The IPL twenty 20 cricket 2010 is round the corner with the bidding spewing venomous exchanges between arch rivals India and Pakistan, as the battle for the championship begins with a bloodied warrior style of bidding, and is sure to witness more of such politically entwined unwarranted issues ruling the roost with cricket paling into insignificance.
Has cricket lost the sheen, has it lost the gentlemanly characteristic so inherent of the game? Is Twenty 20 cricket the real savior to inject life back into the game of cricket? Dailies and other forms of newsprint have been filled to the gunwales with the eminent columnists propounding their views on the Twenty 20 cricket as well as about the role of this format in today’s cricket. But doubts still linger in the minds of many who have chosen to go with Imran Khan’s formula of ‘Temperament, Talent and Technique’ as being the surefire formula to test a batsman’s success, and the testing platform unarguably being test cricket. For such individuals, the dying embers of the game aren’t emitting sparks to infuse further development, but have only resulted in setting forth a train of incidents which have all been a comedy of errors.
With flashy girls churning out all sorts of movements as while the twenty-twenty cricket match gets underway only suggests desperate moves perpetrated on the part of desperate minds seeking to bring the glory back into the game. Quantity rather than the quality has cast a spell on batsmen around the globe, and as a result, today’s cricketers make more of willow dancers than being recognized as master craftsmen of the art, and lack the grace and charm exhibited by their predecessors.
Memories down the lane take us back to the days of the charismatic arrogance of Viv Richards, flamboyant Barry Richards, graceful Gower, naturally talented Ian Botham, on drive perfectionist, Greg Chappell, lazy elegance of Zaheer Abbas, the workhorse all-rounder Kapil Dev, the deadly pace quartet of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcom Marshal and the Big Bird Joel Garner, legendary Richard Hadlee, crafty G.R. Vishvanath and of course the gutsy Border who turned things to work in favor of Australia’s way like a ship-wrecked mariner taking the vessel back to shore amid death rattling situations, and many more of the stalwarts who not only had ignited the passion of cricket but served as gentlemanly ambassadors who did a world of good to glorify the game.
Fast-paced life, dead as doornail wickets, cricketers walking into a match like a salesman on his daily call and as frequently so, fame and name poisoning the real love of the game, cricket matches turning out into blood shedding battlefields, and above all cricket trying to attract spectators as a brand manager in an organization, who tries to find ways to enhance the brand image through various cross-product promos, have all tarnished the image of the game as well as that of the five day test cricket.
Left in tatters, cricket has found mediums thought to be innovative and has disappointed genuine fans who look deep into the game to relish the artistic display of the performers. Pragmatic approach rather than innovative measures is the need of the hour to revive test cricket and to pave way for the art to blossom in a world of swift happenings. Let Twenty 20 cricket entertain enthusiasts, but, let it not take away the charm of five day cricket with its slog over strategy from the very beginning of a twenty 20 match.
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