5 reasons why T20 isn't 'Potboiler' cricket

Top analysts and critics would agree with the title of ‘potboiler’ being conferred to the gentlemen’s games’ newest kid on the block – T20 Cricket. What is actually a ‘potboiler’? Wikipedia describes it as “a term used to describe a low-quality novel, play, opera, film or other creative work whose main purpose was to pay for the creator’s daily expenses.” So why associate this with T20 Cricket? Because it is considered to be Test Cricket‘s illegitimate son and has inherited few genes of the parent format.

Does T20 actually have to face the ignominy of being referred to as ‘potboiler’? Does T20 really deserve the derogatory position which some fine athletes have placed it in? Does T20 only sell entertainment and not Cricket? Certainly Not. And here are five reasons why it doesn’t:

1. Time Factor: As goes the age old saying, “Time and Tide wait for none”. In an era when flow of time surpasses the speed of a bullet, when people feel better to gulp 2-minute Maggi noodles rather than hakka ones, it would be too foolish to expect more than one in ten people to watch an entire 5 day-long contest or witness 100 hours of continuous willow handling with the white kookaburra. T20, being as short as 3 hours, is thus the need of the hour for relaxation and cricketainment.

2. Aggression: However effective it might be, but it’s always less interesting to be in the company of a defensive person. Likewise, howsoever finesse-filled the technique might be, the defensive ones are not usually the crowd-pleasers. A hot Sehwag always draws more attention than a cool Laxman, irrespective of the fact that he might not be at par with the latter technically. T20 drives this aggression up and prepares for an aggressive and short 3-hour run-fest, oops, fun-fest!

Shane Warne: Still weaving his magic in T20…

3. Variety of leagues: Big Bash League, Indian Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, SLPL, Friends Life T20 are some of the many T20 leagues which provide quality cricket coupled with entertainment all around the world. The ‘one team of international stars’ concept itself works wonders with the spectators. As for Tests and ODIs? Well, you have to remain content within the international frames.

4. Unconventional shots: Had the T20 not been around, the switch hit would have been witnessed only once or twice during the year and the scoop tried in some remote corner of a high scoring fifty-over encounter. It’s because of T20s that we have been blessed to repeatedly witness and enjoy these unconventional and eyebrow-raising strokes.

5. Platform to witness retired greats: The world would have seen the last of the magic from Shane Warne in 2006 and Herschelle Gibbs’ attacking play would have been frozen by 2008. Thanks to T20 cricket, we are still being able to witness the greatness of the the retired masters of the game through its leagues all across the globe.

All this, and of course the cheerleaders make T20 cricket the unsung hero of the sporting arena.

As for the Indian fans, we just can’t thank T20 for what it has given us! It has paved the way through which we will once again be able to witness our swashbuckling hero – Yuvraj Singh, back in action!

Thumbs up for T20 cricket then! ‘Potboiler’ is too derogatory a term to refer to T20 Cricket for it ultimately provides quality cricket along with entertainment to make it the perfect combo of cricketainment!