I cannot understand how the ICC and especially the Australian cricket board have treated 20-20. Here in Australia it is treated like a bastard child. Even though the spectator interest is huge.
Please explain 20-20 and how it is different from regular cricket. The article didn’t have that info.
It’s a “limited over” version of the game - in this case, 20 overs. Each side will see 20 x 6 = 120 balls, and must make the best possible score from those. A low-risk strategy, normally common in cricket, will rarely work here - batsmen must be agressive if their team is to achieve a good score.
Games typically start in the early evening and are complete in just a few hours. You thus have a version of cricket reasonably well suited to television.
Is spectator interest huge in Australia? The players certainly aren’t interested in it - their schedule is jammed up enough as it is. To me it’s just making a juvenile form of the game more juvenile. I like some subtely and drama in the game, not just a sweaty slogfest.
That’s because it is a bastard child.
50-over one day cricket i can live with, but 20-20 is an abomination.
From wikipedia
On July 15, 2004, Middlesex vs. Surrey (the first Twenty20 game to be held at Lord’s) attracted a crowd of 26,500, the largest attendance for any county cricket game other than a one-day final since 1953.
On January 12, 2005, Australia’s first Twenty20 game was played at the WACA ground between the Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers. It drew a sellout crowd of 20,700.
On February 17, 2005, Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men’s full international Twenty20 match, played at Eden Park in Auckland. The first Twenty20 international in England was played between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on the 13th June 2005.
On January 9, 2006, Australia and South Africa met in the first international Twenty20 game in Australia. In a first, each player’s nickname appeared on the back of his uniform, rather than his surname. The international match drew a crowd of 38,894 people at the The Gabba. Australia convincingly won the match with man of the match Damien Martyn scoring 96 runs.
On February 16, 2006, New Zealand defeated West Indies in tie-breaking bowl-out 3-0; 126 runs scored apiece.
Starting July 11, 2006, 19 West Indies regional teams competed in what was named the Stanford Twenty20 tournament. The event has been financially backed by billionaire Allen Stanford, who gave at least US$28,000,000 funding money. West Indies legends also backed the programme, and several “looked after” the teams during their stay in and around the purpose built ground in Antigua. It is intended that the tournament will be an annual event. Guyana won the inaugural event, defeating Trinidad and Tobago by 5 wickets.[1] The top prize for the winning team was US$1,000,000, but other prizes were given throughout the tournament, such as play of the match (US$10,000) and man of the match (US$25,000).[2]
On January 5, 2007, Queensland Bulls played the New South Wales Blues at The Gabba, Brisbane. A crowd of 11,000 was expected based on pre-match ticket sales. However, an unexpected 16,000 turned up on the day to buy tickets, causing disruption and confusion for surprised Gabba staff as they were forced to throw open gates and grant many fans free entry. Attendance reached 27,653
Record crowds for cricket matches would appear to show some kind of spectator interest in 20/20