With the changing of the seasons and the passing of the years, pundits and legends have said that the game (read gentleman’s sport) of Cricket has revolutionized itself and has only witnessed and experienced changes in positive vibes, i.e. , the development. Starting as a 5-day format in the land of royalty and colonial colonies, the game initially had few but worthy takers. The true legends of the game have been great test cricketers. Even those of the modern age are known for their “testing” abilities.
Then came the evolution: me with the advent of One Day Internationals, and it’s here to stay. The ODI format totally revolutionized world cricket arousing interest in the sport in many countries around the world, especially in the subcontinent. And it is the subcontinent, which has now become synonymous with Cricket. This shorter version of the game changed the way hitters dealt with the Red Devil’s swing, his spin from the rough 22-yarder. The markers moved faster as the scorers had to keep their hands well oiled. The crowd in the stands had more opportunities to practice with the field, as the ball often went over the boundary ropes (nowadays with announcements). This action-packed form of sport was accompanied by loud music in the stands, the sound of trumpets and the phuss-phuss of Bhopoos. If Cricket was thought to be a complete gentleman’s game, the ODIs made head-scratchers think twice. It began to involve fierce rivalry on the field, at times, leading to heated arguments. Hitters hitting fast pitchers directly over their heads resulted in them facing some chin music from then on. But nothing bogged down the sporting spirit. The records, both international and national, in this format are made up of a huge variety. From the fastest hundred to the maximum number of balls taken to get off the mark, almost all of them have been unique and engaging in their own way. The ODIs have seen changes, few in the rules and some in terms of the use of technology, constantly from time to time (read Tendulkar’s career)…….the greatest cricketer of the era modern without any fool who doubts it.
but all this Bakwaas you can continue in some old age cricket club. The time has changed; cricket is no longer for the faint-hearted. We now live in the fast-paced lanes of action-packed 20-20 drama that no reality script can match in your wildest dreams. The T20 for all common men is the epitome of entertainment. Each match comes with combined packages of high levels of tension and nail-biting pressure. Surprisingly, after a hard day at work, this is what all cricket lovers ask for at the end of the day, they all ask for this endless euphoric tension to relieve their stress. But no, T20 is not a vitamin capsule. If described metaphorically, it’s a 3 hour rollercoaster ride and an amazing ride. Just the thrill and feel of the game will prompt you to say “fuck technique and grammar, I don’t care.”
Here, batsmen become butchers while bowlers play scapegoats. No length of distance from the bounding ropes seems to be long enough to prevent the slightly deformed (from the ferocious blow) white spherical demon from sailing over it. Every point of those cricket bats turns sweet during the batsman’s short stay at the wicket. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the 22 yards and for bowlers who run and put their heart into those belter of a wicket every time. Some may call it an injustice to the bowlers, while others may call it a batsman’s game (which I think it is), either way, at the end of the day, you’re either IN or OUT, fair bowling. That tells me that the stump castling scene of a fast pitcher blasting his way through a batter’s defense has become an endangered and nearly extinct art. Every time I’m sitting in front of the TV watching one of the daily doses of IPL, my ears yearn to hear words like “a one-delivery peach” pour out of the commentators’ ever-exultant voices. Everyone loves to see huge mammoth-sized totals on scorecards, but hey, think about the bowler, who at the end of the day, has to take the blame even if a good-sized ball crashes. against billboards In this 20 year old age of cricket, lots and lots of praise falls on many technically flawed batsmen who seem to know nothing more than a complete job of the bat. Well, how many of those game experts behind the microphones religiously discuss bowler pain. It is not that it is an obligation, but surely a necessity. With the advent of the IPL and nearly multiple T20 world cups in a calendar year, I truly miss the unrivaled thrill of low total close finals that have become a rarity.
Now, let’s see how many of us remember the epic semi-final clash between Australia and South Africa during the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup. The match that ended as a draw (despite the stupendous exploits of Lance Klusener) and eventually Australia advanced to the final on the net run rate system and won the championships. And how many of us remember the most successful pursuit race in ODI by the South Africans against the same opponents in 2006 in Jo’burg? I am sure to find more votes in favor of the second instance. The last game was indeed a cliffhanger with over 800 runs scored in a one-day game for the first time in history, but, if that was a cliffhanger, the first one was an extravagant spectacle for any true lover of the game. cricket.
In these times of 3 hours of masala cricket when the wild swing of the wooden log in the hands of “no better than clubbers” batsmen wins them valuable runs in the most peculiar way, even disregarding their personal conception (let alone side all breaks), once in a blue moon, you can see the wild swinger’s back, all thanks to the perfect swinging delivery and then you say, rather whisper to yourself, “Wooowww.”
You feel it now, that’s what I’m talking about. It is this version of cricket as a game that many of us miss today. If the wishes came true, I’ll get it back.