ODIS healthier dish than T20s
OPINION: Idealogically, I should be in camp with Trevor Bayliss.
The England coach’s desire to get rid of Twenty20 internationals tugged enticingly at my heartstrings.
Prior to attending both the recent T20 clash between New Zealand and England at Seddon Park and Sunday’s ODI – as part of my job – I had far deeper interest in the longer form of white-ball cricket.
But I’m acutely aware I’m in the minority. Age is a factor. I was weaned in the 1970s on an almost exclusive diet of test cricket.
In the ‘80s, I rapidly acquired a taste for the pyjama game; 50 overs per side, played under lights in coloured clothing, it had the allure of coke and hamburgers.
When Twenty20 cricket arrived, I wanted something healthier.
Australia’s triumphant triseries side featured only David Warner from the test squad headed to South Africa. The Aussie T20 team’s composition was partly dictated by domestic form, partly by perceived importance.
Where the T20 tri-series stood in world cricket could be judged by the trophy Warner received following Australia’s triumph. A Mcdonald’s happy meal voucher would have been less shameful.
Bayliss wouldn’t have had a trophy, or a series.
‘‘I wouldn’t play T20 internationals,’’ he said recently. ‘‘I’d just let the franchises play. If we continue putting on so many games there’ll be a certain amount of blowout, not just players but coaches as well.
‘‘If you want to play a World Cup every four years or whatever it is, maybe six months before you get the international teams and let them play some T20 internationals.’’
His frustrations likely spring from recent developments where batsman Alex Hales and legspinning allrounder Adil Rashid have quit red-ball cricket, making themselves unavailable from country four-day matches and tests.
Those personal decisions can spring from dual reasons – the increase in T20 internationals makes for a taxing year-round programme for the players, but they – and domestic leagues worldwide, spearheaded by the IPL, make those cricketers a lot richer.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson focuses on the ‘‘revenue generation issue’’.
‘‘In some countries that’s not as big a deal but for New Zealand Cricket, to get 35,000 people to Eden Park or whatever it was the other day, is huge for us, huge for the game and huge for the promotion of the game.
‘‘Every international you play is incredibly meaningful,’’ he said. ‘‘You’ve got guys that only play T20 and that’s their chance to play international cricket, so I think absolutely it’s meaningful.’’
Meaningful or money-spinners, T20 tests will continue to be a ready-made meal internationally.