Cricket versus football (soccer). Last Saturday I was glued to the TV watching a nail-biting final between India and South Africa. This Saturday I am watching much-anticipated quarter between England and Switzerland. Half time, no score. Same like yesterday’s games - Germany v Spain, and Portugal v France. Lots of action but the scoring drought is hard on the viewer.
T20 cricket could change sports globally. It is short and entertaining-packed game. It is the version of the future. People have too much going on to spend 5 days on a game, or 8 plus hours on ODIs. T20 is what the fans crave. I love test cricket and ODI. They are what I grew up with, but things change all the time. There was a time when there was not time limit on cricket. Later it changed to 5 days. By the 1970s fans were leaving test cricket. Not because they were bored of the game, but because they did not have time to go to games that last all day for 5 days, especially when those days are workdays. Then ODI happened by pretty much accident. Then Kerry Packer took it a new level. Then in the 2000s, T20 sprung up. Like ODI, it was pretty much by accident. T20 has captured the cricketing world and beyond. In years to come maybe China and other African countries beside Zimbabwe and SA will have big followings.
T20 cricket could change sports globally. It is short and entertaining-packed game. It is the version of the future. People have too much going on to spend 5 days on a game, or 8 plus hours on ODIs. T20 is what the fans crave. I love test cricket and ODI. They are what I grew up with, but things change all the time. There was a time when there was not time limit on cricket. Later it changed to 5 days. By the 1970s fans were leaving test cricket. Not because they were bored of the game, but because they did not have time to go to games that last all day for 5 days, especially when those days are workdays. Then ODI happened by pretty much accident. Then Kerry Packer took it a new level. Then in the 2000s, T20 sprung up. Like ODI, it was pretty much by accident. T20 has captured the cricketing world and beyond. In years to come maybe China and other African countries beside Zimbabwe and SA will have big followings.