The Changing Face Of Cricket (Part 1)

The Revolution

Twenty20 cricket has barely been popular three years, yet its presence is so overwhelming that it is already difficult to imagine what it was like before it dawned. It’s gripped the cricketing world like a storm, and it’s not the kind that will die away soon. Trying to fathom its popularity with fans, a certain television commentator called it the ‘heavy metal’ version of cricket recently. Nothing could be more accurate. With its exciting, high pressure contests, blockbuster shots, rush of adrenaline and thrilling finishes, all spread over the space of one evening, it is not much different from a rock concert. > And it’s brought more people to the game – people who were previously not interested in or ignorant about cricket have come in by the dozen. Let’s face it, in a generation that thrives on a fast paced lifestyle and instant gratification, twenty20 is here to stay.

First, it started with the English county championships and the first class structure in Australia. From there it spread to international cricket, and its instant popularity culminated in the first world cup. Then there was the ‘rebel’ ICL followed by two seasons of the IPL. Over the course of this time administrators have seen gold not only in its instant marketability, but also in a certain striking opportunity that its format presents. For the first time ever, two cricket matches can be played back-to-back over the course of an afternoon and evening. This throws open a world of opportunities – suddenly, a ‘season’ of cricket involving global stars can be culminated in three weeks, and so can a world cup. Preparation in terms of ground and pitch conditions is no longer so cumbersome and profits worth a few hundred million dollars can be raked in, in less than a month. All it takes is a little window to fit in, while test matches and one-day internationals go on at their own pace.

All in all, whichever way one looks at it, it’s a gold-mine fuelled by the kind of frenzy and euphoria that one hardly associated with cricket before. For better or for worse, this is the beginning of a revolution…

Lot More Ahead…

However, pay attention, it is only the beginning. There are indications that there will be a lot more of twenty20 in the coming years. Already the BCCI is toying with the idea of a season 2 of IPL action somewhere abroad, thanks to the success of this edition in South Africa; plans for an American Premier League in New York (!) in October have reached an advanced stage; the South African board, buoyed by the success of the IPL, is considering a ‘Southern’ premier league involving players from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia; and indications are that finally the champions league T20 involving all the regional winners will happen this year. On top of all this, the ICL is stubbornly refusing to die down and there have been talks of a rebel American league as well. And, don’t forget, the world cup is bi-annual, not every four years, as tradition would suggest. Basically, now that the concept has been exposed, as long as there is a profit-making opportunity, someone or the other will want to exploit it.

Fatigue?

Since twenty20 is still young and the wave of its popularity is still rising dramatically, the one factor that one will have to wait a while to see is – how long will its popularity keep on rising? Surely, there will come a point when it will be too much and people will begin to get weary – or will that happen? Football and a few other sports have already proved that nothing is too much. But then, the mechanics of football are very different. Every team, small or big, has a massive fan following whose emotions are inextricably associated with the fortunes of their team. Further, football has enough fans who watch the game with genuine interest in the sport and its skills. T20, on the other hand, has pulled in people because of its all-round thrill value, the visual extravaganza it offers and the opportunity for intimidating, muscular batting, and not generally for the pure cricketing skills on offer. Those who are interested in pure cricketing skills will still return to the Mecca of test cricket. And the concept of die-hard team loyalty doesn’t exist in T20 cricket unless international teams are playing. After all, no one will shed tears if The Rajasthan Royals or The Delhi Daredevils lose.

The ultimate truth of the matter is that T20 is about the party atmosphere. The question now is – how many thrills of this kind will the people really want in a year and will they be ready for a fresh party wave virtually every couple of months? For whatever predictions are worth, it does seem that at the rate at which T20 is growing, it will reach its plateau sooner rather than later. However, to be really honest, no one will really want to bet any money on that…

The effects…

As we have seen, the booming business of Twenty20 has created more than just ripples in the cricketing fraternity. More like a Tsunami, actually. It has already shown that it has the force to change this game and its fortunes forever. In fact, there is probably nothing in the history of this game that has had the power to bring about such far-reaching consequences. For now, though, the only one consequence that we have seen is a gigantic upheaval…

The first shock has been felt by the international cricket calendar. > At the moment it appears as tightly packed and disorderly as a rush hour bus. And with more T20 ready to burst in the next couple of years, ICC and the individual boards are running out of time to rationalize it. Their first move of trying to ignore the lucrative T20 tournaments, and continuing with international series’ anyway, even if they clashed, has failed miserably. If those running the business of cricket expect that they cash in on this golden goose and expect the cricketing world to continue functioning on the same lines as before, all at the same time, they are horribly mistaken.

Clashes between the IPL and the international calendar have already caused trouble in the English, West Indian and Sri Lankan camps, and more problems are lurking round the corner. The fact is that if a top player stands to earn a million dollars in three weeks, the boards cannot possibly defy that with a similar offer for a full year. The eventual result is that the top players are confused about what to play and what to leave out, and virtually everyone realizes by now that things just can’t go on the way they are. To quote a famous phrase, ‘something’s gotta give.’ Either the ICC will have to cap the amount of ‘official’ T20 tournaments, or individual boards will have to come up with a way to give over-worked players systematic breathers. Or economics will simply have to be left to its own devices and the players acknowledged as masters of their own destinies. In such a case, tests and one-days will only fit in wherever there are gaps left by Twenty20.

(Continued in part 2…)