Invasion of Twenty20: Making cricket entertaining

The face of cricket, as it had been known to the pundits, has been almost irreversibly altered by a format of the game, which had been scoffed at to begin with as another one akin to the one found in a charity game, but has since then, been accepted by the majority. And what a turnaround it has been. Right from those times when the English cricket board introduced the Twenty20s to sway the crowds back into the stadiums to the BCCI rejecting the format and then reluctantly sending a team to the first edition of the ICC World Twenty20, followed by the glamour and the glitz of the IPL interspersed with the other controversial leagues in the ICL and the Stanford tournaments, Twenty20 has come a long way.

Not only has the general public’s interest at large, or the bank accounts of the players in particular been beefed up, but to play devil’s advocate – as a self-respecting lover of test cricket – there isn’t too much doubt that Twenty20s have assisted cricket in general.

From ‘test’ of patience to batting ferocities

Gone are the days when a dour-looking Geoffrey Boycott could prod and plonk his way to a century after playing through majority of the test match and then have Sunil Gavaskar return back the compliment and test the patience of both, the opposition bowling and the ground audiences to the hilt. Tons in only a session, with a smattering of boundaries and sixes are more like it in this day and age, and the credit should majorly go to the newest format of the game, which has allowed the batsmen to approach the game with a much more positive outlook.

300 becomes chaseable, 400 is breached

If one were to dig up the statistics, one can be rest assured that there has been a dramatic turn-around in the scoring patterns on the now-poor cousin of Twenty20s; the ODIs. If a target of 300 was practically impregnable some years back, it is now only an offer of hope that the team chasing may falter and dole the game away! And then, the unthinkable figure of 400 has also been surpassed more once; in fact, South Africa holds the distinction for having chased a 400 plus score in fifty overs as well. While easier pitches, broader bats and shorter boundaries have had their say in this transformation, the role of Twenty20s can never be undermined!

Jonty, Jonty everywhere!

The most direct effect of this game; fielding has almost exponentially improved across all the sides. Even the inherently weak fielding sides like India and Pakistan have benefited a great deal and dives and slides and more Light Ice Catches of the Week than ever have become a norm than an exception.

Multi-utility cricketers

Twenty20 has instilled an all-rounder in the game on a more than just sparing basis. Very few, if any, have remained only specialists in one department of the game, as there has been a demand to be the best in either batting or bowling, and be good enough to hold the bat to the ball, or bowl a couple of overs without getting tonked; even trying to modify the complexion of the game. And quality fielding is an obvious must.

And on a rather cheeky note, one doesn’t mind a little leg-shaking and hip-gyration by the side as a soothing means to take a break and refocus back on a hard-as-nails encounter!

By Suneer Chowdhary, Twent20Blog.co.uk