I can’t find the evidence, but a year or two ago I tweeted about my dislike of international Twenty20 cricket.
It felt like it had no point and was purely an addition in an attempt to give franchise tournaments more relevance. It was a format that was chucked on the end of bilateral series for a few games, seemingly, purely for the financial gain.
Fast forward to now and I’m pondering whether the current T20 World Cup might just be the first significant nail in the ODI coffin. The roles have been reversed.
The past three weeks in Australia have been a highlight of tournament cricket in my years of watching the sport – granted, not as long as some, but still with a big enough sample size. This edition’s had everything the game needs. From enthralling matches – that three-and-a-half-hour cacophony between India and Pakistan at the MCG screams at me – to the upsets, and there have been plenty of them. The only true downside has been the weather.
For the record, I love all three formats of cricket. I sometimes watch it in my sleep. But cricket may kill itself if it continues to commit to Tests, ODIs and T20s. As it stands, the T20 World Cup is biennial while the 50-over equivalent comes around every four years. That leaves two years where ODI cricket loses almost all its relevance. If they didn’t have to compete against each other, whatever remains would have a far greater impact. Two white-ball World Cups is one too many and, with the finances T20 generates comparatively to the 50-over game, it gives it the upper hand.
This event’s lasted less than a month. In the day of the 'everything must happen now' world, that’s vital. Perhaps FIFA’s global showpiece aside, World Cups can have a tendency to drag. Rugby’s pinnacle is a prime example – a week between matches, most matches with predictable results spread across nearly two months. The 2019 50-over event was similar and, if the Black Caps hadn’t kept things interesting for a Kiwi audience, I suspect interest would’ve waned very quickly in this part of the world.
That leads us back to the now. These three weeks have been a snapshot of the beauty of T20s. Anyone truly can beat anyone. Whether it’s the Netherlands toppling South Africa, Namibia beating Sri Lanka, Ireland stunning England and the West Indies’ complete horror show in not even getting through to the main event, it’s the ideal recipe. It’s a short enough format that lends itself perfectly to teams having their chance to shine. I know I’m certainly not alone in loving sport the most for its unpredictability. The worst sporting events are those when the result is a foregone conclusion before it’s even begun. We couldn’t say that about many games across the ditch.
Throw in the obvious aspect of why T20 cricket was invented in the first place – a shorter, snackable version– and a new crowd is constantly being attracted to the game.
As it stands, there are two 50-over World Cups locked in, with host nations, beyond next year’s event in India. In 2027, it will be staged in Africa which will have its moments while the 2031 edition’s set down for India again with Bangladesh as a co-host nation. On the flipside the next four 20-over events are locked in and are being taken across the world to all markets, obviously a much easier sell. ODI cricket may have a bit more life in it, but it seems to me it’s losing its shelf-life.
One white-ball World Cup to partner with the invigorating Test Championship is the perfect cricket combination. Make it T20.
SHARE ME