T10 could be next in evolution of cricket
You want a sobering thought to ponder at the start of the international season? Try this from England opener Alastair Cook, on the eve of the Ashes series. Cook, remember, is a test specialist and there aren’t many of those around.
New Zealand have opener Jeet Raval, bouncy fast bowler Neil Wagner and wicketkeeper BJ Watling and . . . that’s about it among the top international players.
So, with the increasing predominance of T20 cricket, and the lure of it for the game’s top players for a range of reasons — primarily, but not exclusively financial — here’s what Cook had to say in the newlylaunched Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine:
“The game has evolved more quickly than I imagined it would do. Take South Africa v Bangladesh [in early October with the hosts walloping Bangladesh twice]. No one was watching the game, and soon it [test cricket] will not be viable. There’s no money in it because that’s all in the T20 leagues — or T10 as it probably will be soon — and we have to be worried about that.”
The part to make you shudder is the eight words between the dashes.
Cook also made the point that T20 is a “brilliant” game — that’s a matter of opinion but there you go — but tests remain the ultimate examination of a player’s skills. No argument in that, just the predominance of the shortest form which irks.
But think a moment: what if someone fancies putting together a T10 league? That is, 10 overs a side, as opposed to the already rapid 20 overs.
You could get the game done and dusted inside two hours. Time for a
pint and a pie then off out the gate, having taken an hour to park the car.
That seems a touch skew-wiff, but extrapolate that: do you need 11 players? How about eight? More gaps in the field, no need for seven bowlers and no need for 11 batsmen, that’s for sure.
Okay, Cook may have had his tongue poking in the direction of his cheek, but the thought is worth a momentary ponder.
How far can cricket go in the search for entertainment and how much wriggle room does it have before it becomes full-on nonsense?
New Zealand played an eightovers-a-side T20 in India last month. That was brought about by rain and a subsequent reduction in overs.
As it transpired, it played out as a mini-thriller, India’s 67 for five edging out New Zealand’s 61 for six. But it’s bite-sized, quickly forgotten entertainment, hardly designed to please the palate.
Test cricket is soon to have a championship format, the i’s still being dotted and t’s crossed by the International Cricket Council.
It won’t be perfect. As with the rubbish Super Rugby format, not all nine teams will play each other home and away over a two-year period. But let’s give it a chance. See how it plays out. It’s unlikely to get a 10/10 report card but anything which gives more context to the oldest form of the game is fine in this book.