One Day Cricket
Those were the days when one day cricket used to have full house, but now the fifty over match seems like just a big yawn, and invariably the hands itch to surf the channel. It is the T20 syndrome that has created this kind of atmosphere that nobody has the patience to watch it, on television, what to talk of watching it on the ground.
Imagine if one were to travel in history of one day cricket, during its initiate stages it used to be a 60 over match with break-in between.
Is it then catharsis time for one day matches in cricket? Indeed it is, the slam bang of T20 has taken the excitement out of one day tournaments. There has been a move to make one-day tournament a two-innings match, each size playing two innings of 25 over each? It indeed is an idea worth trying as it would inject the excitement in the game once more. The moot point is whether the mandarins of cricket would agree to this proposition!
In a sense the lack of attention and empty stands present another opportunity for the organizers. They could think about hosting the events at new centers around the world instead of the conventional centers to spread the game around.
At the major centers fans may not feel the excitement of seeing a cricket player but at the small centers and towns, the euphoria is seen to be believed. Fans throng in large numbers to be at the gate when it opens to see their icons in real flesh and blood. It indeed is an idea whose time has come.
When the game spreads to new towns and new centers it would encourage more players to take up the game of cricket and it would help the cause of cricket as the pool of probable would enhance. When the game travels to small towns, budding players would not like to shift to big centers to carve a niche but would like to consolidate their position in their abodes and make their presence felt. After all, when a game of cricket is played in a town, during the warm up matches leading players are drafted to provide a flavor to the host team, and if the rich pool of talent is available it is easy to catch selectors’ eye. It could provide lease of life to one day cricket.
By: Suman Rai
Tags: Cricket, Cricket India, Indian Sports, ODI Cricket, Sports India
