I love cricket, everything about it. The rules, the way that the game is a complete mystery to the outsider I even like the fact that if you tell someone that you love the game they will have one of two looks on their face. A big smile of someone with a passion shared, or a look of confusion from someone is doesn’t get cricket that seems to say “why care so much for something so boring?”
Having said all of that I hate Twenty20 cricket. It seems to me that it is an attempt to take away all of the things I love about the game. There is no ebb and flow, no real competition between bat and ball. In a game of T20 you find yourself 5 wickets down for 15 runs chasing 200 there is no chance to rebuild, no battle to re-establish yourself in the game. The contest is over.
For me there is no sporting spectacle better than seeing a cricket side down and out and hanging on for dear life to save the game. Is that not a perfect analogy of life in general? You realise that you are in a position from which you know you cannot win, but you make the best of the situation and take away everything that you can. If you can’t win, you draw. At least you can come back to fight another day.
One of my favourite Test Matches was 1995 in Johannesburg. England conceded a first innings lead of 132 and were a long way behind the game. South Africa left England a highly improbable target of 479. To achieve that England would have to break a string of records. For an inconsistent and under achieving side the chances were next to none. After a bright start England went from 75 for none to 145-4. By the time Jack Russell came to join Mike Atherton at the crease England needed over 200 runs to win with only 5 wickets left. England were dead and buried. But the beauty of the game I love is that a superb rearguard meant that Jack Russell faced 235 balls in four and half hours. Atherton finished 185 not out having batted for almost 11 hours and England salvaged a draw. England’s second innings lasted the length of 4 and a half whole T20 games, there was no "result" but the whole thing was truly compelling.
How can a 20 over slog be as interesting as that great game?
I didn’t always feel this way about Twenty20. During its first season in England when it was a four week “hit and giggle” tournament I saw the merits. Seeing Test Match Grounds full for County games was great. Most kids have their first taste of a real cricket match in 20 over games, so watching the pros do the same thing was good for them to see. I was pleased that the ECB was doing something innovative to bring people into cricket grounds, especially children.
Then India won the first T20 World Cup and IPL happened and just watching a game of T20 was more than I could manage. All of a sudden something that had been a bit of fun for a few weeks in the season had turned into big business. Hearing commentators’ talk about DLF Maximums and catches being sponsored by mobile phone operators was more than I could take.
Seeing the game I love sell its soul to the highest bidder was nail in the coffin of T20 for me.
I know we are in a time poor age where people have less and less time, but isn’t that what the Test Match highlights package is for?
Peter Miller
Why I hate Twenty20 cricket | Peter Miller | Cricket United Blog
Having said all of that I hate Twenty20 cricket. It seems to me that it is an attempt to take away all of the things I love about the game. There is no ebb and flow, no real competition between bat and ball. In a game of T20 you find yourself 5 wickets down for 15 runs chasing 200 there is no chance to rebuild, no battle to re-establish yourself in the game. The contest is over.
For me there is no sporting spectacle better than seeing a cricket side down and out and hanging on for dear life to save the game. Is that not a perfect analogy of life in general? You realise that you are in a position from which you know you cannot win, but you make the best of the situation and take away everything that you can. If you can’t win, you draw. At least you can come back to fight another day.
One of my favourite Test Matches was 1995 in Johannesburg. England conceded a first innings lead of 132 and were a long way behind the game. South Africa left England a highly improbable target of 479. To achieve that England would have to break a string of records. For an inconsistent and under achieving side the chances were next to none. After a bright start England went from 75 for none to 145-4. By the time Jack Russell came to join Mike Atherton at the crease England needed over 200 runs to win with only 5 wickets left. England were dead and buried. But the beauty of the game I love is that a superb rearguard meant that Jack Russell faced 235 balls in four and half hours. Atherton finished 185 not out having batted for almost 11 hours and England salvaged a draw. England’s second innings lasted the length of 4 and a half whole T20 games, there was no "result" but the whole thing was truly compelling.
How can a 20 over slog be as interesting as that great game?
I didn’t always feel this way about Twenty20. During its first season in England when it was a four week “hit and giggle” tournament I saw the merits. Seeing Test Match Grounds full for County games was great. Most kids have their first taste of a real cricket match in 20 over games, so watching the pros do the same thing was good for them to see. I was pleased that the ECB was doing something innovative to bring people into cricket grounds, especially children.
Then India won the first T20 World Cup and IPL happened and just watching a game of T20 was more than I could manage. All of a sudden something that had been a bit of fun for a few weeks in the season had turned into big business. Hearing commentators’ talk about DLF Maximums and catches being sponsored by mobile phone operators was more than I could take.
Seeing the game I love sell its soul to the highest bidder was nail in the coffin of T20 for me.
I know we are in a time poor age where people have less and less time, but isn’t that what the Test Match highlights package is for?
Peter Miller
Why I hate Twenty20 cricket | Peter Miller | Cricket United Blog
0 comments
Post a Comment