20/20 overs match

[Meg]

What are your views on the 20/20 overs matches that are spreading from country to country? I know England tried and it was a huge hit and now SA are also trying it. They say apparently it'll bring the sport back to life and attract more cricketing fans. Or do you think its useless to hit hastily about without any real perseverance and planning that has become the beauty of the sport? Any views, please...

 

[Tom Halsey]

I love it.

 

[Loony BoB]

It's a good idea - the only thing that really bothered me about Cricket Max is that it was just too damned short, with 10/10.

 

[Newlands]

I thoroughly enjoyed the 20/20 tourament in England last year. The matches were always busy and because of their later starts many people were able to attend who may normally miss out on cricket due to work etc. Its not too long a match which is good for kids.

The one thing I didn't like was the players who were miked up. I didn't really see the need for that! :O

 

[Rich2001]

I love it.

I agree with Tom, I loved it also!

Many people say that it will bring bad habbits into the players game, but I feel it will help players games alot more.

* It allows players to learn to deal with pressure - As alot more games are going to be close results.

* It allows players to develop new shots to split the tight (defensive) fields that are seem in ODI's

* It allows players to devlelop their hitting out as in the last 10 overs of a ODI, to offten in the domestic games these are always one sided or well won without the need to be to attacking.

* It's what the public want these days, life is lived at 100mph... only the died hard cricket fans love the battles and Test cricket etc, people don't have time to be sitting around for 4/5 days to watch a cricket match, when most people now work 9 hour days, 5/6 days a week.

* It was closly followed in England last year by many countries, inculding Australia and South Africa, so it's not really unchartered waters now, as nobody can (love or hate it) say that it wasn't a huge sucess for cricket last year.

I do agree it needs to be monitored though, the ECB and many countries around the world can't just keep making it bigger and bigger each year, alot of the appeal last season was the short sharp intense period it was played in, if it was to become to regular the fun factor might well be lost.

The one thing I didn't like was the players who were miked up. I didn't really see the need for that!

What didn't you like about that?? I thought some of the best momments of the games came from the miked up players, listing to how their minds worked on the field and then the commentery team having a dig at them when the best laid plans were ruined by the 6 over mid-wicket

I remember one with dugie brown was bowling and got hit for a couple of sixes over mid-wicket and Charles C was saying put someone out there he will do it again, Dug said nah he will never hit me there again, it's full and a foot outside off stump this time.... Bang! mid-wicket for 6, Ok ok I'll put someone out there mate, Bang stright to mid-wicket but about 20 foot over his head, Charles replied look mate I got the feild placing right unlike you, but I can't help it if you put the short feller out there can I! - (This wasn't in the 20/20 but the same comp but with regional teams but the whole idea was the same)

 

[Armadillo]

I think the mikes are really amusing, once in a match they had Dominic Cork miked up when he was bowling and he asked them, What shall i bowl next? and they replied, Bowl a bouncer, so he did and he got hooked for six, hilarious.

 

[Newlands]

Yes I'll admit that there were some funny moments with mikes but I still disagree with it. Commentators shouldn't be chatting to bowlers and advising them on what to bowl. Although, it might relieve the boredom in the outfield if the fielders out there were able to chat to commentators!
Well, I thought it was funny... :P

 

[Tom Halsey]

I think the mikes are really amusing, once in a match they had Dominic Cork miked up when he was bowling and he asked them, What shall i bowl next? and they replied, Bowl a bouncer, so he did and he got hooked for six, hilarious.

Yes.

I remember when Colville asked MacGill what he was going to bowl next. He replied: 'An absolute pie.'

Waist high full toss, smacked for 6. He probably didn't do it on purpose, mind, he probably knows how crap he is, and predicted yet another bad delievery.

 

[Rich2001]

Yes I'll admit that there were some funny moments with mikes but I still disagree with it. Commentators shouldn't be chatting to bowlers and advising them on what to bowl. Although, it might relieve the boredom in the outfield if the fielders out there were able to chat to commentators!
Well, I thought it was funny... :P

But it's no advantage because here the batsman were miked up as well so they could get advise as well.

Iam not sure if you watched much of our 20/20 but the miked up players weren't spoken to all the time, most times the commentary team know players want to keep foucsed and normally only spoke to the a player twice in a inngs and when they did they never normal actually said "bowl this" it was always a question what are you going to bowl kinda thing, so there was no real help alot of the times, i know the odd time they did offer the advise but not much.

 

[Langeveldt]

Yeah, 20/20 cricket has definitely breathed new life into the domestic season...

There will be lots of people looking forward to it.. i noticed lots of converts last summer...

Ill be following the SA 20/20, It should definitely take off there, especially if they utilize the floodlights...

Worryingly, Gauteng sent off a good squad to train JUST for the impending 20/20 campaign, leaving a poor third rate team to play their supersport series match against Easterns in Benoni.... That is a case of getting priorities horribly mixed up, and its not good for the game anywhere....

 

[Rich2001]

It wasn't quite that simple was it? I read that due to this new domestic setup the NEW regional teams are the ones that have the players by the contracts before the season has ended (very very silly) so therfore the Gauteng coach had no say in if they go or not and he picked the best side he could with the left over players.... However like they said if the situation was the other way around and Gauteng were the 2nd place team going for the Championship iam sure there was have been an arrangment made for that one match.

 

[Langeveldt]

It wasn't quite that simple was it? I read that due to this new domestic setup the NEW regional teams are the ones that have the players by the contracts before the season has ended (very very silly) so therfore the Gauteng coach had no say in if they go or not and he picked the best side he could with the left over players.... However like they said if the situation was the other way around and Gauteng were the 2nd place team going for the Championship iam sure there was have been an arrangment made for that one match.

Hehe, well to be honest, I dont know what is going off out there... Gauteng and the Highveld Strikers have always been the same team in my book (like Kent and Kent Spitfires)...

Im not sure where the Highveld Strikers come into the equation.. I know that when there is a franchise called "Northern Gauteng" and another one from Easterns and Northerns... (I think lol)... Maybe "Highveld Strikers" is the fancy name for one of these franchises...

Anyway we will see what happens... Im sure all will become clearer eventually....

What is most sad is to see a number of FC cricketers only playing in an amateur competition, and the loss of FC cricket at Kimberley...

 

[Newlands]

Yes.

I remember when Colville asked MacGill what he was going to bowl next. He replied: 'An absolute pie.'

Waist high full toss, smacked for 6. He probably didn't do it on purpose, mind, he probably knows how crap he is, and predicted yet another bad delievery.

Haha, yes I actually remember that one. Comedy value of players being miked up = 100%. That's about all the mikes are good for though.

 

[Rich2001]

Hehe, well to be honest, I dont know what is going off out there... Gauteng and the Highveld Strikers have always been the same team in my book (like Kent and Kent Spitfires)...

Im not sure where the Highveld Strikers come into the equation.. I know that when there is a franchise called "Northern Gauteng" and another one from Easterns and Northerns... (I think lol)... Maybe "Highveld Strikers" is the fancy name for one of these franchises...

Highveld Strikers is the name of one of the new franchises.

 

[Newlands]

But it's no advantage because here the batsman were miked up as well so they could get advise as well.

Iam not sure if you watched much of our 20/20 but the miked up players weren't spoken to all the time, most times the commentary team know players want to keep foucsed and normally only spoke to the a player twice in a inngs and when they did they never normal actually said "bowl this" it was always a question what are you going to bowl kinda thing, so there was no real help alot of the times, i know the odd time they did offer the advise but not much.

Yep, I realise that batsmen were miked up too but my point, and I didn't make it clear I realise, was that commentators shouldn't be able to 'chat' to players involved in the actual 'play'. Bowlers and batsmen. Fielders, yes, if people have to be miked then give it to them.

I did watch a ton of 20/20 cricket as I was in England at the time. I really enjoyed the competition and hope that the South African game will prove as successful. Although, I'm not going to see much of it I don't think.

 

[Langeveldt]

Right to clear some things up on the SA 20/20 front if you are as confused as I am with the "restructuring"....

WP Boland (Newlands + Boland Bank Park) -- used to be Western Province and Boland

Eagles (Goodyear Park, Bloem) -- used to be Griqualand West and Free State

Lions (Northwest, Potch) -- used to be NorthWest and Gauteng

Eastern Cape Cricket (PE and EL) -- used to be Eastern Province and Border

Titans (Centurion) -- used to be Northerns and Easterns

 

[Loony BoB]

What channels can I watch 20/20 on?

EDIT: The cricket game, not the current events news program. xD

 

[Craig]

* It allows players to learn to deal with pressure - As alot more games are going to be close results.

* It allows players to develop new shots to split the tight (defensive) fields that are seem in ODI's

* It allows players to devlelop their hitting out as in the last 10 overs of a ODI, to offten in the domestic games these are always one sided or well won without the need to be to attacking.

While there are pros and cons of everything, but shouldnt OD matches be the place to be learning this not in a 20 over slog-a-thon?

 

[Rich2001]

While there are pros and cons of everything, but shouldnt OD matches be the place to be learning this not in a 20 over slog-a-thon?

Yeah all games should be made for learning, but in OD games they aren't always that competitive that come the last 20 overs a team needs 40 to win a team isn't going to go all guns blazing when 3 an over is good enough, whereas in 20/20 your always under pressure right from the off, even if a team was to score a lowly 100 that's still 5an off from the off.

A player wont risk different/new shots to try and find the gaps if the classic cover drive is doing the job etc

 

[Craig]

If the normal shots are paying off, there is no need to play some agricutlral shot over mid wicket...