20-20-20 and T20

Lights, camera aaand, T20 is born.

Cricket’s newest baby is here to stay. Such has been its flamboyance; no one’s escaped from it. Even the U.S., a nation that scoffed at the gentleman’s game till about a decade ago, is giving a serious thought to it!

Twenty-20, a brainchild of the English, is a rage and is spreading like wildfire. Short game, shorter ground and cheerleaders with even shorter skirts, T20 has got people sit up and take notice of cricket.

But what stings me is the pessimistic reaction of the purists and players (which, to me was a bit surprising…). They state that T20 is all fun and no work, where the basic values of the glorious game are demeaned. In short it’s hardly cricket.

I beg to differ. Here I would like to state that in no way am I trying to disrespect any former greats or current players or The Game for that matter. I for one, will be the first to drool over the prospect of an Indo-Oz test bash, and yet...

For starters, cricket’s hardly a global sport. So, why stop something which is taking cricket places? Countries which were alien to the game are now willing to cash in on its newfound vigour. Imagine the French locking horns with the Chinese in WC2027 semis? The prospect is soul-bathing.

And all the three forms of the game CAN co-exist. I believe that all of them can be the part of the landscape. So, it would be naïve to smell conspiracy.

Let’s not kill the golden-goose. The onus is on us whether we want to play dillydally in our halcyon with a handful of nations or help cricket spread its wings and soar.

Of course there will be setbacks, but we can surely take them. Let’s give the I.O.C something to pain their heads on. What say?