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twenty20
Next Entries »Twenty20 season/carnival upon us
2 years ago, at the end of June
England’s Twenty20 season began yesterday. Ridiculed by many on its inception a couple of a years ago, it’s fast become a favourite even among the more traditional of supporters. I haven’t yet been to one (definately going asap) but I’m sure I’ll love it. 40 mad overs in the evening sunshine with a couple of beers and a bunch of mates? Not a bad evening’s entertainment if you ask me.
Are you a convert, or is it just a gimmick to you?
Bermuda Twenty20 World Classic TV highlights
2 years ago, at the end of JuneThere was a Twenty20 World Classic tournament in Bermuda in April, the highlights of which are to appear on Tuesday (June 27, 2006) on Channel Five (UK) at the ridiculous time of 1am.
Yeah, quite - I won’t be watching them either.
Memories of a golden summer
2 years ago, mid-JuneOn June 13, 2005 (a year ago tomorrow), this happened. Ah, that was a belter - and the spark which ignited the summer.
Interesting what Stu said:
A very fair account from an understandably excited English supported - and good luck to you!
And you’re right, while it is “only 20/20″ and the Aussie press will make a number of statements about why it doesn’t matter, I for one would still rather have won it, and on past tours, against lesser English sides, the result would’ve been reversed - so enjoy……you’re also right on another point, I still say wait for the tests…
12 months on and half the squad are on crutches, or worse, and we’re facing a very fine Pakistan team ahead of this winter’s Ashes. I’m off back to the steaming, stinking, rat-infested, unfriendly, over-priced, watch-your-wallet, don’t-look-at-me-or-else, mind-the-gap, mine’s-a-pint, bastard brilliant city of London now.
England get the 2019 World Cup
2 years ago, at the end of AprilSo England have been awarded the 2019 World Cup. After the disasterous “only we can do it this badly” performance in 1999, I hope we actually plan it this time. Depressingly, I’ll be 37-years-old when it comes round!
Also they’ll be staging the inaugral Twenty20 World Championship in 2009, the same year Australia are touring here, which ought to be brilliant.
Meanwhile, the Twenty20 World Championship, which will be given a trial run in an invitational tournament next year, will coincide with Australia’s next visit for the Ashes.
The event is planned at two venues, spread across nine days involving the world’s top eight teams.
In a model used for Twenty20 Cup finals day in county cricket, a match starting at 1000 GMT would coincide with evening in Australia and New Zealand.
A second game at 1400 would meet prime time in Pakistan and India and a final match starting at around 1800 would be ideal for TV viewers in the UK.
20-20 Classic in Bermuda
2 years ago, at the end of AprilIt’s the 20-20 Classic in Bermuda today, as mentioned yesterday in our Beyond the Test World blog at Cricinfo.
Sounds a lot of fun - hopefully there will be some photos or reports from the games. The teams comprise a load of former Test and one-day players, so it should be a laugh. Actually, didn’t I read Channel 5 are broadcasting highlights? Leave a comment if you know. Highlights broadcast June 27, 2006.
Commentators allured to Twenty20 madness
2 years ago, mid-JanuaryLast week in Australia was one which may in hindsight be seen as a
historical turning point. Monday night brought the first home Twenty20
international won comfortably by Australia in front of a record crowd for
the Gabba of 38,894 patrons who left slightly deafer than when they came in
thanks to an atmosphere more reminiscent of a disco than a cricket ground.
But this was not the historical event: everyone has known for some time the
potentialities of Twenty20 cricket and their implications, not so much for
Test cricket as for one-day cricket, whose humdrum nature is shown in even
more stark relief. The truly fascinating development was the role of the
Channel Nine commentary team, who abandoned all pretence of being
disinterested critics of the spectacle before them, and turned into carnival
barkers: ‘Hurry hurry hurry, step right up and see the AMAAAAZING cricket
match!’ During South Africa’s insipid and incompetent reply to the
Australian total, viewers were told repeatedly that what they were watching
was the most exciting innovation since penicillin. One expects this from
Tony Greig, of course, who has been selling ghastly gew-gaws for years. But
here were Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Mark Nicholas and Michael Slater, almost
tumescent with excitement, essentially doing the same: selling us a
one-sided one-dayer as though it was the Tied Test. No wonder Rich and
Chappelli had the night off; George Galloway on Celebrity Big Brother was a
model of parliamentary dignity compared with Slater’s desperate attempts to
endear himself to his temporary bosses. This reinvention of cricket
commentary as infomercial raised some provocative questions. Is the
commentator there to call the game, or to sell it? Is his duty primarily to
the viewer, to his employer or – strange anachronistic notion, this – to the
game of cricket? The commentators here are on a slippery slope, but they
look determined to slalom down it.
It was almost a relief to watch the comparative dignity of the opening VB
Series game on Friday evening, another damp squib thanks to the serene
inertia of Sri Lanka’s Martin Van Dotball, but with a soundtrack neither so
hysterical nor hyperbolic. It was possible to savour instead the
restoration of heart-warming traditions like the sound of Murali being
no-balled by one of those famously knowledgeable and hospitable Melbourne
crowds – something, of course, to which the commentators were far too polite
to refer. But ho! What have we here, with Nicholas and Healy at the
microphone? Mr Smooth and Mr Shrewd wearing false moustaches as part of a
beer promotion involving a talking Boonie doll! Pure ruddy gold. Kerry
Packer might have gone to his reward, but his spirit is alive and well. If
you can bear to sit through the eye-glazingly dull games, there’s some
veeeeerrry interesting stuff going down in Aussie cricket at the moment.
Twenty-2o game at Brisbane
2 years ago, mid-JanuaryThere was a Twenty-20 game tonight between Australia and South Africa at Brisbane tonight, and our intrepid Will covered it for Cricinfo.
Australia walked all over South Africa, and Damien Martyn and Andrew Symonds had a bit of a hit and a giggle.
I talked to Will after the game, and he confessed to loving it. I must admit I loathe Twenty-20. I don’t like the thinking behind the game. Cricket needs to be popularised, but that is REAL cricket. You do not see the Royal Opera Company hosting Madonna at Covent Gardens, so I’m not entirely sure why cricket needs this sort of comic caper.
55 from one over
3 years ago, at the end of JulyA 16 year-old, Alex Hales, has hit 55 from one over, to seal a win for his side. WG Grace XI needed 77 from two overs - and they succeeded! Astonishing. The destroyer is one of the sixteen chosen at the cricket idol competition earlier this year, which I wrote about.
[via Sporting Life]
Lancashire v Somerset, Twenty20 final 2005
3 years ago, at the end of JulyGreat day’s cricket - I’m liking Twenty20 more and more. The catching today has been outstanding - I can think of at least three very special catches, highlighting the quality of cricket on display. The gimmicks Twenty20 first provided have been lost to quality, high-class cricket - and who would have thought that? Having the semis and the final in one day is inspired - and I really think The Oval looks a spectacle tonight, with the new OCS stand and the lights. Twenty20 is a winner.
So Somerset dismissed Lancashire for just 114. Their big-guns, Flintoff and Symonds, both fell short - but Flintoff is steaming in now. Steaming. He looks as pumped-up and ferocious as he does in a Test - and has taken two of the three wickets to fall. Graeme Smith is still in for Somerset, who need 44 from 42. The cup is within their grasp.
Symonds coming on to bowl.
Update: all over, Somerset are the 2005 champions. Considering Lancs’ batting lineup, that is some effort. Twenty20 is here to stay, if you’ll pardon the tabloid-style pun!
Twenty20 Finals Day
3 years ago, at the end of JulyI’m definately a Twenty20 convert. Even at the start of this season I was a fringe-fan, but now I’m definately enjoying it. Today has seen some brilliant Cricket. Flintoff and Symonds, for Lancashire, were typically awesome (Lancashire won to go through to the finals), and a few minutes ago David Masters pulled off the catch of the day/cup/summer to dismiss Graeme Smith. Smith chipped it to a deep long-on, and Masters dived backwards, clinging on one-handed…brilliant!
So, who will Lancashire play? Somerset and Leicestershire are in progress/action and the weather is holding. Great fun.
My bulletin on the Surrey / Lancs. game here, and a Gallery is being added to as the day goes on.
Bowl out!!!
3 years ago, mid-JulyTonight, cricket saw its first “bowl out”! The Twenty20 game between Surrey and Warwickshire was tied - Warwickshire, who I can only presume were set a revised target (Duckworth / Lewis) due to rain, tied the game with Surrey…and a football-style penalty shoot-out (hence “bowl out”) took place.
I only saw the final two balls - but the goal, if you’ll pardon the pun, is fairly obvious. Each team has to bowl at, and hit, the stumps. Tim Murtagh sealed the win for Surrey 4-3 - each side having bowled 12 times! Not that difficult to hit the stumps, is it? 
Murtagh tore his shirt off, lampooning around the boundary like a football freak! Amazing scenes! Should be more news on this tomorrow.
Ben Harmison to make debut
3 years ago, at the start of JulyBen Harmison, brother of Steve, will make his debut for Durham this evening in a Twenty20 encounter against Lancashire.
England crush Australia in 20/20
3 years ago, mid-JuneOK - firstly, let me apologise. It’s not often a fervent cricket fan can celebrate a victory against Australia. Furthermore, it’s not often any such victory against them is ever described as “crushing.” So you’ll forgive my tabloid-style headline, for it is actually true.
After Michael Clarke lost his kit, and Michael Kasprowicz had some cash stolen - both in Leicester, reportedly - this loss against their oldest enemy will hurt (and surprise) them the most. As “Boof” Lehmann said on commentary, “Man, they’ll be hurting big style right now.”
As is 20/20’s very nature, everything happened very quickly. England eventually compiled a reasonable score, but were clearly edgy - several players indicating in post-innings interviews that the pitch was a belter (and it looked as such). Trescothick’s pedestrian 40 (from 37 balls!) was a vital cornerstone, and he looked in very good nick. Kevin Pietersen, man of the match, made a brutal, vital and telling 34 - from just 18 balls. As I’ve said before, it will only take a few innings of brutality/brilliance by Pietersen to oust Thorpe for the first Test at Lord’s and, today, he made another mark in the selector’s heads. 3 comfortable catches and a good innings, in his first game against possibly the best side in history. Nicely done.
Then carnage insued. Pensioner Darren Gough and debutant Jon Lewis (”never knowingly undersold” as David Lloyd said!) ripped out Australia’s top order. By the time Martin had edged Lewis to Trescothick, standing alone in the slips, Australia had crumbled to 31-7. Some key points:
Yes it’s a 20/20. Yes it’s not a 50 over game, or a Test match. But, had Australia won, you can bet most of the Australian media asking: “What’s all the fuss about this so-called New England? Same old, same old.” They’ve lost their first game against England on tour; Australia don’t do things like that, and will be licking their wounds.
I’m not making any more comment about how brilliant England were, or whether Australia were jet-lagged: England had a great day, and Australia had a shocker. But although many will say “Mate, it’s just a warm-up - you wait ’til the Tests”, England have just issued the strongest signal yet that they are well up for this series.
England v Australia - 20/20 wicket updates
3 years ago, mid-JuneOK so the first mickey-mouse game of the summer, and the first game of this absurdly-exciting series, gets underway tomorrow, in 23 and a half hours time. 20/20 all but passed me by last season - but I did catch a glimpse of Surrey’s win (I think it was Surrey?), and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them this year. I’m still a purist (”Test Cricket is the only true test of a player’s ability” et al), but ODIs have brought great entertainment - and it’s been fascinating to see 20/20 take off.
Although, Australian coach John Buchanan has just stated his concerns over the 20/20 format: I wonder whether his opinion of it will change come September?
I’ll be providing wicket-alerts (and score updates) of this game by email - if you want to receive updates, just leave a comment below. Incidentally, I intend to offer DVD-recorded highlights of Ashes games this year, as I spoke about in February, starting from tomorrow.
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