Saturday 4 June 2011

A game just for the sake of it

Well I just cannot understand the reason behind conducting one off games, be it the test match or the one dayer or a T20 international. This is referring to the one off T20 game played between India and West Indies at Port of Spain yesterday. There should have been a minimum of at least three games for a tournament to have a moment. Or else, who would be interested in watching the game no matter what it offers? This has happened many times with there being a similar one off game between Pakistan and West Indies last month which Pakistan won.

Moving ahead, there would be a one off T20 match between Sri Lanka and England to be played later in this month. With T20 cricket being the shortest version of the game, there can be a schedule of at least 3 such games where deciding a winner would be more appropriate. Moreover, a T20 game can be held back to back without any breaks in between. Fans today do not bother who wins or loses the match as long as it can provide the necessary entertainment that is promises. Every match is cheered in the same excitement irrespective of whether their favorite team wins or loses the same.

In their current tour to the Caribbean, India are scheduled to play 1 T20 game followed by 5 one day internationals and 3 test matches. With so many days reserved for the remaining versions of the game, one has to wonder why is there so little consideration given to the shortest format of the game. This is not anything new in cricket. This has been the case since its start somewhere in 2005. Recently, even Pakistan, like India played 1 T20 + 5 ODIs and 2 test matches. Instead of conducting one off games like this, it would be better not to include the T20 game at all.

The ICC has not left even that stone unturned. There have been tournaments that included only a test and an ODI with the T20 missing. Of course, there are few other tournaments as well having only T20 games with the remaining two formats missing. However, the idea behind conducting such games is still a mystery. There are few players who are found playing just the T20 game with their style or skills still not acceptable to the remaining two formats. This would ean that player touring just to play that one off game. In case that player is dropped, he loses a chance to show his skills at an international level.

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