Tapping into Generation X-box

Raise the subject of Twenty20 cricket and you will inevitably witness a polarisation of opinion on the scale of the Red Sea parting.

To the left hand of Moses is “Team Purist” consisting of those avid followers of the longer version of the game who immerse themselves in statistics and history and are usually fiercely protective of the years of invested time it requires to accumulate such a profound knowledge of ‘proper’ cricket.

To Moses’ right stand “Team Instant Gratification” whose members thirst for a shot of tequila in preference to a slow, warm pint of dark ale. The group who fidget at the movies and get rowdy if there is more than one person ahead of them in the kebab shop queue.

“Team Purist” may well be dominated by children of the last generation. Children that were transfixed with getting dirty. Where mud was a toy, dirt a magnet and open fields were the Playstations of the day. If these children had dextrous thumbs it was likely from climbing trees or squashing frogs but not from tapping on a game controller.

Team “Instant Gratification” on the other hand grew up well after Sir Clive Sinclair launched personal computing power into the bedrooms of children and progressed into adulthood on a diet of Big Macs and Gran Tourismo.

Convincing children of today that sitting still in a cricket ground for seven hours can be fun will have about as much chance of success as hitting Shane Warne for 36 in a single over.

There are silent battles raging in the homes of today, with technology filling the void once occupied by physical exertion. Attracting supporters of cricket requires a different approach and Twenty20 cricket may well be the best thing that has ever happened to seduce attention deficit sufferers that sport can be fun.

The future of cricket has two choices. To hibernate in a cave of self delusion and continually etch the same carving on the wall, “Things always stay the same”. Or to understand the paradigm shift in habits of children and entice them into game through condensed feasts of entertainment.

Twenty20 is exactly that. It’s not rocket science, it has not the least scent of finesse, but as Mark Nicholas would say, “By Golly it’s fun”

There is talk of a Twenty20 world cup. Bring it on. It will be a sell out and among the crowds and armchair viewers will be an ever increasing band of Generation X-boxers that hopefully will be enticed out of their armchairs and into their back yards.

Emulation not Simulation will breed the stars of tomorrow.