In T20 matches, every ball is a chapter in itself
T20 cricket, despite being maligned by many Test cricket enthusiasts, requires an exacting level of precision and excellence in every discipline. The Indian Premier League (IPL) showcases this.
This format is mentally exhausting, requiring planned execution ball by ball. Every action is analysed by the fans, commentators and coaches. The pressure on the players to meet every challenge is enormous. The intensity is so extreme that they can plummet from hero to zero in a single delivery.
Nothing is ever certain. One of my lasting memories of limited-overs cricket was in the 1980s when archrivals Natal and Transvaal played in a Gillette Cup semifinal match at Wanderers.
Transvaal played themselves into a match-winning situation requiring just 36 runs in seven overs with six wickets in hand. Only six runs were required in the last over, which was to be bowled by Mike Procter. He was a veteran limited-over cricket legend, having played myriad matches for his county, aptly renamed Proctershire!
The evening light was fading fast. I was fielding at deep midoff as Proccie walked past me to his mark. He mumbled: “This is almost impossible to win.”
Typical of the man, he bowled superbly. Doug Neilson came to the wicket to face the last ball with three runs required. The game had swung in Natal’s favour. Proccie then uttered the immortal words: “This is our game now!”
Against all odds, facing a top fast bowler in the dark, Neilson swung and hit hard to midwicket. Kenny Cooper on the boundary flung himself to his right to no avail. Four runs and a Transvaal victory. Cooper said afterwards it was so dark he did not see the ball and flung himself to the right to show commitment!
What a great match. Later I said to my captain: “Proc, thank the Lord you had to bowl that last ball; if I had been hit for four, you would have killed me.” His classic reply was: “Absolutely!”
I also remember bowling to Madan Lal in our SA Golden Oldies tour of India in 1993. At Agra, Madan hit me for the biggest six I have ever seen. After looking in the foliage for some time, our captain, impish Lee Barnard, handed me the ball and said: “You know, the last time I saw something fly that high, it had an air hostess in it!” How we laughed.
In T20 matches, unexpected moments turn a game on its head. It could be an inside nick to a perfect yorker for four or a shocking delivery hit with disdain but caught. Even a colossal six. Every ball is a chapter in itself.
All T20 players are required to field athletically. Fast bowlers need to develop a range of deliveries, including three different slower balls. Yorkers are match winners, sadly not executed enough. Spinners need to be able to alter line and length in a split second and batters have to fashion creative shots to baffle bowlers. It is a game of skill, creativity and demands an agile mind crammed with available options, with the ability to instinctively choose the right one.
T20 has enlivened the longer formats and increased cricket’s appeal to new audiences. It also allows a school match to be completed in a few hours. This is almost a prerequisite in the modern era.
T20 has advanced the game, but it should partner the other formats and not completely consume cricket.
Teams, such as the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who rely on two or three stars will win individual matches, but not the IPL tournament.
This year, the pitches in the UAE for the ICC WT20 tournament, worn down by the current IPL event, will have inconsistent pace and bounce. This will be an advantage for our raft of spinners and quicks. Teamwork and leadership can produce the consistency that will allow the Proteas to contend for the title. Our inconsistent batting line-up will be tested to the hilt. If our batters adjust to Asian conditions, anything is possible.
The Proteas are certainly not favourites this year, which is SA’s sports teams’ preferred position. Expectation will not weigh heavily on them. The Springbok Rugby World Cup winners showed what is possible with an inspired, cohesive unit implementing specific strategies.
The result of the 2021 ICC WT20 tournament is not a foregone conclusion.