T20 is a new and recent element that has been added to the game of Cricket, and it must be carefully incorporated into the folds of world cricket. Yes, some cricket playing nations have expressed concern about the diminishing popularity of the game at the back drop of other sports mainly Football and Rugby. The new format T20 was originally conceived by the New Zealand cricket board in the beginning of 2000. Slowly the England board and the South Africans followed suit introducing the T20 into their domestic circuit. Pakistan too tried introducing this new format with a reasonable amount of success that it was well accepted. However, India was a little reluctant to adopt T20 as there were no compelling reasons to do so since cricket has remained and will remain the most sought after sport in the country.
The immediate effect of the invasion of T20 has been evident in more than just the training matches and is on the tried and tested 50 over limited game. At the face of it, the first and foremost issue would be that the sponsors take on the T20. The 50 over game was supposedly ideal for the sponsor who had all 7 hours of Television which evidently meant more slots for publicity. By now one can hypothesize that T 20 will be a regular feature in the future cricketing calendar. How much
space would that eat away from the existing 50 over format? Does the three-hour time slot justify sponsor's return on investment?
Few questions remain unanswered at the moment, but in the end it is the sponsors, who are seeing the game through the eyes of television, who will decide which format should exist. The main issue from the sponsor's point of view is the shift in the viewers commitment levels. A fifty over format gave the sponsor a 7 hours commitment from the patriotic eye balls, however with the new T20 format this time will be reduced to roughly 3 hours.
When such new formats are introduced, one must be sensitive to the changes these format inflict on the traditional side of the game. It is true that the genesis of the new formats should be seen as part of the evolution of the game, however care should be taken to balance out the popularity of each of the formats to make sure that the over all health of the game is not disturbed.
The most delicate and desired issue will be the changes that the core functional side of the game would undergo. The understanding and the true meaning of the game, at the grass root level, is crucial for the health of the game. The aspiring youngsters need to be exposed to the correct format of the game at the right age. The real worry would be if the T20 percolates rapidly to the school cricket level dislodging the interest in the traditional true format of the game.
Technique and temperament are the pillars of traditional cricket. Both these attributes make little sense in the T20 format and if such attributes are hijacked by powerful hitting, kids will have a skewed understanding of the game.
Now let's look deeper into the new formats impact on the game itself. There is a sure psychological shift in the approach of both the bowlers and batsmen towards 20-20.The batsmen have assumed a more brutal approach with bowlers seemingly surrendering to the onslaught. The reduced number of overs has indemnified all batsmen from technique and temperament. All other subtle attributes of the batting are converted into aggression. Running between the wickets seems to loose its significance as run making is largely based on the 4's and 6's. And taking a deliberate single is seen as making a mockery of oneself. And I am sure in time to come more can be added to the above batsmen list.
The bowlers are bowling with their hearts in their mouth. The bowler's follow through are deviating from the coaching manual where the head is looking upwards tracking the aerial route of the ball. The no-ball rule comes not only with an extra two runs but also with a decimating free hit ball. On the consistent flat wickets, the only way a bowler might think of taking some control in the game is while he walks back to the crease as a batsmen.
One thing I am sure of is that the shorter version game will help breed mediocre batsmen to stake claims. The great batsmen in Sachin and Saurav, Ricky Ponting and Sewag will see plenty of others with no depth competing in their space. Fielding is one area, which will gain more and more importance. Boundary line stops and catches will decide the match result, and non-nimble feet might find themselves pushed out of the game soon. I strongly feel that while encouraging this 20-20 means embracing a new dimension of the game we know as Cricket, care should be taken to check the health of 50 over limited games.
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