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| Indians parading on the streets after they won the first edition of the T20 World Cup played in South Africa. |
MAKE no mistake about it, Twenty20 is bigger than Test cricket. Twenty20 is massive in the sub-continent and that is easily proved by television ratings worldwide. If Test cricket does not do something to improve itself soon then it will sadly go slowly off the cricketing gods.
Sport today relies heavily on television ratings. No ratings, no sponsorship, and ultimately no money. Test ratings have been falling slowly worldwide now for quite a while mainly due to the fact that the Indians are embracing Twenty20. If Test cricket is to survive then the cricketing bodies have to get the sub-continent to embrace it.
Twenty20 is an explosive game that lasts for three hours. It is tailor-made for television. The game is probably a reflection of today's society in the need for fast food. It wants fast cricket. The normal cricket fan has not got time to wait five days for a result, let alone waiting for the 50-over format. People are too busy now and the game has evolved around the fans' needs. It is simple as that.My co-commentator Tony Greig said to me off-air recently in Dubai, "How much fun is a T20 match to commentate on compared to a 50-50 match … just no comparison!" Greig is right. Twenty20 offers so much more excitement to the non-cricketing fan.
So what is Twenty20 about? To understand the Twenty20 game more you have to throw out such cricketing milestones of centuries and five-wicket hauls as we do in other forms of the game.
If a batsman scores 60 in Twenty20, that is comparable to a hundred in the 50-over format. A three-wicket haul is equivalent to a five-wicket haul. Batsmen should never be gauged on averages — it is all about strike rates. Batsmen need to have their strike rates over 120 runs per 100 balls to be considered worthy.
Bowlers, on the other hand should never be gauged on their averages or wickets taken. Bowlers' performances should be judged on runs conceded in an over. Anything from seven runs and under is an awesome performance.
Twenty20 is a game of power for batsmen. For bowlers it is all about mental courage. Being able to cope with batsmen trying to launch them onto another planet is hard work. Not many fast bowlers have brains but the spinners will tell you they do … maybe this is why all over the world in Twenty20 spinners perform better than the quicks.
Batsmen have to be strong and powerful. Look at all the home-run hitters in Major Baseball League, for example, the retired Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. They were massive units and very powerful. This is where our future Twenty20 batsmen will look like in years to come.
The bats these days are manufactured 40 per cent better than in my time and the boundaries are far smaller than other games. Yes, they bring them in for more sixes and fours.
Can you believe that Brad Hodge has not been selected for the Australian Twenty20 world championship squad? How the selectors keep overlooking him is shameful and laughable! Hodge averages 41.60 in Twenty20 and his consistency would be a welcome boost for any team.
The team that wins is the team that hits the most boundaries. We know now that there is no time to hang around in Twenty20. If you are a batsman who is struggling to make runs, we will witness a captain who will retire him mid-innings so that someone else can have a crack. Trust me, it will happen soon. This is a game of now.
Players have to be fit, strong and agile. Already we are seeing a host of cricketers breaking down with soft-tissue injuries. Maybe Shane Watson should not play this game after all. There is no time to think … in the words of John Daly — just "rip it".
The Age |
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