Twenty20 Vision
Steven Lynch I have been pleasantly surprised by the crowds, the obvious fun, and the way the players have tucked in (maybe the promise of meeting Atomic Kitten at Trent Bridge has something to do with that)
24-Jun-2003
Wisden CricInfo's writers comment on cricket's latest invention
Steven Lynch
I have been pleasantly surprised by the crowds, the obvious fun, and the way the players have tucked in (maybe the promise of meeting Atomic Kitten at Trent Bridge has something to do with that). It's fast-food cricket, and a couple of hours after the match most people have forgotten almost everything about it - but that doesn't matter much as long as people turn up. The TV chats with the captain are sometimes very interesting, but I do feel sorry for anyone who has to bowl in it, and I also have a suspicion that the novelty might wear off. But it has been a good start, blessed with fine weather, and judging by England's express-style one-day demolition of Pakistan at The Oval, the lessons are already rubbing off at a higher level.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the crowds, the obvious fun, and the way the players have tucked in (maybe the promise of meeting Atomic Kitten at Trent Bridge has something to do with that). It's fast-food cricket, and a couple of hours after the match most people have forgotten almost everything about it - but that doesn't matter much as long as people turn up. The TV chats with the captain are sometimes very interesting, but I do feel sorry for anyone who has to bowl in it, and I also have a suspicion that the novelty might wear off. But it has been a good start, blessed with fine weather, and judging by England's express-style one-day demolition of Pakistan at The Oval, the lessons are already rubbing off at a higher level.
Martin Williamson
I was initially sceptical about a product which appeared to owe more to marketing meetings than the game itself, but that evaporated on the first night as the crowds flocked to grounds and the matches were not the farces that many feared. However, a trip to leafy Imber Court to watch Surrey play Sussex left me with mixed feelings. The crowd was good, and importantly the mix of the spectators was far more diverse than usual. But the game itself was not particularly exciting, and there was little feeling that people really cared what was going on in the middle. They basked in the sun, chatted and drank, while the many children raced round playing impromptu games of cricket. Being positive, at least they were there, which is what really matters. I think the future of Twenty20 is to take games to new grounds where there is an untapped audience. Playing them on the same old grounds will, once the novelty has worn off, result in the same old spectator apathy.
I was initially sceptical about a product which appeared to owe more to marketing meetings than the game itself, but that evaporated on the first night as the crowds flocked to grounds and the matches were not the farces that many feared. However, a trip to leafy Imber Court to watch Surrey play Sussex left me with mixed feelings. The crowd was good, and importantly the mix of the spectators was far more diverse than usual. But the game itself was not particularly exciting, and there was little feeling that people really cared what was going on in the middle. They basked in the sun, chatted and drank, while the many children raced round playing impromptu games of cricket. Being positive, at least they were there, which is what really matters. I think the future of Twenty20 is to take games to new grounds where there is an untapped audience. Playing them on the same old grounds will, once the novelty has worn off, result in the same old spectator apathy.
Andrew Miller
I wasn't a fan of Twenty20 cricket when the idea was first publicised. My objections were twofold. First the fear of failure: English cricket and gimmickry has a sad and dysfunctional relationship, and I still wince at the memory of the 1999 World Cup opening ceremony, the dampest squib ever to exist outside the realm of metaphor. My second objection, perhaps perversely, was a fear of success. If the crowds did indeed flood through the turnstiles, what next? Test cricket remains the only form of the game that truly and consistently gets my pulse racing, and this seemed so far removed from that as to be a dangerous, almost immoral, experiment. But then, one sunny Friday afternoon, with a day's work behind me and three hours to kill before a friend's birthday party, I allowed my guard to drop and my eyes were opened - I found myself part of a packed and knowledgable Oval crowd, all revelling in a rare opportunity to watch a live cricket match from start to finish. Purity is not the issue, and nor are the face-painters and jacuzzis. It's all about the cricket, stupid!
I wasn't a fan of Twenty20 cricket when the idea was first publicised. My objections were twofold. First the fear of failure: English cricket and gimmickry has a sad and dysfunctional relationship, and I still wince at the memory of the 1999 World Cup opening ceremony, the dampest squib ever to exist outside the realm of metaphor. My second objection, perhaps perversely, was a fear of success. If the crowds did indeed flood through the turnstiles, what next? Test cricket remains the only form of the game that truly and consistently gets my pulse racing, and this seemed so far removed from that as to be a dangerous, almost immoral, experiment. But then, one sunny Friday afternoon, with a day's work behind me and three hours to kill before a friend's birthday party, I allowed my guard to drop and my eyes were opened - I found myself part of a packed and knowledgable Oval crowd, all revelling in a rare opportunity to watch a live cricket match from start to finish. Purity is not the issue, and nor are the face-painters and jacuzzis. It's all about the cricket, stupid!
Freddie Auld
We were promised a new form of fast, fun and funky cricket to attract a new crowd to the game - and, after my initial reservations, I haven't been disappointed. However, this is purely as a TV viewer. My studious nature has meant that I haven't yet managed to join the throng live and let my hair down. But I plan to do so before long, with a group of my non-cricketing friends. And, the ECB will be pleased to hear, that even includes some girls. Watching on the box, admittedly without all the pitch-side distractions, I've enjoyed the immediate assaults and run-chases. That may not be an ideal way to hone a high straight elbow and an immaculate front-foot defensive, but we get enough of that in Tests. And cricket's not just about that any more - it's about entertainment and moving with the times.
We were promised a new form of fast, fun and funky cricket to attract a new crowd to the game - and, after my initial reservations, I haven't been disappointed. However, this is purely as a TV viewer. My studious nature has meant that I haven't yet managed to join the throng live and let my hair down. But I plan to do so before long, with a group of my non-cricketing friends. And, the ECB will be pleased to hear, that even includes some girls. Watching on the box, admittedly without all the pitch-side distractions, I've enjoyed the immediate assaults and run-chases. That may not be an ideal way to hone a high straight elbow and an immaculate front-foot defensive, but we get enough of that in Tests. And cricket's not just about that any more - it's about entertainment and moving with the times.
Ralph Dellor
All congratulations to those concerned for introducing Twenty20 into the English game. To get as many people as they have to go to any cricket-related event is an exceptional achievement. Only time will tell whether it is the novelty of the concept that brings the people flocking to previously deserted county grounds, or whether there is a lasting interest that will even convert the new followers to watch first one-day cricket and then go to a Championship match. However, bearing in mind that the idea is to establish the product in its own right, could I make a few suggestions that might make it even more appealing? Like using a bright orange ball instead of what starts out as a white one but soon becomes a mucky grey. And ensuring that both sides do not wear black as the basic shade of their coloured clothing. And - if this reactionary traditionalist is going to throw off all his conservative inhibitions! - reduce the teams to eight a side and bring in the boundaries so that there are more runs. Store these ideas away for when the novelty starts to fade.
All congratulations to those concerned for introducing Twenty20 into the English game. To get as many people as they have to go to any cricket-related event is an exceptional achievement. Only time will tell whether it is the novelty of the concept that brings the people flocking to previously deserted county grounds, or whether there is a lasting interest that will even convert the new followers to watch first one-day cricket and then go to a Championship match. However, bearing in mind that the idea is to establish the product in its own right, could I make a few suggestions that might make it even more appealing? Like using a bright orange ball instead of what starts out as a white one but soon becomes a mucky grey. And ensuring that both sides do not wear black as the basic shade of their coloured clothing. And - if this reactionary traditionalist is going to throw off all his conservative inhibitions! - reduce the teams to eight a side and bring in the boundaries so that there are more runs. Store these ideas away for when the novelty starts to fade.
Sambit Bal
When I first heard about Twenty20, my spontaneous reaction was, "Ah, here we go again." I have never been a fan of the variants - the Super Six, Max Cricket - anything that seeks to subvert the fundamentals of the game. After watching a few games on television, I wouldn't say I am a convert yet, but I don't mind it. What I like about it is that the game has been crunched without tampering with the essentials. At three hours, it's only twice the size of a football match and roughly the same as a five-setter at the French Open. In theory, it is a combination of the first 15 and the last 10 of a 50-over match, and, to an extent, it works. What I don't like about it is that it blurs the line between the highly skilled and the plain biffers. Big hits are spectacular, but continuous slogging is ugly. With wickets becoming inconsequential, the licence to hit comes with no price at all, and the bowler is degraded further. But still, if it can attract English kids to a game of cricket, who am I to complain?
When I first heard about Twenty20, my spontaneous reaction was, "Ah, here we go again." I have never been a fan of the variants - the Super Six, Max Cricket - anything that seeks to subvert the fundamentals of the game. After watching a few games on television, I wouldn't say I am a convert yet, but I don't mind it. What I like about it is that the game has been crunched without tampering with the essentials. At three hours, it's only twice the size of a football match and roughly the same as a five-setter at the French Open. In theory, it is a combination of the first 15 and the last 10 of a 50-over match, and, to an extent, it works. What I don't like about it is that it blurs the line between the highly skilled and the plain biffers. Big hits are spectacular, but continuous slogging is ugly. With wickets becoming inconsequential, the licence to hit comes with no price at all, and the bowler is degraded further. But still, if it can attract English kids to a game of cricket, who am I to complain?
Raja M
Twenty20 celebrates cricket's core charm. Forget goals and statistics, targets and tactics. Each match is a highlights package, each ball a story. Creativity is unleashed, and it's liberation from the copybook. Yet cricket's precious essence is not just retained but enhanced: beautifully hit straight sixes, spectacular fielding, spinners on duty. This is cricket back to its primeval spirit, the simplicity of purpose that drove men like Gilbert Jessop, Victor Trumper, Viv Richards and the young Sachin Tendulkar: the ball is there to thumped. With teams bowled out in 20 overs, it's not a bowler's nightmare either. A true master will conquer any challenge. A Twenty20 World Cup soon? Two matches a day at the same venue, a tournament lasting a week ... Fear no changes, don't sneer at evolution. That's what one-day cricket taught us in the mid-1970s, and one-day cricket now funds the game. Twenty20 will do the same: it will help cricket flourish in a new millennium, in new frontiers like America.
Twenty20 celebrates cricket's core charm. Forget goals and statistics, targets and tactics. Each match is a highlights package, each ball a story. Creativity is unleashed, and it's liberation from the copybook. Yet cricket's precious essence is not just retained but enhanced: beautifully hit straight sixes, spectacular fielding, spinners on duty. This is cricket back to its primeval spirit, the simplicity of purpose that drove men like Gilbert Jessop, Victor Trumper, Viv Richards and the young Sachin Tendulkar: the ball is there to thumped. With teams bowled out in 20 overs, it's not a bowler's nightmare either. A true master will conquer any challenge. A Twenty20 World Cup soon? Two matches a day at the same venue, a tournament lasting a week ... Fear no changes, don't sneer at evolution. That's what one-day cricket taught us in the mid-1970s, and one-day cricket now funds the game. Twenty20 will do the same: it will help cricket flourish in a new millennium, in new frontiers like America.