Dubai: The ICC Twenty20 World Cup in India is bound to be a special one. The World Cup for this existing shortest format of the game is being held for the first time in India, a country that has played a pivotal role in popularising it.
Although Twenty20 was born in England, it flourished mainly due to fans thronging in large numbers at every stadium where Twenty20 matches are held. So be it an international match between two countries, or the Indian Premier League (IPL), the turnout and following for these matches has been tremendous.
The glory of Twenty20 is not merely about what happens on the field, but off it too. The song and dance sequences from outside the boundary were added mainly to glamourise the format.
An electrifying atmosphere is a must for Twenty20 to unfold to its full glory, and what better place than India to provide that? And with the final of this World Cup being held in Kolkata, also known as the City of Joy, one may witness Twenty20 at its best.
All cities that will be hosting the World Cup matches have already geared up for the event.
Every city can claim to have the most Twenty20 cricket-loving fans, and it is unfortunate that a city like Chennai will miss out hosting matches, apparently due to the city corporation’s battle with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.
Chennai has the reputation of having the most knowledgeable and sporting fans, and they deserve to have staged a few men’s matches instead of only the women’s World Cup matches.
The last two Twenty20 World Cups were held in the sub-continent with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as hosts, and both were a treat for cricket lovers around the world. Again, all credit goes to the cricket crazy populations in both these countries.
It’s also unfortunate that Pakistan has not been able to host the Twenty20 World Cup due to security reasons; but one should not forget their contribution to Twenty20 cricket’s present glory.
If not for the first Twenty20 World Cup final battle between India and Pakistan, this format may not have had so many followers.
A point to also remember here is that India was a reluctant participant for the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa.
Eye-opener
The 2007 final was the turning point of the Twenty20 format. It was an eye-opener for Indians who quickly realised that this format could be successful in the country.
The introduction of IPL following the Twenty20 format gave the game a huge boost. It also brought huge money into the game and lured many people to follow cricket.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) too has admitted that since the introduction of Twenty20 the number of people playing cricket around the world has shot up rapidly. The interesting factor is that this format may soon help cricket become a part of the Olympics as well.
Twenty20 is sheer entertainment because the action starts right from the first ball and the tempo builds up with every over.
Chris Gayle, hailed as the greatest Twenty20 star, once while responding to a query from Gulf News on his point of view on the difference between a 50-over and Twenty20 format, and how he adapts to the two formats, said: “Twenty20 and 50 overs are totally different. In the 50-over game you can give yourself a chance to settle in; but in Twenty20, you have to go from the start.”
It is this electrifying start from batsmen like Gayle that fans love to see.
There are many who feared that Twenty20 would swallow other formats; but that hasn’t happened. Former Australian batsman Dean Jones once remarked that “Twenty20 is a run-away train that can destroy all other formats if not handled properly.” So far the ICC has handled it well, controlling the temptation of cricketing nations to host more Twenty20 matches. Even India made the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup 50-over event a grand success despite its deep affection towards the Twenty20 format.
There was also this fear that this format would destroy players’ cricketing skills. In their eagerness to hit the ball out of the ground, many believed that this format may end up destroying the ability of cricketers to stay at the wicket. But batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Mahela Jayawardene proved that to be successful in Twenty20, one has to adhere to the basics of the game too. Many accused Twenty20 of being only a batsmen’s game; but it taught bowlers to be smart and add more guiles to trap batsman. Even the belief that this format is only for youngsters is being wiped out with veterans too shining in matches.
In short, everything about Twenty20 is unpredictable; and that is what fans are preparing to lap up with excitement in the coming days.
