Amidst all the hype and hoopla over the champions league T20, I personally have been feeling a little disconnected with cricket's newest money spinner. When the IPL first came into existence in 2008, I reckon I was as excited as numerous other cricket followers world over. It was a brand new idea and the concept of stringing together the best cricketers from around the world and getting them to team up with Indian youngsters seemed like an interesting prospect. I watched nearly every game of the IPL in 2008 but since then it's just not been the same, at least for me.
Sport is at its best when it gives the viewers time for anticipation. A world cup comes along once every 4 years. Football leagues around the world have their best sides playing each other just two times every season. So when these events do come along, the sense of excitement is tremendous. Imagine if Arsenal & Manchester United for instance played each other 3 times a month. The excitement in watching the contest will all but die. This is the biggest problem I have with T20 cricket. There's too much of it and it shows no signs of letting up. In 2 years we've had 2 world cups, 2 IPL's & 2 champions leagues. If that isn't an overdose then what is?
The constant building up of club cricket has also got to the point where it's become a little annoying. Commentators keep telling us that the quality of cricket in these tournaments is second to none. Yes, some great players certainly figure in these events. Yes, we do see some terrific performances. However, the standard of cricket on show is nowhere near what the administrators would lead us to believe. If the IPL really was that high on quality, then India should be the best T20 team in world cricket by a Herculean mile. Far from being the best, India's T20 team is probably it's weakest link.
I don't have a problem with T20 cricket as such. Whilst IMHO it certainly is a dumbed down version of cricket, it has it's strengths. The action is non-stop and the game finishes in just 3 hours. The crowds love it and it certainly is the biggest money spinner in cricket right now. The big question though is whether it is going to allow the other formats to survive and flourish. As I write this, I hear that Pollard & Bravo of the West Indies have rejected contracts offered to them by the WICB to ensure that this does not clash with their T20 commitments. In a recent interview, Bravo was pretty candid when he admitted that the West Indies figure right at the bottom of his priorities after Trinidad, the Mumbai Indians & any other T20 contracts that he might have at the time. Is this going to set a trend amongst younger cricketers especially those coming from countries that are unable to offer cricketers the kind of money on offer in the richer cricketing countries?
I don't blame the cricketers here simply because it is what most of us would do. Who would want to pass up an opportunity of earning a fortune for a few days work? It certainly is far easier than putting your body on the line for 5 days in a test match. Andrew Symonds for instance plays for about 3-4 months in a year, earns more than many cricketers who play all year around for their national sides do and gets to spend 7-8 months doing as he pleases. Why would cricketers not be tempted by that lifestyle?
I've had a bunch of people telling me that all this negativity is exaggerated. Their point being simply that ODI cricket when it first came along faced criticism from numerous quarters only for it to go on and not just flourish but also contribute favorably to test cricket. There's no doubt that test cricket over the last 15 or so years has been more exciting. Runs are being scored faster and cricketers are taking more chances. Whilst pitches loaded in favor of the batsman have contributed to this, ODI cricket has certainly helped too. The notion that T-20 cricket will have a similar effect on tests is, however, a little misguided. The fact is 50 over cricket still has a lot if things in common with test cricket. 50 overs is still a reasonably long time. Batsman early on can afford to take time in building an innings. Similarly, bowlers can set attacking fields to a certain extent and concentrate on bowling in good areas for most of the game. T20 on the other hand has hardly anything in common with test cricket.
There is no doubt that T-20 cricket is here to stay. The administrators, however, need to urgently enforce a cap on the number of T-20 matches that can be played in a year. If they can work around the scheduling problems that are bound to come up, it would be ideal to see a window for club cricket wherein cricketers are allowed to represent their club sides without having to miss out on any national commitments. This will ensure that cricketers will not have the difficult choice to make between playing for huge sums of money as against representing their countries in international cricket. Test cricket always has and always should be the premier format of the game. If someone similar to Pollard is regarded as the greatest player in the game 10 years down the line, it will be a bloody tragedy.
On a slightly more cheery note, India play Australia in a 2 test series starting next week. These 2 sides have probably provided cricket fans with the greatest contests over the last decade or so. For me, it can't begin soon enough!
