Although our country is often described as cricket crazy and fanatics for the gentleman’;s game, let’s ask ourselves one simple question: Is cricket really that special a game? The answer is probably no. Out of the 22 players on the field, only two (the batsman and the bowler) are involved in each and every moment of the game. The fielders are more of an afterthought, a decoration on the green field who stay still most of the time.
How many of us actually watch cricket ball-to-ball? Forget that. How many of us actually give a damn as to who wins the game? In today;s fast paced world, a "slow" game like cricket which lasts 5 days makes little sense and fails to draw in the crowds. Even the One Day version takes seven hours to complete and simply watching the game is an exhausting process. Compare this to other sports like tennis, football and F1. Results are obtained faster and there is undoubtedly more action in these sports. Cricket has fallen behind, clinging to roots roots as a gentleman’s game and refusing to modernize itself.
THE EVILS IN CRICKET
Cricket has pretty much become a dinosaur in today’s world. Where the 90-minute games of football are considered hopelessly long, cricket’s 5 days are practically an era. The bowlers just run and turn their arm and the batsman either leaves the ball or meets it with a "solid" defense. That’s about all one gets to see in a test match these days. Mavericks like Virender Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni provide a breath of fresh air in today’s staid and stolid cricketing world.
The middle of a one-day innings is the same story. Accumulation and "milking the bowling" are rampant and the spectator is left grunting in frustration. I remember the last test match that took place in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar, playing in front of his home crowd, stood at the crease. Instead of stroking the ball freely, he just defenced and defenced AND defenced. Pretty soon, the crowd was booing him and rightly so. Sitting in cramped seats in 35 degrees celius heat, they were seeing Sachin defend and defend and then defend some more. When he finally got out, there was a collective sigh of relief from the spectators. The cricket fans have been pushed over the edge and their loyalty to the game has come into question.
THE POSITIVES OF CRICKET
There are a few positives to cricket. It unites people and makes them pray, rejoice or suffer as a group. The inherent quality here is togetherness. India is united by this sport rather than any secular political party. In 2004, when India toured Pakistan, relations between the two countries blossomed and people turned from bitter enemies to cousins in a matter of months. Why? Because cricket unified them more strongly than any blood relation can. But then, the stands during the test matches were empty. Urgent action is required if cricket needs to flourish in the future.
MY TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
Although my suggestions will be laughed at if I tell them to the BCCI or ICC, I present them nonetheless. You decide and tell me whether you agree to them or no.
- Do away with test cricket totally
Test cricket is a dodo on its last legs. Nobody (except VERY bored people) watches the entire match. With the advent of the internet, people prfer to check the scores online rather than turn on their TV set. Introduce Twenty-twenty cricket instead.
- The status quo
ODIs will replace test cricket as the longer version of the game as Twenty-Twenty becomes the short fire burst mode of cricket. One dayers will have a rule that if a maiden is bowled, then the batting team loses 4 runs of their score. This will encourage hard-hitting and the like. If two sixes are hit of consecutive deliveries, then the batting team should be given a bonus of 2 runs.
- Last Man
If 10 wickets fall, then the last guy should be allowed to bat. This prevents low-scoring games and instills more faith in a batsman.
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