Would you Like Fries with the Cricket?

 

 

There was a time when getting to 300 runs in a 50 over limited overs cricket match was considered a towering task. Now, as recently as last week a Sri Lankan, Dhanuka Pathirana, smashed the last remaining reservations with a mind numbing 277 off 72 balls (29 sixes and 18 fours) helping his side Austerlands (a minor county in Lancashire’s Saddleworth league) to 366-3 in 20, yes Twenty overs! That, in short, is the frenzy of the latest brand of cricket to hit the international block—the ever exciting truncated form known as Twenty20. And the frenzy builds up to a crescendo as we approach the inaugural Twenty20 world cup in South Africa, featuring 12 teams. As you read this, the excitement would have begun to unfold in the fast paced and action packed world of the brave new frontier of cricket playing itself out on the gorgeous grounds in South Africa. Coming as it does only a mere four and half months after the ‘real’ world cup, the tournament is whipping up rapture and resentment in equal measure. Experts are split down the middle between those who see it as indulging in excess despite a packed international calendar, and those who consider Twenty20 as the format of the future. Fans wait with an equal measure of anticipation and apathy. There are ones who can’t get enough of the big hitting and the others who feel it’s a travesty of the game. And the analogies don’t seem to stop—the McDonaldisation of cricket, they have called it. And if One Day cricket earned the nickname ‘Pajama Cricket’, Navjot Sidhu called Twenty20 ‘underwear cricket’!

At the time of writing, the number of Twenty20 internationals held stood at a mere 19 since the first match (a fun and frolic filled hit-about at Eden Park in Auckland between Australia and New Zealand) back in 2005. Originally a county innovation implemented in 2003 by the England and Wales cricket board that met with rousing success (fulfilling the administrators’ mission to broaden the audience and rekindle fan interest in the county game), the format only grudgingly gained international acceptance.

But soon, it was on its way to becoming serious stuff. England took their Twenty20 match against Australia very seriously in the summer of 2005 and their win turned a remarkable summer on its head as they went on to reclaim the Ashes. India too have had a taste of Twenty20, though only once against South Africa which ended in a win. And if you take a look at the squads of the 12 teams at the competition (10 full ICC members by invitation and the associates went through a qualifying process), the youth factor is prominent. Twenty20 has the potential to become an ideal grooming ground for youngsters (Zee with its proposed Indian Cricket League also envisions the same) both technically as well as psychologically to steel them to face the pressures of bigger and longer games.

Although underestimated, the cerebral aspect of the game in T20 cannot be ignored. The thinking will be pushed to a whole new dimension lending new meaning to the phrase ‘thinking on your feet’. And of course, the regular cricket skills will have to be sharper, especially fielding which most experts reckon will be the thin line dividing the good teams from the great teams in the T20 arena. The craftsmen most under duress would be the bowlers who will be put to the sword as dashing batsmen go hell for leather. But bowlers, especially high impact ones like a Mohammed Asif (who’s bowled the only T20 maiden so far) can still swing things with a quick wicket or two. Expecting the batsmen to go after the bowling with a mixture of extravagant and inventive shots would be par for the course, but those who can do it with chutzpah will emerge the batting stars at the tournament. And what about favorites? Well, this is one tournament where a clear favorite is hard to pick, and even the experts agree. Quizzed on Australia’s (the current World champions in the One Day format) chances, Captain Ricky Ponting told TSI, ‘Its not a game that we are that knowledgeable about at the moment since we haven’t played very much Twenty20 cricket. I think the teams like England and those sorts of teams that have played a bit more Twenty20 cricket than us will start favorites’. South African legend Barry Richards though says that his money is on ‘Australia (who) are both the best balanced side as well as the team that are best placed to handle any situation as it occurs’ Dean Jones, the pioneering Aussie one day batsman says ‘You never know with such a slam bang format. The teams that bat better will win, obviously.’ He backs his instinct to pick the Aussies as favorites though. And Geoffrey Boycott in his inimitable style reasons, ‘South Africa and Australia have the best chance. They have the players who can adapt to the format.’ So, Australia again it seems would start favorites.

Whether Twenty20 becomes the new global face of cricket or remains a fad, reduced to a farce, but one thing is for sure—it’s like the quintessential Hollywood summer blockbuster; fasten your seat belts, don’t blink, don’t think and get ready for some blazing action!