Thankfully they did not decide that players will have to don shorts and muscle Ts to play the World Twenty20 cup. The desire to do something different should have been overwhelming and it must have taken character to not do what Packer had done with cricket clothing. However, in the age of instant gratification, this form of the game had to be different from any versions of its predecessors. And different it is. Cut short by less than half of half of the number of overs bowled in a test match day, this is the cricket equivalent of the wham-bang-thank-you-ma'am phenomena. As Robert Redford so poetically said in the movie "Spy Game" - "twice the sex with half the foreplay". 20-20 cricket resides in the twilight zone that intersects frivolity, entertainment, power and true cricket.
Every form of the game merits its own strategy. The opening batsmen dig in and see off a new red ball in test matches while the same opening batsmen take the skin off the white ball in the opening overs of a fifty over match. There are different approaches to different situations and the art of playing the game almost resembles an implementation of Sun Zu's principles of warfare. Then there is osmosis - both straight and reverse - where principles from one form get to the other. It is not merely coincidental that more test matches end decisively ever sine the fifty over format got popular. The propensity to take risks in an otherwise staid form of the game originated from the ODI format and has made the five day format more exciting. The 2005 Ashes series in England was one of the most exciting series in recent times and the heroes of the series were electrifying cricketers from the one day format. Twenty20 will usher in more changes as more situation specific strategies evolve.
Frivolous it may be as it may be an entertainment show more than serious cricket, but it cannot be dismissed. The shortest version of the cricket game (yet, that is) is here to stay and will influence other forms of the game much quicker than people can think. Get to your couch, grab your soda and chips and enjoy the game - after all the result is just three hours away.
Every form of the game merits its own strategy. The opening batsmen dig in and see off a new red ball in test matches while the same opening batsmen take the skin off the white ball in the opening overs of a fifty over match. There are different approaches to different situations and the art of playing the game almost resembles an implementation of Sun Zu's principles of warfare. Then there is osmosis - both straight and reverse - where principles from one form get to the other. It is not merely coincidental that more test matches end decisively ever sine the fifty over format got popular. The propensity to take risks in an otherwise staid form of the game originated from the ODI format and has made the five day format more exciting. The 2005 Ashes series in England was one of the most exciting series in recent times and the heroes of the series were electrifying cricketers from the one day format. Twenty20 will usher in more changes as more situation specific strategies evolve.
Frivolous it may be as it may be an entertainment show more than serious cricket, but it cannot be dismissed. The shortest version of the cricket game (yet, that is) is here to stay and will influence other forms of the game much quicker than people can think. Get to your couch, grab your soda and chips and enjoy the game - after all the result is just three hours away.
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