It was my original plan to write about India's victory test series victory in England. However, after witnessing the recent T20 match between India and Pakistan. I must confess that I had to immediately revisit my original plan and write about something that is actually revolutionizing the game of cricket.
I always used to wonder how it would have been for people back in 1975 to see the first ever world cup of one day cricket. After having accustomed to follow a cricket match for 5 days, it must have been exhilarating for those at that time to watch matches reduced to a one day affair. Guess, we are all experiencing probably the same feeling what those people in 1975 would have, if not more. Game has changed a lot since 1975 in more number of ways, be it type of shots played, sponsorships, money and politics.
Two most important changes that stand out is, one to do with Economics and the other one is to do with Cricket being treated as Entertainment. While, we leave the economics piece to the administrators, let us touch upon the entertainment factor. Before T20 the last time I found the game being approached in a different manner was when Greatbatch played those explosive opening innings during the 1992 world cup in Australia. From then on Jayasurya just mastered it and ensured that Srilanka lifted the cup in 1996. Some of the changes that were brought to the game in the last 15 years are the field restriction, third umpire, power plays, super sub, Duckworth Lewis and so on, some of them have stayed and some of them have vanished. I sincerely believe all these were done just for the 2E’s that we have listed.
The most recent entry to the change is T20 matches, boy isn’t it a big change. A free hit for a no-ball, bowl out rule for a tied match, matches getting over in just about 3hrs, things can’t get better. With the advent of India Cricket League and BCCI’s champion league with 4 countries, on couldn’t help but think Cricket is on the verge of a major change and for sure it is for the betterment as it will improve our 2E’s and that’s what is more important. Those oldies might tend to think that this spoils the purity of the game, how many times we would have seen a batsman making room on the leg stump against a leg spinner and hitting him over the cover fieldsman in the older version of test cricket, probably none. Thanks to the one day cricket we savour such shots, I can still remember Laxman playing such a shot with his wrists. With the T20 games, one is certainly going to witness some innovative shots and more importantly, free minds going and batting. In my opinion T20 is the best thing that has happened to cricket and it is only going to add enhance our 2E’s, let us wait and watch.
I always used to wonder how it would have been for people back in 1975 to see the first ever world cup of one day cricket. After having accustomed to follow a cricket match for 5 days, it must have been exhilarating for those at that time to watch matches reduced to a one day affair. Guess, we are all experiencing probably the same feeling what those people in 1975 would have, if not more. Game has changed a lot since 1975 in more number of ways, be it type of shots played, sponsorships, money and politics.
Two most important changes that stand out is, one to do with Economics and the other one is to do with Cricket being treated as Entertainment. While, we leave the economics piece to the administrators, let us touch upon the entertainment factor. Before T20 the last time I found the game being approached in a different manner was when Greatbatch played those explosive opening innings during the 1992 world cup in Australia. From then on Jayasurya just mastered it and ensured that Srilanka lifted the cup in 1996. Some of the changes that were brought to the game in the last 15 years are the field restriction, third umpire, power plays, super sub, Duckworth Lewis and so on, some of them have stayed and some of them have vanished. I sincerely believe all these were done just for the 2E’s that we have listed.
The most recent entry to the change is T20 matches, boy isn’t it a big change. A free hit for a no-ball, bowl out rule for a tied match, matches getting over in just about 3hrs, things can’t get better. With the advent of India Cricket League and BCCI’s champion league with 4 countries, on couldn’t help but think Cricket is on the verge of a major change and for sure it is for the betterment as it will improve our 2E’s and that’s what is more important. Those oldies might tend to think that this spoils the purity of the game, how many times we would have seen a batsman making room on the leg stump against a leg spinner and hitting him over the cover fieldsman in the older version of test cricket, probably none. Thanks to the one day cricket we savour such shots, I can still remember Laxman playing such a shot with his wrists. With the T20 games, one is certainly going to witness some innovative shots and more importantly, free minds going and batting. In my opinion T20 is the best thing that has happened to cricket and it is only going to add enhance our 2E’s, let us wait and watch.
