T20 Threatens To Usurp The Heartland
Sun Herald
Sunday June 15, 2008
England is grappling with the challenge of ensuring county cricket is not wiped out by this cashed-up global phenomenon, writes Derek Pringle.
Twenty20, it seems, is on course for world domination. But with the cricket calendar now packed with the new Champions League, a one-off bonanza in Antigua and two loaded Indian leagues, will this abridged format, like some invasive hogweed, go too far and extinguish the established formats of the game?Michael Vaughan, about to represent Yorkshire for the first time in Twenty20, articulated the concerns of many when he said: "I just hope by doing these big Twenty20 events that the ultimate team for counties to produce is not a Twenty20 team but still the four-day team and the 50-overs team, because that's where you get the ultimate test."Vaughan's caution is not shared by England coach Peter Moores. While many former players look on in envy, Moores - a county stalwart for the best part of 20 years - is upbeat about the changes Twenty20 could deliver."Cricket in general is pretty vibrant," Moores said. "I'm told there's a 27 per cent increase in participation levels from grassroots upwards. It is growing quickly, partly through Twenty20. I think that will permeate across all things, and that's good for the sport."The trickle-down effect of Twenty20 subsidising less popular formats such as the County Championship is a viable model only if you don't mind propping up loss-making competitions. One disgruntled county chairman has already been wondering whether four-day county cricket is absolutely necessary.The longer game is integral to producing Test players, but with so much prizemoney available in Twenty20, priorities could soon change.If counties reap huge benefits from doing well in the Champions League, they might be tempted to specialise. Increasing prizemoney for the County Championship - now #100,000 ($209,000) for the winners - would be one way of ensuring counties don't stack their sides with well-muscled all-rounders.In any case, there is a bit of a myth about what is required to dominate Twenty20. In the recent Indian Premier League, Shaun Marsh was the leading scorer, with his 616 runs for the Kings XI Punjab coming at a rate of 140 per 100 balls. But Marsh played orthodox shots and hardly ever slogged.Perhaps the biggest challenge facing players and their mentors will come with the sudden hike in wealth for successful young cricketers.Take Stuart Broad. As someone who could feature in England's one-day, Test and Twenty20 teams for the next decade, and with his marketable good looks, he could be a multimillionaire before he is 25. He has an old head on young shoulders, but others may be radically altered by their sudden change in circumstances.
© 2008 Sun Herald