How am I supposed to care about 20/20 cricket?
Call this a rant or whatever you like, but I simply dont understand how I am supposed to care about 20/20 cricket. And I am a cricket enthusiast through and through. Always have been, but not sure if I always will be.
In every sport, matches need to have a purpose and value to make you care about what happens in the course of a game, and therefore a series/season. What value is their exactly in 20/20 cricket? Wickets almost seem meaningless. At least in ODI's, losing an early wicket meant that the next batsman was under pressure to value their wicket and try to steady the ship so the side batted out 50 overs. In 20/20, lose a wicket - who cares? Just keep slogging away.
When the whole concept first started as a gimmic it was mildly entertaining, and then the IPL (which i predict as the doom for all forms of cricket) began. You know cricket is in danger when i couldnt even get excited for an upcoming match that featured Warne, Gilchrist and Symonds. These guys had me glued to the TV for ODI's and Test Match cricket for over a decade, but no so for the IPL. But how was i meant to get excited about the Bangalore Blazers or whatever the fck they are called, when I have no attachment to that city, and dont have access to watch the matches played at some ungodly hour of the day?
Ok, maybe domestic 20/20 cricket will make me care more. So this season comes along, and the BBL matches are all being telecast on Foxtel. What proportion of the cricket following demographic do you reckon can afford Foxtel? Cricket has always been a channel 9 sport that you can watch with your old man and your brothers on free to air. Well not any more. The first full game I saw in its entirety this season was the final at the WACA. I should be able to get excited about this right? Out walks the born-and-bred "Perth" players such as Herschelle Gibbs and Paul Collingwood. Hang on this is my PERTH team right? Might as well have been called the Mumbai muff-divers. End result when Perth Scorchers lose the final - I couldnt care less. And how could I when the season proper matches werent on free-to-air TV, and half the players from this year, will be gone the next?
So tonight im watching the India vs Australian 2nd Twenty/20. There are more Indians in the crowd than aussies judging by the noise being made, and if it wasnt for the uniqueness of the MCG and my familiarity with the ground, you could be forgiven for thinking this game was played in New Delhi. Says something about how the Indians care a lot more about this hit and giggle format than your humble Australian. But i digress. This is the Australian team so I can expect the best of the best. House hold names at the peak of their careers. So why is Brad Hogg and Brett Lee out there? Sure they were great in their day, but is really the best of Australias cricketing stocks? Anyway, Ian Healy and Mark Taylor are constantly telling me how much this game means to "Australia". Apparently this is because if we win - we will improve our world ranking from somewhere around 6 to number 4 in the world. Just in time for the Twenty/20 world cup. Great...
Meanwhile, theres something missing from this game. We've got the fireworks, the dancing girls, the heart rate monitor, the players are mic'd up, we can even measure the distance of the 6's hit!! Music is playing throughout any lull in the game that lasts more than 10 seconds. Oh i know whats missing - its the one thing ive always associated with cricket on TV. The voices of cricket - Bill Lawry, Tony Grieg, and Richie Benaud. Where are they? Dont tell me they cant be stuffed commentating a raped version of something that looks like cricket. Hell i even would rather hear the familiar sound of Ian Chappell than the nauseating Healy, Nicholas and Slater who orgasm over every half-arsed careless slog to cow corner.
Well Australia lost. But rather than sulking about a particular aussie player, and moaning about how we lost and who should be dropped for the next game, im feeling rather empty. The match meant nothing. And i wonder where the motivation to tune in for the next match comes from. Is this Twenty/20 format a tri-series? Will there be a final? A trophy to be played for? How many are there? The commentators have mentioned nothing other than how good India are fielding and what an exciting talent Warner is. This match for me btw is on delayed telecast, and normally with ODI's in this situation, ill desperately avoid all media so as not to have the result spoiled. But for this match, I couldnt really care less.
So when over the course of the aussie summer (or the entire calendar year) am i meant to care about 20/20 cricket?