Twenty20 is all about entertainment

THE success of the recent Twenty20 internationals between England and the West Indies augers well for cricket which tends to stagnate in spells.

The two matches have provided a fine platform for the Twenty20 World Cup which is due to take place in South Africa in September.
Cricket itself needed the change. The one-day internationals were getting very predictable and new rules to infuse interest hardly paid off.
Though Test cricket has improved in terms of quality and spectator interest, the time factor always goes against it.
The Twenty20, with all its innovations is just what the doctor ordered. With the time factor reduced to just a few hours and start-up time very convenient for families, Twenty20 has proved to be a big hit with all strata of society.
Gimmicks like a DJ and lunchtime entertainment have added sparkle. Television viewers are also treated to on the field comments by players wired to the microphone.
The players are also gaining from the experience. They learn how to do controlled hitting and bowl tight due to the lack of overs. Fielding has also improved tremendously as every run counts in this version.
Most countries have embraced this form enthusiastically. Introduced in England four years ago, Twenty20 has drawn full houses wherever it is being played. The counties have added their own gimmicks to add colour. The game has also proved popular in South Africa. The huge stadiums which wear an empty look during the Test matches are now filled up whenever a Twenty20 match takes place.
Some of the oddities include dunking kids into a swimming pool whenever the ball clears the ropes. An umpire is also known to do a jig while signaling a four or a six.
Elsewhere in the West Indies, the game has boosted attendance figures and provided solace to scores of West Indians who are disappointed by the performances of the national side.
The cricket-crazy Sub-continent has been slower to introduce the format. It is still to catch on in India, though it is doing reasonably well in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The Sub-continent boards need to offer the spectators a complete package instead of just a game.
There are many, including some current cricketers who have reservations about the shortened version. They feel that exposing talented, young cricketers to this form will get them into bad habits and will be detrimental to their development as Test cricketers.
This may be partly true. The same reservations were felt when one-day cricket was introduced.
But many of the top players in the world excel at both forms of the game.
Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist have great records in both Tests and one-day cricket.
When one-day cricket took off, the impression that was created was that batsmen will come, have a slog and get out. However, that was far from the truth. The science of one-day cricket evolved over time and there was place for a sedate player to find a place in the team. Innings builders like Australia’s Geoff Marsh had a good run in the one-dayers.
Today, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid boast excellent records in one-day cricket. They know that holding an innings together is as important as slogging.
Twenty20 will also evolve over a period of time. The players will assess the situation differently as time goes by.
The change is evident already. Players donít just go out and hit everything out of sight from ball one. They are more clinical in their hitting and a lot of thought is given into shaping the innings.
Twenty20 will prove good for cricket in the long run. The spectators have already accepted it, which is the deciding factor.
From their point view, a game which involves around three to four hours of their time and offers instant results is ideal. Watching a game of cricket after a hard day at work and even going home at a decent time makes a lot of difference to them.
Bringing their families along is also a bonus. It is time well spent with loads of entertainment.
As Lara rightly said before he quit that cricket is all about entertainment. Twenty20 does just that.

By Babu Kalyanpur
babu.kallianpur@tradearabia.net