BBC Home

Explore the BBC

New visitors: Create your membership
Returning members: Sign in

157 comments

user rating: 3 star

This Is Now Becoming Rather Silly

Twenty20 England
by englandmad666 (U6926799) 25 September 2007
comment on the article

Hello all, first of all i would like to congratulate India on winning the inagural 20-20 world competition in a great match with their neighbours pakistan.

Now that the competition is done with we can all look forward to our respective series with anticpation in fact Englands ODI series against Sir lanka starts on monday so im looking forward to what should be a tough test for this England side.

However much to my dismay i turned on sky sports news this morning to find Rob Key doing a interview on the future of 20-20 cricket (fair enough) but what he said in this interview i found rather disturbing.

He claimed that the 20-20 format could soon become the 2nd most important form of cricket in the eyes of the fans behind tests, and he even claimed that 20-20 cricket could potentially wipe 50 overs off the international calender. This now becoming rather silly.

How can a game that in effect is nothing but a hit and giggle, and leads to some average cricketers at normal levels suddenly look like geniuses at the international format be considered as a replacement for 50 over cricket?

I mean 50 over cricket is great to watch, yes i know the recent world cup was rather sour but it lets good players express themselves with proper cricket shots and good bowling not just 20 overs of slog and attempted yorkers.

If you dont believe me go and buy the DVD of the recent one day series England played against india, that had everything you could possibly want from a One day series in it. Great bowling, batting, fielding and captaincy in it. The neutral couldnt have asked for a better series.

So are we honestly lead to believe that this is the future of the one day game? Yes its great entertainment and i loved watching the majority of the matches and i thought they advocated the 20-20 tournament taking place.

I even now think that this place for the tournament to figure in the cricket calander every 2 years, but is this really the future of the one day game? And a replacement for the apparent dead 50 over cricket.

I certainly hope it isnt.

Do you agree?

Comments please

Latest 10 comments

Read members' comments or add your own

posted Sep 26, 2007

If you want proper cricket - a real, thoughtful, evolving, strategic game, you've got Test Cricket which is and must remain the pinnacle of the game. If you want fast, action-packed, cheap thrill cricket you've got 20-20.

So what is the point of the 50 over game?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Sep 26, 2007

As a fairly newish cricket fan I think the 50 over ODI's are more entertaining for genuine sport fans.

20-20 is all about the entertainment factor, Im sure it has it's place but to me games always looked in the balance no matter who appeared well on top.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by Wigs666 (U6721814)

posted Sep 26, 2007

Let's say that in a 50 over game the team batting first scores 300 runs. The team batting second lose early wickets, say 50 - 4. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred it's game over with hours and hours of play to go. And the chances of a tie are miniscule. There are certainly examples of teams fighting back from these sorts of positions, I can think of England and New Zealand doing it recently. But so often games are one and lost with only half the play gone. The recent England/India series was great, but I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a genuinely competitive ODI series before that.

In a twenty over game, even if it is hopelessly one sided (Sri Lanka vs Kenya anyone...) it's still all over in 2 1/2 hours. And most of the time because it is only 20 overs long one side can never really get an 'un-chaseable' score.

Test cricket will always remain the pinnacle of the game, but give it a few years a Twenty20 will be it's main currency and cricket's best chance of breaking into new countries.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by previr (U9766794)

posted Sep 26, 2007

I agree 100%.

T20 is good. But please stop all the nonsense about it replacing one-day cricket.

The ODI World Cup was badly managed. No fault of the ODI format.

Let all the three formats co-exist.

To each his own.

For me, it will always be first Tests, then ODI and then finally T20.

You cannot ask people who love the game to give up tests or ODI just so that aliens in China or US pick up the game.

I love my cricket and no one should take away my choice.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Sep 26, 2007

20/20 is rank. I was violently sick off it once and the thought of it now turns me pale. As for its place in cricket, it can only be a good thing. For instance Michael Vaughen would be a lot more intersting if he was mashed up on 20/20 big styley.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Sep 26, 2007

Aquaticjay

The world so far has learnt to play cricket without the need for 20/20; countries in South America, North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia. So it's already a world game - where were you?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Sep 26, 2007

"S Burrito" hehe, lol addicted_7 cool

"...up and down the hills and so on - for about a day chasing an inflated pig's bladder. The shortened version has become more popular."
- Audiern that's simply hillarious laugh

Nice article M-P, packed with cracking quotes...

"Pakistunned" "Karachi Captured" laugh
clearly they've recruited some hacks from The Sun.

"...self-congratulatory air, chest-thumping patriotism and a nouveau-riche swagger that would shame Chelsea FC evoke disturbing comparisons with another country across the Atlantic that thinks the world begins and ends within its borders"

biggrin so, exactly the same demeanour that OZi, SAF or ENG would adopt had they won! whistle

"..they strung together four back-to-back victories - against clueless England and then the three best teams in the competition, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan"

laugh clueless England !! lololo sadfacelaugh on careful reflection we really did suck the big burrito!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Sep 26, 2007

Schrodinger's Beretta

you are in a jolly mood! smiley Welcome on the article enjoyed it too


ok I will bite,

is the Schrodinger in your monicker from German physicist Schrodinger as in Schrodinger's Equations?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Sep 27, 2007

good this make cricket fans to get a chnace to share their fellings about cricket and about their favourite team

add comment | complain about this comment

Comment on this article


RATE THIS ARTICLE

Rate Breakdown

  • 5 41.18%
    7 votes
  • 4 11.76%
    2 votes
  • 3 5.88%
    1 votes
  • 2
    0 votes
  • 1 41.18%
    7 votes

average rating:
3.12 from 17 votes