ICC World T-20: Killing the golden goose- slow death of T20?

It’s hard to remember a world when T20 did not dominate the cricketing landscape. The ‘wham-bam thank you ma am’ format has revolutionized the game and despite the ongoing financial scandal of the IPL, the many advantages of T20 drown out the voices of those doom-mongers who predict the death of the sport they once cherished.

World T-20, sick of it? I am.

I for one love the pace and energy of the shorter format. Its ability to attract a new and diverse audience is vital for long term health of the game. But as we sit and watch (or is that endure) a third T20 World Cup in less than three years are we in serious danger of overkill?

Only an organisation as greedy and brazen as the ICC could stage this event barely 11months after Pakistan were declared champions at Lords in June of last year. The bean keepers at the ICC must realise that staging this potentially great tournament so frequently could lead to its downfall. Even for the most obsessive cricket nut, after the marathon IPL, surely eight weeks of almost daily T20 is too much for the brain.

All the great sporting events, be it the football World Cup or the Olympics realise the power of less is more. FIFA and the IOC stage their respective jamborees every four years and these events are all the more stronger for it. Like any ardent football fan, my childhood and adolescent years were shaped by the long summers of World Cup year.The rarity of these events only heightened the tension and anticipation not only to players but also, and perhaps most crucially, to the fans. Mexico 86…Italia 90…the halcyon images of these tournaments still burn in the consciousness of millions of people because these events were given time and space to breathe in the sporting calendar.

The space of four years is essential to the popularity of the FIFA world cup.

One only has to look at the heady excitement building for this summers tournament in South Africa to realise the strength of this policy. Despite security concerns, tickets for Africa’s first World Cup have sold well and there will hardly be an empty seat at any one of the 64 matches. Compare that to the paltry crowds on view so far in the Carribean and it seems the great West Indian cricket public have voted with their feet.

And who can blame them? It’s only been three years since the fiasco of the 2007 Limited Overs World Cup, that was held on their soil- an event so badly organised and woefully attended because of exorbitant ticket prices, it should still come with a government health warning. The event only lives long in the memory because it’s a recurring nightmare.

But do you think the ICC care ?

Billion dollar TV contracts means their coffers are well stocked but only the future will determine whether this policy of short term greed leads to long term pain?