28 October 2007

Twenty20

I have just been reading an article in the latest newsletter from The Cricket Society concerning the speed at which this form of "cricket" has developed.

The jist of the argument is that it is not real cricket and mainly satisfies the interest of people who find the longer version of the game. There is no doubt that it has generated a greater following for the game but are we happy to see the game's elite reduced to little more than a circus act with batsmen swinging wildly at almost every ball and bowlers acting as cannon fodder?

Call me old-fashioned but I prefer to see a game develop over a longer period of time and the fascination in the contest that develops between bowlers and batsmen. I have to agree with Adam Gilchrist when he said that he was looking forward to "getting into some proper cricket" after the Twenty20 competition.

It may have its place as a sideshow but please do not call it cricket - English baseball perhaps?

1 comment:

Peter Lamb said...

I agree with everything you say. It seems that today's spectators expect instant gratification and don't have the patience to watch while a longer game develops.