Last Wednesday (12th Jan), the WACA hosted the first interstate Twenty20 cricket match. And it was truly astounding. 20,000 people showed up, surprising the organisers somewhat, as they had to let people actually sit on the grass and let the public into the members area. What a corker of a match!
Of course, it would have been better if Victoria could have scraped together some more runs, but when WA came into bat all was forgotten, as Ronchi and Campbell went on a major offensive. Magnificent!
With the success of the match the following day between Australia A and Pakistan, there is a lot of talk (maybe, maybe too much talk) about the place of Twenty20 cricket, and where it can fit in with the other series. My thought it that it should just replace one day cricket altogether.
If one day cricket was devised to give people a game with plenty of excitement and almost guarantee that there will be a result, then it has been surpassed. The typical ODI is now a predictable affair: 15 overs attempting to score at 6 an over, 25 overs scoring at 4 - 6 without losing too many wickets, and then raise the tempo at the end. So, cut out the stuff in the middle and you’re left with Twenty20. And it has the advantage of being over in 3.5 hours, which makes everyone happy; players, broadcasters and the public who can come to the match after work and be home by 10.
Of course, the World Cup is the one snag in this scenario, as it would be a shame to see that change or disappear. But on the whole, bring on the tonk!