Twenty20 cricket is growing on me. Admittedly I was not a fan, nor was I impressed with the concept of a world cup whilst the format is still in its infancy but I must say I have been pleasantly surprised by the action and excitement of the game.
Tactics, captaincy and bowling has had to change with the big hitting, sixes becoming the order of the day creating an exciting spectacle. Ideally manufactured for television audiences, Twenty20 cricket has big bucks and a global audience at its wake.
It’s like a carnival with music when a batsmen hits a six and between overs, introducing a new batsmen or bowler, it’s like watching WWE wrestling. Add cheerleaders into the mix and cricket looks less like a five day marathon and more like the hundred metre dash.
There lies cricket’s new excitement. Speed!
Cricket has been accused of being too slow and not exciting, especially for complete foreigners of the game but twenty20 is finding new audiences and new fans, dare I say it could potentially challenge baseball in a premier league-esque format?
Creating leagues with India, South Africa and New Zealand are pushing corporations and cricket into new markets with the possibility of players extending their careers and playing for other enterprises in other nations.
The concept is mind-blowing as the possibility is that Kevin Pietersen, Ricky Ponting or Muttiah Muralitharan could represent a New York based team. Glenn McGrath believes twenty20 will make cricket a ‘global sport’ and in the future, nations like the USA and Russia may become competitive.
What ever the case, this concept has surprisingly grown on me and the pace at which it is growing feels just right. Bring on the global tournaments!
