Twenty20 has changed the cricket world
beyond recognition in just five years. The shortest and most explosive form of
the game is developing so quickly that the more traditional forms of the game
are becoming over shadowed.
Controversial? Well, the contrast between half empty test
match stadiums in some parts of the world and the frenzy of a packed
T20 crowd speaks for itself. Although we still have to buy tickets for
an Ashes series or an India-Pakistan game months ahead, many other global test
series or ODI's just don’t pull in the crowds.
But,
Twenty20 has brought theexcitement of the game to so many new
followers, that all traditionalists – including me – need to look forward and
embrace the challenge of “disco cricket”.
However, this global phenomenon had a quiet
beginning. The 20 overs a side game had been successful in school and midweek cricket
for decades, and was only introduced to first class cricketers in the UK as
Twenty20 in 2003.
The first season was a relative success, with an
inter-county cup being won by the Surrey Lions. But, word of the
excitement spread rapidly amongst cricket fans and the second year of
the competition drew huge crowds. The first T20 game to be held at Lords
attracted a crowd of 26,500, the biggest attendance since 1953 for any county
match apart from a one day final.
The format soon spread worldwide as national cricket
boards and sponsors spotted its potential. Australia’s first T20 game was held
at the WACA in 2005, attracting a sellout crowd of nearly 28,000.
In amazing scenes at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2007,
11,000 pre-sales ticketholders for a T20 match were
overwhelmed at the turnstiles by another 15,000 fans, many of who had to be
given free entry simply to keep the peace.
The game was soon embraced by the West
Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand and the success of the ICC Twenty20 World
Cup in South Africa in 2007 surprised even the organizers. However, India took
the game to a whole new level in 2008, with the birth of the
Indian Premier League. This uses the model of England Premier League
football, with teams based in Indian cities. Half of the players are local
and the other half are global cricket stars, bought at auction by the highest
city bidder.
The main attraction of the T20
format is that matches are completed in about two and half hours, with each
innings lasting around 75 minutes. This brings cricket closer to the time span
of other popular team sports. It has been criticized for being a
“slogathon” or not “technical cricket”, but international and county/state
players are rapidly discovering that the format needs its own set of cricketing
skills.
Although the shortened boundaries have encouraged
batsmen to become ever more inventive in their search for fours and
sixes, skilful spin bowling and medium pace variations have become key weapons
for the bowlers. Captaincy skills are also vital, because 20 overs is just too
short for a side to recover from a batting collapse or fielding disaster.
Twenty20 is expanding rapidly, but
can it conquer the biggest untapped cricket market in the world?
The USA is a difficult cricket nut to crack – its hard to convert the average
American to a game that can last for five days and still not produce a
positive result.
But, the intensity and showbiz of Twenty20 might
just appeal to their potential huge audiences. Many were dubious of taking the
soccer World Cup there in 1994, but it was a great success and soccer in the
USA has never looked back since. So, what price staging the ICC World Twenty 20
Cup or the Indian Premier League in the USA? The potential media rights would
be immense and the game would be exposed to a whole new audience.
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