after all isn't life all about growing slowly, learning from your mistakes.. experiencing and adapting to change gradually? These attributes of life can be experienced in nowhere else but 50-50 cricket.. certainly not in T20 cricket where everything happens so quickly that you never get a chance to absorb the game and quench your thirst for good intense cricket..

Some of the readers of this post might think that this post is irrelevant to my primary theme of Fictional Cricket. But I felt it was very pertinent for my blog.. The reason for this is that although my blog is fictional, it is about cricket nevertheless and cricket does have only three mainstream formats till now (excluding Hong Kong Super Sixes, gully cricket and perhaps a new fictional format - who knows?). Moreover there is an ODI fictional cricket match on the cards casting some of my favorite ODI cricketers (and some teams suggested by my well wishers - popular demand).

Thank you all. Brace yourself for more entertaining and exciting fictional matches and more..

Yours sincerely,
Fictional Cricket Blogger

3 comments:

  1. It's really good, felt like reading a blog written by a very experienced professional.

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  2. one thing is certain now....,another Guha or Menon or bhogle is shaping up & ready to rock writing club of sports

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  3. Quite honestly I agree with your view points... But I need a complete compensation for reading this blog... I will sms u myy acc no ...transfer the money in indian currency asap

    ReplyDelete