Fidel Edwards bowls a good length delivery to Tillakaratne Dilshan and to leave everyone aghast the ball is scooped over wicket-keeper’s head for a boundary. Now before this the only thing one could relate “scoop” to would be an ice cream but cricket gave a whole new dimension to the word. But it is this very moment in ICC T20 World Cup 2009 in England; a country which is considered to be a bowler’s paradise that has gone on a long way in redefining cricket for the upcoming decade. In many ways it was the mark of new dawn in the gentleman’s game that has always required the pyrotechnics of some or the other personality to undergo a significant transition. Kerry Packer Series is one of the many examples that has embodied our very own game. All this has been possible because of a baby named “Twenty20” which was born, conceptualized and implemented by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 that has flourished at an expeditious rate since its inception.
The incessant tide of world cricket keeps on throwing more cricket our way. And Twenty20 has done the same. It has ushered an absolutely phenomenal amount of opportunities for everyone related to the game. It has breathed a fresh air which the game so badly needed for its global appeal. All this culminated in the format being seen as THE format to globalize the game and make it a power-packed product which can be seen and enjoyed by audience all over. All this also brought a beginning of “league era” which cricket had never witnessed. And dare I say it all begun with that win at the Wanderers against the arch-rivals which spurted the prosperity of the format. It all begun with relatively successful Indian Cricket league which due to politics became redundant and was termed as the rebel league. But soon the politics took backstage and cricket was about to behold a spectacle that would catch the eye of one and all. And so it did with the advent of the Giant Indian Premier League. It changed the cricketing world once and for all. No longer Indian crowds hesitated in supporting a certain Andrew Symonds playing for the Deccan Chargers and they did not even take a backseat in supporting Shane Warne against their Prince of Kolkata Saurav Ganguly. And as it stands today, it amongst the top sporting events in the world. And the growth of KFC Big Bash only serves a bright future for the game.
Also from a purely cricketing perspective it changed the mindset of players in the way game was perceived. Run rate of 8-9 an over is just a “norm”. Fast bowlers bowling 100kph cutters and bumpers are a common thing, whilst a 135kph delivery is a mere formality. There existed a V in front of wicket which was ideal place to score runs, now there exist a V even behind the wicket which is as productive as the one in front. The switch hits, reverse sweeps, paddles, back flicks, French cuts, Dilscoops are something which have become bread and butter for the batters. The bowlers too have become smarter introducing all sorts of myriad deliveries to out think the batsman. The fielding standards too have scaled newer heights and fitness levels of players too have sky-rocketed.
But just as every coin has the other side, this unparalleled surge that one has seen has come at the expense of lots of controversies and sensationalism. A brand like IPL has been involved with more controversies than success stories. It has also let to decline in interest in the most pure form of the game “Test cricket”. So though T20 has led to whole new beginning but one has to guard the game from losing its original sheen. Because T20 is like fast food which one enjoy but Test cricket is the main course which one needs to survive in the long run.