…personalities and commentators, is a chilling reminder that money is power. After all, not only did the mega bucks on offer lure players like Glen McGrath and Shane Warne out of retirement, but it also pushed players in their prime like Stephen Fleming and Adam Gilchrist out of traditional cricket much earlier than they would probably have wanted. No sooner had these guys announced their retirement came the news that they were signed up by the rich Indian franchises.
Money talks, so it was no surprise that when several of the top current New Zealand test players made similar noises, they were conveniently accommodated by their board, even although they were due to travel to England for the current test series. No matter what slant is put on this scenario, the fact that the New Zealand captain and several of his leading players did not arrive in England with the official party says much for who holds the power in world cricket these days and where the game is going.
Twenty20 cricket has been heralded as the greatest thing to happen to cricket in the modern era and judging by the success of Stanford’s Twenty20 competition in the West Indies and the current Indian Premier League tournament, it has captured the imagination of a new following with its big stakes and off-the-field circus. It’s short, explosive and exhilarating, so little wonder grounds are packed to capacity and television companies are beaming pictures all over the world to millions of willing watchers. Everyone wants part of the action and therein lies the danger to the fabric of the game, as Twenty20 cricket also has the capacity to self-destruct.
Some cricket experts have already voiced their concerns about the future of the 50-overs game and predict its imminent demise. After all, most 50-overs matches are fairly pedestrian these days and the real excitement usually comes late in the game. Not so with 20-overs thrashes, as its all action from start to finish, and that’s what the fans want to see these days.
Just where Twenty20 cricket is going remains to be seen but media moguls with lots of money are powerful forces in sport and when you add billionaires like Sir Allen Stanford, then traditions and culture could quickly be sacrificed for a quick buck. Stanford has been courting favour with the ECB over the past few weeks and he’s bought his way to the table in much the same way that he has become the saviour ofWest Indies cricket. His vision of a powerful English version of Twenty20 cricket in 2010 to rival the Indian Premier League has been tastefully garnished with the possibility of generating millions of pounds from marketing and television revenue. But not all county chairmen are convinced, and the reasons are abundantly clear. Some counties will go under!
A major English Twenty20 cricket tournament will only work if big money is on the table and that means fewer teams, and the likelihood of franchises that are not built around a traditional county structure. It certainly means there won’t be 18 counties participating and if participation is reduced to eight teams then they may be structured within commercial entities rather than geographical boundaries. And there must be room for overseas stars as the English game has neither the talent not the personalities to sustain a high level competition on its own without the world’s best entertainers.
At the end of the day Twenty20 cricket is circus and it can only be a success if big money is involved and therein lies a dilemma for the ECB. The promotion of this type of cricket will inevitably destroy the traditional structure of the county scene and may even threaten test cricket. ODIs in their present form will certainly disappear and that will threaten the current competitions and also place Irish cricket in a vulnerable position. After all, the Ireland team plays virtually nothing else but 50-overs cricket these days and if that’s going to be abolished where will Irish cricket go in the future?
The buzz that surrounds Twenty20 cricket has been great for the sport but its development has to be carefully controlled or it could become the poisoned chalice of the modern game!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
