50-over game has to go.Test cricket has to be nurtured and protected

[asterix]

Source : BBC

Exciting times - but dangerous too ( 0 )
Jonathan Agnew

It's amazing how fast the already frenetic world of Twenty20 is moving at the moment.

New proposals of exciting and staggeringly rich new tournaments are being mooted, while, in India, the Indian Premier League continues its impressive debut.

I have been in Chennai to witness the event for myself, and this visit culminated in the match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians which was won, for the record, by Chennai.

It was an entertaining evening with the cricket played in overwhelming heat and humidity, and the crowd enjoyed it in much the same way as every crowd I have seen enjoys a Twenty20 game.

The only difference for me was the knowledge that some players on view were earning sums of money that previous generations of cricketers could only dream of - and the fact there were no Englishmen to be seen.


Shaun Pollock asked me where they were and Muttiah Muralitharan joked they should be part of the tournament.

I left Chennai with two clear conclusions. One: that the IPL is here to stay and this is not a bad thing by any means, and it needs to be embraced in a radically restructured international programme.

Which leads me to my second conclusion - Twenty20 cricket is entertaining, but shallow.

It commands nothing like the depth or enduring interest of Test cricket and, one day, will run its course in which case we will have a Ten10, and then a Five5.

The point being that Test cricket has to be nurtured and protected, and Twenty20 can sit along side it, but in its proper place and, crucially, without over exposure.

Meanwhile, the 50-over game has to go. It is now dull and predictable, and although that creates a headache for the ICC as far as the World Cup is concerned, it has had its day.

My thoughts exactly,TEST cricket should not be tempered with. 20-20 comes in and 50-50 goes out.The last 7-8 one-day matches I watched,found it very boring and the mid-stage of inngs between 25 to 40 overs was like ZZZZ.Instead,I will watch a 20-20 match which has much more unpredictibility and entertainment value.

But,the Ultimate is always the TESTs matches,which is the real thing.It's Odd,but I don't mind watching tests for 5 days,but One-day cricket seem to be a waste of time.And that's where 20-20 can come in and give some entertainment ,which takes almost the same time as the sub-continental movies.

[Dhruvo]

Well i think it wont be right to abandon a form of game you know and besides i belive odi's are the perfect form of cricket because its not long nor is it short!

[sunny747]

i don't know about 20-20 ..its' fun to watch alright but we wouldn't see class batsman anymore.....anybody can hit for 6 for few overs .....imagine!! batsman like ricky ponting not getting runs in the 20-20 format..........

[Ajfar]

bangladesher to kono problem hoibo na..amader player ra to emnetei 50 over er game 20 over er style e khele..

[stuge]

Whether it is test cricket or 20-20 or ODI ,all are different and all have charm ,but I'm sure we might see more 20-20 tournaments in future as it can make cricket more popular.

[Yameen]

50-50 cricket must stay, the game has produced so many legends and contains so much history and fascinating duels are always taking place in this format in whatever level.
Test cricket must be protected thats for sure, as it is the ultimate test of a cricketer at the highest level.
I should like to think 2020 is just a hit about but still taken seriously especially by the youth..

[Kana-Baba]

Initially I was dead against any sorts of hara-kiri cricket like twenty20. Over the years I have seen tremendous success of T20 and found that very entraining like many others. I also admit that ODI gets boring in the middle overs. Even though I am not inclined towards any of them, I sense that ODI will eventually fade away in near future. T20 and Test cricket will rule!

[Antora]

50-50 must stay and so must tests.. i mean they are the real cricket.
if there is any from of cricket which must go.... then that is 20-20. 20-20 is not cricket! you can't get cricket out of 20-20, 20-20 is just for entertainment.
if 50-50 gets boring, which i must admitt it does. Then they should just make 50-50 shorter. Make it into 40-40 if they have to. BUT plaese get rid of 20-20 before it ruins the true cricket. i am concerned about tests, i don't think it will stick around for very long.

( can you people believe this is coming from me... me? who hated tests and loved 20-20's )

[Sovik]

Originally Posted by antora93
50-50 must stay and so must tests.. i mean they are the real cricket.
if there is any from of cricket which must go.... then that is 20-20. 20-20 is not cricket! you can't get cricket out of 20-20, 20-20 is just for entertainment.
if 50-50 gets boring, which i must admitt it does. Then they should just make 50-50 shorter. Make it into 40-40 if they have to. BUT plaese get rid of 20-20 before it ruins the true cricket. i am concerned about tests, i don't think it will stick around for very long.

( can you people believe this is coming from me... me? who hated tests and loved 20-20's )

what is cricket?

[Kabir]

Saying that 50 over games have to go is the dumbest thing anyone can ever say. The difference betwee a Test and a 50 over game is huge...but 50 over games have a lot to offer. The ability of the team to play with a game plan, and to play talented cricket...you see that in 50 over games. Test is real cricket - no doubt. But it's not yet meant for a baby-team like ours.

Anyway...50-over games must stay.

[Alien]

Originally Posted by bangladesh_sy
bangladesher to kono problem hoibo na..amader player ra to emnetei 50 over er game 20 over er style e khele..

Good one

[Eshen]

IMO, one-day matches will be more exciting if they are reduced to 40-40. Although ODI is not a pure form of cricket, I really hope it survives the competition from twenty20.

[sandpiper]

To me the most desirable version of cricket is one-day cricket. Test cricket is more aristocratic version which gives you the solid measure of a players temperament and stamina. But one day cricket has made this sport more popular than any other versions. 20-20 is pure garbage.

[Faisal]

i love 20-20 because it end in 3 hours. i hate 50 overs game caz it take 7 and half an hours.

[Murad]

I like 50 over matches. For some reason I don't like the 20/20 games. I watches some IPL & ICL matches but I didn't feel anything special in this game except some big hittings.

20/20 is like Batman in the SixFlags.

[Rommel]

My main question is: If you decide to get rid of 50-50 matches and stick to 20-20, why don't you just switch to baseball? It is basically like a Twenty20 match!

[al-Sagar]

If there is only test and T20, then its bad time for bowlers.
So odi should Stay because it gives a balance.
T20 is more of a power hitters game. But in odi and test the class of a batsman is really tested.
So icc should come up with a proportion of how many games of each format should be played.
I just imagine if india does not perform in the next T20 WC will the interest remain same.
Also when the power hitters will start dominate then class players will be omitted from T20 teams. Now up to u.
Would like to see somebody like tendulkar scoring a century with classy glorious shot against good bowling Or would u like to see yusuf pathan playing a knock
Of 80 with lusty power hitting against helpless bowling

[Nafis_BD]

Originally Posted by Kabir
Saying that 50 over games have to go is the dumbest thing anyone can ever say. The difference betwee a Test and a 50 over game is huge...but 50 over games have a lot to offer. The ability of the team to play with a game plan, and to play talented cricket...you see that in 50 over games. Test is real cricket - no doubt. But it's not yet meant for a baby-team like ours.

Anyway...50-over games must stay.

Ditto.

IMHO 50 overs game is much more exciting than tewnty20 games. Twenty20 is more like relaxing after work/study and watching some sixers and fours being hit but 50 overs is different than that. No doubt test is the true form of the game but ODI is more like a shorter version of test which is probably the shortest you could get without compromising the class, skills, etc and to make it even shorter would just mess up the game.

T20 should just stay for entertainment and nothing else while 50 over/ODI and test stays as the main form of cricket with test being the first.

[Yameen]

The fact of the matter is that Jonathan Angew talks a lot of bull..

[Bearman]

I'm no great lover of ODIs but I do not believe they will will die out. This is pretty poor journalism by Agnew, people have been saying for a while that 50 over Cricket is surplus to requirements, so he is hardly challenging established opinions.

He is overlooking the fact that ODIs (even after the IPL) still provide the vast majority of income for Cricket. It is like looking at the ways of generating energy, Oil, Coal, and Wind Power and saying, well coal is cheaper, Wind power is cleaner, therefore there is no need for Oil.
20/20 should be kept for what it is good at- generating interest in DOMESTIC competitions. I am pleased to see that the number of international 20/20 matches planned for this year is LESS than last year. I hope this actually turns out to be the case. Keep international Cricket for Tests, and ODIs, which still get large crowds and give TV advertisers and subscription channels a whole day of exposur rather than 3 hours.
Obviously the IPL has distorted the economics of Cricket somewhat, but the BCCI is clever enough to realise the continuation of Cricket as a quasi-global sport relies on a healthy international scene.

My central point is I do not belive that 20/20 is a serious enough test of ability that it can become the "main event" of a Cricket tour. It's fine watching Delhi- Bangalore slug it out, but when national pride is at stake will people accept the result of 20 over cricket as a sign of national prowess, a clear indication of who the better team is? I think not.

If ODIs were allowed to die out then Tests could not support themselves so what would we be left with? An IPL with fewer and fewer international stars and the odd Test match for old times sake, like the Ashes or India-Pak.

[BUDDIN]

I cant beleive what i am seeing!!I feel like crying when i hear people saying that 50 over cricket is boring!If you feel that 50 over cricket is boring you should not be supporting cricket and should not be interested in it.What is wrong with the people of this greedy generation ALL they think about is money money money!!I thought 20/20 was going to be entertaining but its not,because its too predictable(PLAYERS GOING CRAZY TO HIT 6'S & 4'S) and the IPL makes me sick.The players blatantley are only playing for the money!Money is changing cricket dramatically and to be honest REAL cricket is on the verge of extinction.Cricket is about patience and judgement,but i cannot understand why people know after watching the IPL are saying that the 2 excellent forms of cricket should be scrapped!!Why are people forgetting that this is cricket not hollywood or bollywood.Please keep fame and cricket apart,trust me what some of you guys are saying you will regret when there wont be anymore classic test matches or ODI(50 overs that is ,if youre not sure).When i am reading what people are writing it makes me very angry and makes me think why do people support and watch cricket if afterwards they attack it like animals!
I hope someone will understand because i know when everyone is bored of 20/20 they will want back the real cricket matches.If you think about it 20/20 matches are the most predictable and boring form of cricket there is,646646in 1 over,WOW!This is not just an ordinary comment i really feel strong about this.

[Rifat]

50 overs: in my humble opinion, is THE most dramatic form of cricket. it has never been boring because it is all in the nerve...

[Banglatiger84]

Test cricket separates a great batsman from a good batsman.

50-over cricket is much more varied than 20-20. Scores range from 80 - 350.....in 20-20 most teams seem top score between 100 and 200...

[scoilaheez]

No way, i enjoy 50 over cricket as it shows much more about a teams skill. I like it more when BD play 50 over matches. I think we suck at the longer version but test cricket has to be preserved.

[cricket_king]

Man I knew this would happen! Goddamn this twenty20 crap! I can't believe people are even suggesting we get rid of ODIs. NO FREAKN' WAY! ARGH!