Many past cricketers shun Twenty20 games

Pavilion view By Ranjan Anandappa

CRICKET: The inaugural Twenty 20 Cricket World Cup will take place in South Africa in September 2007.

This shorter and the latest version of international cricket was played in England with the sides batting twenty overs each to attract the crowds which had kept away from county matches, especially in England. The tournament has gradually spread to almost every country where the spectators expect things to happen much faster.

This helter-skelter of a game has no doubt come to stay and has created a big impact in the cricket world. To find out more about this, several past Sri Lankan cricketers were consulted and they expressed their views frankly.

Former Sri Lanka opener Sidath Wettimuny who scored the first Test century for the country against Pakistan and an epic 190 at Lord's and who is also the president of the Cricketers Association of Sri Lanka, was quite certain that the shorter version of the game has definitely come to stay.

"The Twenty 20 is going to be the attraction of the future, because if one looks at the pressures of living today, basically people just want everything faster, like fast foods and I think that the game of Twenty 20 has definitely come to stay and one day it is going to be possibly the most popular game as well," said Sidath Wettimuny.

"Time is becoming a critical factor now. In England, Twenty 20 cricket has done a lot of good, because English cricket in my opinion, lacked and they may still lack the flair and the Twenty 20 game will bring about the sort of revival that's needed in English county cricket. Obviously the ICC is hosting such a tournament because they can see that it's going to be one of the most exciting sort of tournament that will possibly become very popular in the years to come," he said.

Twenty 20 for youngsters

Wettimuny further stressed that the 20/20 doesn't have the same character of Test cricket. Test cricket is something totally different and that must be preserved at any cost. But, this is another version of the game and it will appeal to a lot of people, especially the younger generation and it may also bring in countries like USA and other countries faster to the game, because it is a shorter version and there is a huge commercial aspect to the game as well, he said.

"The commercial draw will be there. It will bring in new countries faster to the game ,the likes of China and USA. So, it is going to have a lot of excitement in that sense while the commercial value is going to be very big and it will give opportunities to several nations to get into the game. It will also create a different brand of cricket which may bring different players to the game. In time to come, I can see some guys who will specialise in Twenty 20 cricket."

"The negative side of it is that one can argue that one will lose certain characteristics of playing in the longer version of the game, but it has so far survived in the 50 overs and the Test match as it hasn't really made a huge difference. In fact the Test game has become more interesting, because the players are beginning to play more positively.

Even in the Test matches which we have seen like the way the Australians play Test cricket. The five-day game has become a lot more fast moving, which has done the game a lot of good. So, there are not many negatives, and only time could reveal it."

"The only thing I would like to mention is that the Twenty 20 game has come to stay and it is going to be very popular. It is like a game of tennis, where one can watch it in the evening and go home after having one's fair share of entertainment as a spectator and that's what the people want."

Cricket - different characteristics

Asked whether the Twenty 20 concept would kill the normal 50-over games, Wettimuny doubted it very much and categorised the Test, 50-overs and the Twenty 20 have different characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. For the ultimate test of cricketing strength, Test cricket will always be Test cricket and that will stand out.

As the game goes different things emerge and we cannot stop that. At the end of the day, it will boil down to supply and demand. If the spectators want more of this, that's what they will get. But knowing the social and economic pressures of the world today, people want to have compact versions of whatever they like. That's what the Twenty-over game is all about.

When questioned whether this shorter version of the game would affect the younger players, Wettimuny said that Twenty 20 cricket will definitely require greater athletic skills as one needs to be more agile on the field and may be stronger as well, because you need to hit more sixes and fours and it will breed a new type of players. However, as the lamented saying goes no one would know whether it would do harm to the game.

Anyone who starts playing international cricket, is around 18 or 20 plus, and he believed that Sri Lanka is capable of handling this concept without much problems because our style of cricket is good enough.

Globalising - questionable

Graeme Labrooy, the former Sri Lanka paceman said that Twenty 20 tournaments could take the game worldwide, but their effort trying to globalise this type of tournament is questionable.

"They have to compete with sports like football and basketball which are much more universal. Looking at the duration, even a one-day game goes on for the whole day. But football and basketball is different. What I feel is the authorities are trying to create the same type of excitement. If they are looking at it that way Twenty 20 is good, but by trying to do that in the long run, my fear is that the one-day game will have to be sacrificed," said Labrooy.

"I do not think there is much of a difference between a Twenty 20 game and a 50-over game. The actual value of the game, artistry and the history of the game has been pushed back. But it is a definite crowd-puller. But from the players point of view it may come to light that they burn out - that may cause some concern.

I do not see much of a difference playing a one-dayer and a Twenty 20 game. Anyway a day has to be set aside. Throughout the year there have been complaints about player burn-out, too much of cricket and top of that we get the Twenty 20.

It is good for two reasons , one is to spread the game around the world and other thing is the revenue. Most sponsors are interested in this type of cricket because of the television coverage and air time. But sometimes the current players are not one hundred percent fit. Sometimes few key players may not go for the World Cup. So that's a big drawback.

There are already a few players who want to opt out. That could take away the interest and the glamour of the whole tournament. If you are basically looking at the revenue it is lucrative.

"When you take all the revenue of a limited over game like TV rights, sponsorships and gate money, sometimes you have a Test match you cannot get 25,000 spectators on all five days. But in a limited overs game, you get 35,000 people. From the players point of view, it is not a very popular choice."

Cricket losing popularity

"Over the last decade or so, cricket has been losing its popularity and football has become more popular. The game of football is played over ninety minutes or maximum two hours. There are great followers and fan clubs and lot of merchandising attached to the game and they have a feeling towards the clubs. To meet that demand, the Twenty 20 has been probably introduced."

"In England, it is played in a slightly different format. They interview the umpires, fielders, batsmen, bowlers live on TV and I don't think that we are internationally going to that level. Then it is a miss out. Sri Lanka are trying to play the Twenty 20 that was started in England, but still not upto the level that it is played in England. They even interview the twelfth man live on television while the game is in progress.

If we are carrying forward that format it is a totally new concept. But here we are trying to play a not so serious game in a serious manner.

In England, the game was introduced to compete with the other sports.They start at 3 or 4 o'clock in the evening so that people can come after work and watch it, something similar to football. So are we going to embrace it internationally? It is a different question.

"This Twenty 20 concept should suit the Sri Lankan game. The Lankans are more aggressive and with the success in the one-day arena, the Lankans wouldn't mind playing it.

But again the senior players would want to play a little more ODIs and Test cricket. The Twenty 20 is a high and tense game and they do not want to take the risk by playing a Twenty 20 series. Instead of playing a series of Twenty 20's, they would prefer to play one more year of proper one day and Test cricket.

Test cricket needs protection

Former Sri Lanka player and reputed television and radio commentator Ranil Abeynaike said that too much of Twenty 20 cricket could jeopardise the normal 50 over version of the game.

Test cricket should be protected and too many of this shorter version of the game is not good. The Twenty 20 World Cup should be staged once in four years like the 50-over World Cup.

A touring side should restrict their Twenty 20 games to two matches, he said. By playing too many shorter versions of the game the fielding has improved tremendously. Even the Test matches are result oriented because the batsmen play more attacking shots in pursuit of quick runs and get themselves out.

More harm done than good

Former Ceylon opening batsman Mano Ponniah who belongs to the old brigade of Sri Lanka cricketers said that Twenty 20 cricket has two aspects - commercial value rewarding the cricketers and the cricketing point of view. He was not in favour of Twenty 20 cricket, as it does more harm to cricket than good and young aspiring cricketers should not play.The game is terribly one-sided as the bowlers have no chance at all.

The batsmen use heavy bats to demolish the bowlers and people who are not so educated in the game of cricket come to watch this. The real tussle between the bat and ball is the longer version of the game which the batsmen could build up an innings and the bowlers could plan their strategy to get the batsmen out.

The Twenty 20 cricket first came into play way back in the 1950's and 60s when clubs played friendly matches for leisure after a heavy day's work for relaxation during the long summer. The main reason for a Test match not to last the full duration is due to the poor defence adopted by the batsmen owing to the many limited-over cricket matches played these days.

Ponniah won his Ceylon cap in 1964 when he was a member of the victorious team in 1964, which beat Pakistan, under Michael Tissera. Thereafter, he opened batting for Cambridge University from 1967 to 1969.