Twenty20 fever grips Dubai again

Dubai: Twenty20 cricket on Thursday staged a splendid return to Dubai after a gap of seven months as Pakistan locked horns with an injury-hit New Zealand.

What made it exciting is the fact that people got to see Pakistan, who are the World Champions in this version of the game, take on the injury-hit but determined Kiwis.

Pakistan showed how exciting this form of the game can be when they took on the mighty Australians at the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium on May 7, 2009.

It was another feather in the UAE's cricket cap as it became the only non-Test playing nation to host all three forms of the game.

Soon after Twenty20 made its debut here, this format rose in popularity. All the cricket councils in UAE have organised Twenty20 tournaments at all levels.

So it was but natural that the cricket fans in the UAE were delighted when Pakistan decided to stage their two Twenty20 matches of the Cool & Cool Cup series against New Zealand at the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium.

Twenty20 is undoubtedly the most popular version of the game and every cricketer now enjoys playing it. It has led to fears that it might sink the popularity of Test and One-day cricket.

Gulf News spoke to some of the top players to find out what they felt about Twenty20 and how much they enjoy playing it.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, who is today regarded as the most outstanding Twenty20 player, said: "The beauty of Twenty20 cricket is such that no team can claim to be perfect. Even the strongest team cannot be sure of the result."

Afridi strongly believes in one aspect of the game. "You need to play aggressive cricket to win it."

Former New Zealand opening batsman Mark Greatbatch, who is a selector today, adores Twenty20 version.

"As an entertainment package it is brilliant for the crowd. It also brings new fans into the game," said Greatbatch, who was one among the hardest hitting batsmen in the game.

"What is important is that the basic skills of the game are still maintained. You can only win through good sensible batting and you get to play 120 balls. Bowlers too have to learn to bowl with a lot of variations and this is good for cricket," he added.

However, Greatbatch warned that an excess dosage of Twenty20 can also be harmful. "The only factor that the International Cricket Council needs to look into is how much they need to play this format and make sure to keep the balance right. If you play too much of Twenty20 then it can becomes boring."

New Zealand pacer Shane Bond too loves Twenty20 cricket: "It is a matter of one hour and fifteen minutes on the field and it is a fast paced game and full of action. So it is all fun to play," he said.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori does not like comparisons. "I enjoy Twenty20 as much as 50 over format. Twenty20 brings a different style to the game of the cricket."