- Apr 5, 2014
- 25,942
The thing is, T20 has been a force for the good. It is basically 50 over cricket without the boring middle overs, it promotes athletic fielding and catching, speed of play and obviously big hitting. Plus you get to see a game with a result in a single evening, so it is marketable. The IPL (and the Big Bash to a lesser extent) has been absolutely outstanding entertainment and attracted huge crowds. The Hundred is trying to leverage this sort of big city, big stadium marketability and we can debate the whys and wherefores of that.
But 60 ball cricket? What does that add? Absolute shite.
I do watch the 20 over home tournament. Even if I'm not best keen on it. I say best keen on it, if it was just left at that I'd be fine.
I remember having a conversation at an Albion friendly at Lewes in 2014. We were both watching the cricket over the wall rather than the Albion. He told me about how 20 over cricket was needed for the financial future of the game. I changed my view and have even attended a Sussex match. I refuse to call them the Sharks and am not best pleased at the adultery committed to the Sussex badge. The merchandise there is poor anyway. I'm not convinced the new names make a difference anyway and I'm glad some counties have said no.
The IPL they can stick up their Bumrah. It's franchise cricket. I don't watch it, and The Hundred- we are all spitting over that.
But if they need to reduce it to 60 balls for those with the attention span of a demented goldfish then it really is it.
Cricket began to die in the 90s and especially when it left terrestrial. It's tough for me. I've loved the game for 40 years and it's like watching a loved one slowly lose their mind. I know I can't stop whining about it. But it hurts to see it.
Seeing Test devotees on cricket threads here warms me. But I'm aware that, at 53, I'm probably amongst the younger ones. That's a red flag really.