Cricket's demise

The art of cricket is being lost in the frames of T20 games that have now grown widely popular globally. It is all entertaining stuff for a public that wants action and fast-moving sport. Thus, the intricacies of a game like cricket in which its charm, drama and satisfaction are in the strategies employed to get the better of one’s opponent in a two-innings confrontation, are lost.

This does not exist in a game where the number of overs is twenty and no bowler, regardless of how well he’s bowling, is allowed to bowl more than four overs. A format where the boundaries are reduced to a shorter-than-normal distance from the batting crease; still, most dismissals are caught on the boundary. The pitches are prepared so that they would be bland, to give the batsman every advantage over the bowler. The crowd has come to see sixes!

There’s no drama involved in the actual competition of bat against ball, only the emotional spectators of the home team who jump and scream in support of the sixes the batsmen hit and of course for one’s team to win. There are so many batsmen that are out with full tosses and half volleys that it becomes a bore after a while.

Cricket is a game in which the better team has to bowl out the opposition for fewer runs over two innings, in order to prove their superiority. What is being played in the 20-limited-overs tourney is fun and enjoyment for those seeking some evening’s entertainment. However, it’s not cricket in the true sense of the word. It doesn’t give the depth of satisfaction one will receive in looking at a game where bowlers can be changed as a tactic, fieldsmen can be moved about as part of a strategic plan and the cricket knowledge to know when to attack or defend, when to declare, etcetera.

In the future, when the idea of Test cricket dies in the WI, the development of cricketers will be challenging, to say the least, as it will be very difficult to coach youngsters to play this game properly. Those who are playing the game at present, have developed a sound technique from young and that is the main reason why they could adjust to the shorter versions.

However, it is apparent how much the technique of batsmen and bowlers, especially batsmen, has deteriorated. What makes batsmen proficient is to have been schooled in the orthodox mode, to ensure the adjustment can be successful in other formats. Nevertheless, when small countries like New Zealand, West Indies, plus the less economical territories, eventually can no longer engage in Test cricket, there would be no financial foundation on which to fall back, hence, the employment of coaches as we know it today, would be a thing of the past.

The T20 players of the day would be on their own and the folding up of traditional cricket would take place. Those most upset would be the players as the majority of them prefer the two-inning game. The greed for money by franchise holders would have trumped the deep satisfaction of the contest.

Whatever, the deterioration is plain to see. One only has to observe the present-day T20 batsman and the way he approaches his innings. There's no concentration, absolutely no application, just trying to please the crowd with attempted six hits and because of that, the ball goes every which way. What is that? It is certainly not cricket. It is one big slog.

Once in a while a well-played innings is on display and immediately the cricket connoisseur appreciates it. Also, in the bowling, though not as much, one is thrilled by the artistry, although mostly by spinners, but the ineptness of the batsmen contribute in no small way.

Batsmen must understand that batsmanship is the intelligent application of one’s batting skills, rather than carelessly losing one’s wicket. The good batsman doesn’t only need natural physical gifts like coordination and good eyesight, but they must include and develop their mental ability to overcome and dominate any bowler. Plus, the state of the game during the time that he’s in, is important; making him a far better batsman in all formats.

Present administrators are mostly interested in T10 and T20 cricket and not the game itself.

A ditty to close:

Cricket is a game of gentle grace

Its beauty is for the contemplative eye

Hot it up, roll your wheels, blow your trumpet

You have lost it!