Twenty20 under the spotlight
OPINION: What is it about the Black Caps this summer that makes them so good to watch?
Colin Munro’s hitting leads the way. He’s done it for years on the domestic circuit, but now he’s doing it while wearing black, and it’s a joy to see.
Martin Guptill’s hitting too. And Ross Taylor’s for that matter. And Colin de Grandhomme’s. Well, anyone’s really.
Trent Boult with the new ball and his tail up. Ish Sodhi tying batsmen down, leaving them wondering which way the ball will spin. Mitch Santner doing likewise, making it seem as if Daniel Vettori never retired.
And where are all those things seen in their most purest form?
It has to be Twenty20, which means it’s a good thing that there’s so much of the shortest format on the schedule.
Last night’s match against Pakistan at Eden Park in Auckland was the fifth scheduled T20 this summer, equalling the record set in the 2011-12 and 2015-16 seasons.
By the end of February there will have been five more – including the tri-series final, where the Black Caps might not feature – as well as a mouthwatering clash with Australia across the ditch in Sydney.
That’s 10 T20s altogether on home soil, to go with 13 one-day internationals.
Early reports on the makeup of the new Future Tours Programme suggest it might not be long before the balance swings the other way – at the very least, an even mix seems to be on the cards moving forward.
Is it what cricket fans want? The jury’s still out.
There was quite the uproar in December 2016, when it was announced that the forthcoming tri-series would replace three Chappell-Hadlee ODIs, and it seems that for quite a lot of people, 50-over cricket still reigns supreme.
Suggest that T20 is the superior format, and you get met with a pretty fierce backlash.
But what is the most exciting thing about limited overs cricket? It’s batsman trying to score big runs quickly, and bowlers trying to stop them from doing so.
Most of the time, however, that only happens at the start and finish of a one-day innings. In between is a bit of connective tissue that can be a struggle to watch at times – especially in first innings, where the noodling isn’t set against the backdrop of a chase and the need to keep the required run rate in check.
T20s cut out the boring bits. That’s the argument in their favour, and it’s a compelling one.
You still get to see all the bits you like about limited overs cricket, just in smaller servings.
(Tests are a different beast altogether. What might seem boring when comparing ODIs to T20s is less so when placed in the context of a five-day, two-innings match).
Another good thing about T20s is that they limit our exposure to bad cricket. There are still stinkers, but at least they’re over quickly.
They also give bad teams a greater chance, because their compact nature makes luck a bigger factor.
But while they do introduce a bit of randomness, they don’t make games a lottery. Good teams still beat bad teams more often than not, as we’ve seen so far this summer.
Over the next month – with the end of the Pakistan series, and the tri-series here and in Australia – T20 will rule the roost.
It’s been a long time coming – 13 years in fact, since that first match at Eden Park against Australia, where the players wore wigs and had quite the laugh.
ODIs still have their place, and the series against England coming up should be a cracker, but it’s great to see T20s finally on an equal footing.