Will 20-20 cricket kill off the tradtional game?

[max_tranmere]

I've just watched another episode of the brilliant "Empire Of Cricket" series on BBC1 (repeated). This one focused on India. Each episode concerns a differnt country and all of them have been very interesting - whether you're a cricket fan or not. You get a lot of history about the country and about how crcket has delveloped there as the country has developed. In the case of some former colonies the advancement of cricket, the country getting better and better at it, is seem as a symbol of how they have grown as a nation in general, post-independence. It is that central to the culture. The 20-20 tournament, which, like cricket, began in England, is enourmous in India. They have sellout crowds of over 100,000, bright lights, cheer leaders, and the games are watched by the majority of people in India (a nation of 1 billion people). Some retired famous cricketers, interviewed on the programme, were describing the 20-20 game as 'vulgar' and 'having nothing to do with traditional cricket' yet it still grows and grows. It is a multi-billion pound sport in India now. Real tennis gave way to lawn tennis eventually. Will 20-20 cricket eventually kill-off the traditional 5 day, 5 match, test series' that have been the mainstay of cricket for centuries?

[Floydoid]

I certainly hope not. For a purist such as myself, the real game is test cricket or first class 3/4 day games when the object is for each team to bat out two innings. For all the years it's been around I've never even been a fan of the 40/50 over one day game. If 20/20 raises the profile of the game as an enjoyable knockabout and brings in revenue, gets youngsters interested in the sport, and raises the profile of test cricket, then it can't be all bad.

[max_tranmere]

I'm hoping the two games - the 5 day 5 test games, and the 20-20 games - continue and one does not replace the other. Every sport kind of needs modernising eventually though and a tournament that involves 25 days of play at 5 venues and features 10 innings (not to mention 25 lunch periods) is a LONG game! 20-20 is exciting and action packed, probably more comparable to American baseball in its exitement for the crowd. As a bit of a traditionalist myself though, and despite its length, I would like the 5 day 5 test games to continue as it is. Cricket is still the only sport when the participants wear full length trousers, so you can see there is a desire to keep things traditional! lol.

[Vosmith]

I think they can live together. The analogy I heard the other day (5live I think) places Twenty20 as a fast food meal and Test cricket as 5 course quality dining. I'd soon get bored of fast food but can enjoy it once every couple of weeks and they have gimmicks to keep the kids and wife happy. I don't have the money or the time to take in quality dining except on special occasions but when I do I love it. Not sure if it works for everyone but I saw where it was coming from.

[dimi]

As a Hampshire Hawks fan (Friends Provident Trophy Winners 2009!!!) T2O has made cricket more popular, its good bait to get youngsters intrested in the game and hopefully start following thier team in other long versions of the game. Judging by attendances for the Ashes tests the long form of the game still can be popular. In my op. T20 has been good for the game.

[Floydoid]

max_tranmere wrote:

> Cricket is still the only sport when the participants wear full length trousers,

What about golfers and participants in equestrian sports? They wear long trousers (of sorts). If you were referring to traditional team games, then you are probably right in your assertion.

[Dave Wells]

Probably but I hope not.

[Bob Singleton]

The one day game, and especially 20/20 is killing the game.

That many so-called test batsmen are no longer capable of batting through a day, session by session, to save a game, has its roots in the proliferation of one day cricket. Too many think that getting 30 or 40 odd runs quickly is OK. Well it's not! I'm not asking everyone suddenly become clones of Chris Tavar?, but one of the greatest innings I've ever seen was Mike Atherton scoring 185 over the course of 10 hours to save the 2nd test in Jo'burg in 1995

Some say that Kevin Pieterson is a great test batsman... well as far as I'm concerned, for all his centuries, he's not a proper test batsman while he continues throwing his wicket away attempting stupid shots best suited to the one day game.

[Jonone]

It's just symptomatic of the modern world, time compression, and shorter attention spans. It's the same explanation for why there aren't as many three hour 'epic' films as there were 20-30 years ago.

If you bemoan people's unwillingness to sit through a 5 day test match and their preference to 'cut to the chase' of 1 day and limited overs cricket then you should also address the ways in which you've become impatient and expect things in an instant because it's the same wish for a more instant gratification.

[Trumpton]

The ultimate arbiter will, of course, be money. The simple fact is that outside England 5-day test match cricket is badly struggling - even in cricket mad India. T20 is a huge success with the IPL, the recent T20 World Championship - and further tournaments are planned with more and more money on offer.