Cricket: An Evolution

The game of cricket, just like Darwin’s theory of evolution, is in crisis. Evolution is a fairly natural phenomenon, similar to a corrupt politician, it’s omnipresent.

Darwin’s theory elaborates on ‘beneficial mutations’ passed on from one generation to another that eventually aid the formation of an entirely new organism. T20 cricket is one such mutation. Whether it’s beneficial or not can be disputed. However, one cannot take away the rise in interest among non-followers of the game, adding to the overall popularity of the sport.

The advent of T20 cricket, with particular emphasis on the IPL, has brought in a whole new range of audience. Most of them are not well-versed with the intricacies of the game. Some watch it to admire famous personalities whilst others for the pure satisfation of seeing the ball clear the fence – a process that has been ludicrously renamed ‘DLF Maximum.’

The IPL has grabbed the headlines like no other. In the twenty-first century, time is of the essence for one and all. As each decade passes by, the pace at which life moves arounds us increases at an alarming rate. Such is the case with cricket. The reason why people label Test cricket as a ‘dying sport’ is not due to a lack of interest shown by viewers. There are enough people in the world who realise that this version is the epitome of our sport. But when we are part of a generation stitched with a dog-eat-dog mentality, specially among job circles, cricket or be it any sport, has no other choice but to take a backseat.

Cricket used to be hailed as a gentleman’s game. There used to be a time when the game was played in the right spirit without the need for lamentable acts such as handing out ‘Spirit of the game’ awards. Most importantly, there used to be a time when the umpire’s decision wasn’t questioned and the batsmen walked back to the pavilion when they knew they were dismissed, with smiles on their faces. From a gentleman’s game, cricket has transformed into a mental man’s game. The brutal pace at which it is played now while technology plays ‘Big Brother’ on the sidelines and the absurd range of shot-selection on offer, although entertaining, has turned our game into an entirely new sport. Truly, evolution at its finest.

The writer is by no means against the growing popularity of the IPL and T20 cricket in general. This version brings much needed revenue into the game while the fan club increases by the dozen. A format where young players exceed expections and seniors learn their limits, and vice versa, T20 cricket effortlessly attracts people from all walks of life. Having said that, cricket is going through a crisis period as far as the scheduling of each format is concerned. A cricket calender must never look cluttered. As soon as the governors of the game get it right, we’ll hopefully see a reduction in the number of injuries among players and a fine balance of all three versions on exhibition. T20 cricket is without question a format for the future, yet one hopes that its older siblings overcome adversity and stand the test of time.

One cannot question evolution, one simply moves on. All said and done, the power lies with the masses. It’s the people who dictate what type of cricket they want to witness. What is cricket without an audience? As the wise Peter Roebuck wrote,

“Without greatness, a game shrivels. Without an audience, it dies.”