Moments that changed cricket forever: The advent of T20 cricket and leagues

Introduction of the T20 specialist – A cricketing irony

Specialists in a T20 game are subject to a completely new definition. Having already analyzed the skill-set possessed by the new-age 20-over talismans, the role of a specialist is meant to be bestowed upon that one player who can perform the bit-part role in the side.

It sounds ironical when compared to a ‘specialist’ in the two traditional formats, as a T20 specialist is expected to be nothing more than an player who can adopt different roles for the side.

The T20 specialists – the likes of Chris Gayle, Keiron Pollard, Azhar Mahmood – are in great demand

Players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Ryan ten Doeschate and Azhar Mahmood – all of them renowned for their T20 craft – have found peace in carving a career out of playing in 3-4 T20 leagues in a calendar year.

And as bullish it may sound, but the niche of T20 specialist will only see a wider acceptance in the coming years as individuals who fail to thrive in the longer format of the game will certainly opt for this tempting career option.

T20 life cycle – from a prospective discard to a life support of Tests and ODIs

With Test and ODI cricket’s popularity slowly succumbing to the growing appeal of shorter sports worldwide, one must note T20′s role as a potent catalyst in rejuvenating the game of cricket over the last few years.

With cricketers now encountering almost unreal targets and required run rates in the T20 formats, it was about time when they took their craft to the Tests and ODI arenas.

T20 stalwarts like Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Sunil Narine and Martin Guptill have had their issues with adjusting to other forms of the game. However, on their day, they have went on to snatch even Test and ODI victories, thanks to their aggressive, T20-like performances.

In fact, it’s the overall mentality of the current set of international players that has seen a major overhaul, which eventually does reflect on their performances. With drawn Test matches witnessed at an average of not more than 1 in every 4-match series, the teams are now looking to head out in every format to fight for a result.

T20 has also seen the smaller nations coming to the party, for e.g., the recent thrashing of New Zealand at the hands of Bangladesh which grabbed the cricketing headlines, or the world-beaters of the past, West Indies, finally achieving a slice of their erstwhile glory by winning the T20 World Cup.

Also, the evolution of franchise based competitions like the Indian Premier League and KFC Big Bash League have seen new stars making a name for themselves, inadvertently creating their own path for national team selection.

Over the years, T20 has proved that it has never been in the race to topple Test or ODI cricket formats. In fact, all it has done is provided a fresh outlook and a source of unearthing new cricketing talent that was left untested so far.

Of lavish league theatres, diverse cultures and unfamiliar decibel levels

T20 cricket has upped the decibel levels in the stadiums

With T20 providing a 3-hour package of ‘cricketainment’, it soon became a breeding ground for the moneymakers that revisited the revenue model of the game.

Gradually, T20 became the wagon that has truly started globalizing cricket as several leagues have set up their outlets across the globe, IPL being the most fruitful of the money-minting machines, having hosted 6 larger than life events so far.

Yet, apart from the unavoidable clamour attached to the event, leagues like the IPL have only helped to stamp financial as well as cultural footprints on almost every cricket-playing nation.

Ask a cricketing connoisseur ten years ago if he’d have wished to see Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar in the same batting line-up and he would have dismissed it as a ridiculous fantasy. Yet, now we see legends pairing up with each other, crossing borders and contrasting cultures – all for the love of the game.

Even if it’s for a comparatively shorter span, it must be a learning experience for a bowler like Ishant Sharma to bowl alongside the legend that is Dale Steyn. It’s the platforms like these that assist cricketers to improve under the guidance of their role models and it remains the biggest gift this format has presented to the game of cricket.

How much has T20 changed the game of cricket? Well, one may never have an objective answer to that.

But having said that, the impact of T20 has been so resounding, that changes effected in one are now unconsciously implemented on the all the other formats of the game.

Ten years down the line, it looks like the disowned sibling is finally feeling at home.

Although it may not have the Scorcese-esque traditional swagger that surrounds the Test match arenas, yet the shortest format of the game does have the typical Spielberg-like grandeur associated with it.

And at the end of the day, all that counts is a blockbuster at the box-office.

Read more about such events which altered the way cricket was played over the years - The moments that changed cricket forever.