Round the World

Australian vision clears on Twenty20

Australians are so used to trend-setting that foreign ideas are viewed as eccentric gimmicks that would never work here

Peter English
Peter English
18-Jan-2005


David Hussey: one of the stars of the latest format © Getty Images
Australians are so used to trend-setting that foreign ideas are viewed as eccentric gimmicks that would never work here. They have enjoyed being the game's pied pipers with playing styles, coaches and technology, and as long as crowd lines and winning records were long, there was no reason for overseas intervention.
Local administrators were so sceptical of Twenty20 - despite glowing reviews from players who experienced it in county cricket - that it came as a surprise when a match was arranged. Cricket Australia announced the Australia A v Pakistan game in October with the fanfare of tendering for a business plan. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, called Twenty20 a "concept" that was being investigated as "an ongoing commitment to explore new innovations at the elite level". Sutherland would "keep abreast of its progress", and if it became an international game Australia wanted to be No. 1.
Like overseas visitors and kangaroos, the administrators weren't convinced until they saw one for themselves. Of course they weren't alone in their dismissive attitudes towards bite-sized cricket. Yet the patronising approach didn't stop Australia signing up for the game's first internationals against New Zealand and England.
The vision changed as quickly as it swept through England during the high summer of 2003. A week ago the game - "that bloody slog-fest" - barely made a scribble on the calendar and was feared like the goods and services tax of the late 1990s. Channel 9 promoted the VB Series opener during the tsunami charity match, but not the Twenty20 scheduled for prime time a day earlier. An interstate trial sprung up in Perth and was previewed primarily because Shane Warne was turning out for Victoria.
The mood swing was almost visible. The WACA was sold out for the first time since 1981 - the days of c Marsh b Lillee - and many were turned away before the game. Spectators who wouldn't know Adam Crosthwaite if they crossed the same roads were angry at missing his 57. This was a game of cricket, not an overbooked, small-venue Powderfinger concert.
Adelaide Oval was crammed for the Australia A game the next night and state cricketers used to playing in front of hundreds and the occasional thousands were the centre of 21,254 attentions. The hitting of David Hussey and Cameron White made the night memorable despite a lopsided contest and Shoaib Akhtar cradled a happy young girl, who was home and asleep in time for her parents to watch Nightline. In a post-match interview even Inzamam-ul-Haq looked like he'd leave the ground with a smile.
Sutherland later announced plans for a domestic competition and commentators were elbowing each other to analyse and praise the new brand of ice-cream. By Sunday Sutherland was desperately searching for a couple of weeks next summer to squeeze in the tournament.
"We need to, it's happening in other parts of the world and has been embraced at domestic cricket level," he said. "The signals we're getting are that it's something the fans are interested in seeing more of." A serious look to England or South Africa since Twenty20 began should have prepared Sutherland for the waves of interest.
Cricket Australia's 2003-04 census showed that participation levels had increased by only 7076 from the previous year to 471,329. The bookie-free quick-fix to flagging interest levels has arrived. A Baggy Green survey polled more than 11,000 votes by yesterday afternoon and 73% were in favour of more Twenty20 matches.
Third-generation styles of play have been attempted seriously over the past decade, but games such as Cricket Max, which began in New Zealand in 1996, six-a-side and Super 8s had administrators at sixes and sevens over costs and scheduling. Finally an answer seems to have been found.
"Why can Australia A get 185 in 20 overs when they sometimes get that many in a one-day game or a Test," asked a friend who watches a couple of matches a season. It's a question to make the purists' lips curl as they consider where to start their defence, but the short form has already shown a way to make the casual observer more part-time. If the interest grows there is a greater chance of avoiding the England situation where the game is no longer available on free-to-air television.
Cricket Australia began as parents fighting against their children's constant pleas for lollies before eventually relenting. Sometimes it's necessary to give them what they want. And sometimes it's important to look outside their well-nourished backyard for extra inspiration.
Peter English is Australasian editor of Cricinfo