T20 - 2012... Disparity Overlooked

The 2012 cricket T20 world cup is now moving to the super 8 stage. Media and cricket lovers have been closely following the tournament and post match analysis continue to run as usual. However, in a tournament where team strength across participating nations shows a huge disparity, the tournament should not ideally get too many eyeballs. Surprisingly, that is not the case.


Cricket has for long relied on the ten test playing nations and of late Bangladesh is the new entrant. Of these 9-10 test teams, New Zealand Zimbabwe and have always been underrated teams. Add to that-minnows such as Afghanistan are making their first appearance on the international stage; the logic behind inclusion of minnows has been that the T20 format will popularise the game globally.

I believe that this is actually diluting the quality of the game. New Zealand, for once, look formidable are are no longer the underrated team. However, one look at all the team squads except India and you spot a commonality; the teams are deprived of enough number of stars. Stars that have been known to be matchwinners for long. This was the characterstic of almost all the teams in the 90s. Cricket lovers used to pay for that good game between teams of almost equal strength. A good fight was appreciated. Now, looking at England the West Indies, it seems as though the teams have depleted their star power resource. Even the bench strength does not look promising.

What then, is the merit in saying that "India thrash England by 90 runs". The love for cricket, particularly the T20 format, has made people (and the media), overlook all such disparities. All we want is for our team to win and we will celebrate each win as though it was a world cup final.   These are hallmarks of a nation where cricket, bollywood and politics have remained the predominant source of entertainment for decades. Cricket will not take a backseat even if Manchester United shift their base to Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkatta.


The ICC has not done enough to address these problems. Cricket continues to thrive mainly due to the power packed interest in the subcontinent. Take a look at England. I remember that many of the English were not even aware of the 1999 world cup in their backyard; no surprise for a soccer crazy nation. Zimbabwe has had its own political issues and sports is not among the priority list of its citizens. The west Indies team looks like it will never replicate or come close to its reputation in the 1970s and the early 80s. Pakistan looks good, but seems to have a new team every month. Sri Lanka dominated world cricket in the mid 90s, but has not looked threatening since then.  

A victory over such teams should not be a cause of celebration, but a cause of concern. With the quality of the game taking a hit globally, I wonder what the future holds in store. If left unchecked, one thing is for sure - the game will continue to witness commercialization. Perhaps, greed, advertising money and revenue from broadcast rights will drive the game. Timely action is the need of the hour.