Twenty20 cricket: the sudden shift in fortunes
A lowdown on the short burst of events that led to the inferno that Twenty20 cricket has turned itself into
Here’s some trivia:
Who was the highest scorer in India’s first Twenty20 international?
And which widely mocked bowler had AB de Villiers caught behind, before going off with a torn groin muscle and stellar figures of 2 for 10 from 2.3 overs?
Dinesh Mongia made 38 as India chased down South Africa’s modest 126 with a ball to spare at The Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Ajit Agarkar was the bowler.
Less than two years later, Mongia would be suspended form the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) for ‘disciplinary reasons’. He last played for India in May 2007.
Agarkar would carry on as far as the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in September 2007, but was dropped after conceding 40 in India’s only loss of the tournament, to New Zealand.
A few days after India’s first dip in T20 waters, I spoke to Greg Chappell, then India coach, for a feature that Inside Sport in Australia had requested. One of the sidebars focused on cricket’s newest form.
Chappell wasn’t a big fan. “I think it’s one of the greatest dangers to the health of cricket," he told me. “One of the reasons cricket attracts more money than most sports is because even the shortest version of our game is on TV for seven or eight hours.
“For us to try and replicate what other sports are doing by shortening our game, if it’s successful, would seriously eat into the health of 50-over cricket, which is the money-making machine of the game. Twenty20 is an ideal game for domestic cricket. It’s a version that can be used as a beach head into non-traditional cricket countries, but should be used sparingly at international level."
At that stage, no one had any inkling about the Indian Premier League (IPL). Most cricket boards were so lukewarm about the proposed World Twenty20 competition that participation wasn’t even obligatory. But in late March, as the cricket world mourned Bob Woolmer, and India and Pakistan both packed their bags to head home barely a fortnight into the World Cup in the Caribbean, it became clear that something had to give.
The early exit of two of the heavy hitters meant that many of the Super Eight games were played out in front of largely empty stands. It was almost surreal to be at the Kensington Oval in Barbados watching Bangladesh and Ireland play a game that, if seedings had gone to plan, was supposed to be between India and Pakistan. Overpriced tickets didn’t help the International Cricket Council’s cause, and while there was plenty to savour for those traipsing between the islands, the general consensus was that the World Cup had been a disaster.
It was very different in South Africa. India sent a side that didn’t have Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, but most others rocked up with full-strength squads. Back in India, the default emotion was skepticism. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had steadfastly refused to conduct a domestic Twenty20 competition, even as England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa did, and the first Mushtaq Ali Trophy took place only because the stars were back home with time to kill after the premature World Cup exit.
The BCCI didn’t even sell TV rights for the tournament. And in intense summer heat, the crowds were derisory. After Tamil Nadu defeated Punjab in the final, Yuvraj Singh said: “You expect a lot more people to come in for games like this. In future, the hype will be much more and I’m sure people will come in larger numbers and that will make a difference."
He had no idea then that a year later, a TV audience of hundreds of millions would tune in to the first IPL game, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. He will know, however, how big a part he played in making that possible. A tie with Pakistan in the first round of the World T20 had teased the Indian TV audience’s fancy, but it was a six-ball sequence against England that was to change cricket forever.
Over midwicket for six, 111m. Clip over square leg for six more. Graceful loft over the extra-cover fence. Slice over backward point for another six. An on-bended-knee heave over the midwicket rope. A beautifully timed shot over wide long-on. Stuart Broad was the bowler, Yuvraj the batsman. All it took was 288 seconds.
After missing the next game, Yuvraj would return to pulverize Australia with 70 from 34 balls. The flame had already been lit. By the time Misbah-ul-Haq miscued a scoop to give India a five-run victory in the final, it had become an inferno.
“This tournament was a dream," said the Wisden Almanack’s report of the event. “It just got things right. In utter contrast to the fiasco of the 50-over World Cup in March and April, this competition, a Twenty20 World Cup in all but name, enjoyed outrageous success. The final typified it: the biggest draw in world cricket, India v Pakistan, went to the last over in a compelling game of shifting fortunes."
The ‘rebel’ ICL began operations in December that year. The boards blacklisted those that participated. On January 24, 2008, the BCCI, which even a year earlier had barely bothered to hide its contempt for the format, held auctions for the eight IPL franchises.
Five of them—Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab—are still in existence, and the IPL, despite a succession of scandals, is one of the most lucrative and watched sporting competitions in the world.
“T20? Why not ten-ten or five-five or one-one?" That was the reaction of Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, when asked about the board’s views on the proposed global competition in 2006. “India will never play T20."
Falser words were never spoken.
Dileep Premachandran is editor-in-chief, Wisden India.
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