Introduced in 2005, the much aggrandised T20 format has consistently been on the rise everywhere. Every country has its own T20 league which has been brought to life by world class players who are hailed as T20 specialists and domestic players who make a name for themselves though this platform. The IPL- India’s baby can be thought of as the catalyst for this rapid rise of this spontaneous format. As the world prepares for another T20 world cup starting March, the format's effects cannot be stated enough.
Initially, a lot had been thought about the relevance and implications of this format. Off spinners and leg spinners had been rendered useless, it was hailed as a youngster’s and a batsmen’s game, and a lot of speculations prevailed over its continuity and effect on the other formats and the approaches and the long term implication on the game of cricket. In a nutshell, this format has been the most influential of all formats, literally and metaphorically. We are now used to the outrageous ‘conventional’ and reserve sweeps and don’t give the ‘dilscoops’ or the ‘switch hits’ as much credit as they deserve. God knows what new type of shots are yet to come, but one thing is for sure, new shots won’t surprise us as they did before.
People say cricket is turning into a batsman’s game with 300 totals imminent in almost all ODIs which are even easily chased down in many cases, high scoring T20 games and run rates like never before in test cricket. This is definitely the T20 effect, but it isn’t a negative one, since it will eventually change. After seeing unconventional batsmen, we have now seen two ambidextrous bowlers. After seeing new shots being invented, we have seen off spinners bowling flippers, leg spinners bowling doosras and fast bowlers bowling off cutters on a regular basis. It won’t be surprising to see more of such inventions, since just like T20 cricket revolutionised batting, it will do the same to bowling, after all, there was a time when people though spinners were unnecessary, and now 8 of the top 10 bowlers in T20Is are spinners!
The T20 World Cup, when introduced in 2007, was promising, but little could anyone predict the shear impact it would have on the current and future generation players, both young and old. It surely was a game for the youngsters, but was it? Kumar Sangakkara, Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardhane are those “young players” who are playing in various leagues around the world. Everyone was wrong about T20s, it was supposed to be the youngsters’ format because it takes some getting used to, but as cricket proves yet again, Age is just a number. T20 cricket is the hardest format in that it takes the most time to get the hang of, but once one does get used to it, anyone can be a part of it. T20s turned out to increase the shelf life of cricketers, instead of reducing it. Muttiah Muralidharan, Micheal Hussey, Brett Lee, Marcus Trescothick and many more such cricketers have been out of international cricket for a long time, but T20s have provided them a way to stay in touch with their roots.
T20s have revolutionised fielding in a way like never before. An aspect of the game that had been overlooked and neglected at will, has almost been reborn as its importance has been rediscovered. More and more attention is now paid on fielding drils and electric fielding is almost a prerequisite to win games. The world’s top teams Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and India are full of such fielders. There was just one Jonty Rhodes in the last 2 decades, but we can’t choose from the Suresh Rainas, Glenn Maxwells and the David Warners. A reason for the multitude of fielding reserves is the competitiveness of this format which surely cannot be bad for the game.
The most inevitable part that came with T20s was the entertainment and the large fan base that it generated that has given cricket world wide recognition. We wouldn’t have seen players like AB De Villiers, Eoin Morgan and Glenn Maxwell who are recognised and loved all over the world. The only stigma that it has generated is perhaps the loss of the value of true test cricket, and turning cricket into a more and more batsman oriented game. However, it will be unfair to blame this format solely for that,other factors play a huge role too. The bat sizes have to be limited, there must be more experimentation with the type of ball used and the PITCHES must not be overly exaggerated to provide home advantage. Home Advantage is one thing, and Home overpowerment is another. One cannot blame the T20 format for introducing a whole new dimension to batting in the game, as such an after effect has come through the batsman and gives the bowlers more incentive and motivation to improve and invent.
T20s have been a boon to a cricket and the effects cannot be understated or undermined. It has already revolutionised two aspects of the game and is inciting the third to change too. This format has brought a whole new approach to the game by the players and the audience, and it is not supposed to remain this way. Cricket needed to be different than before because everything has a shelf life. This acted as a catalyst to bring about that change, and there are many more to come
