5 improvisations that T20 gifted to the world of cricket

Cricket has undergone numerous transformations since its inception in England in the 1700s. The game – which was previously known as ‘creckett’ – was introduced as a sport which had to be played over a course of five days.The format – popularly known as Test matches (in international cricket) and First class games (in domestic cricket) – is believed to be the most authentic form of cricket as it demands a combination of skills, determination, concentration and stamina.One day international, popularly known as ODIs is a late twentieth-century phenomenon. The first ODI was played between Australia and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 January 1971. One day internationals marked the advent of colored kits, white balls and day & night matches under the floodlight.T20 is just a smaller form of ODI cricket where the two competing teams fight it out over a course of 20-over-innings each.Here’s a list of five things that T20 has gifted the cricketing world:

#1 Innovative playing techniques

New Zealand’s Nathan McCullum in action against England

A certain man named Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Be it the survival of species or that of cricketers, Darwin’s quote still stand strong and has been proved to be correct yet again, with the advent of T20 cricket.

With only 20 overs to bat, the batsmen have no other choice but to score runs in almost each and every ball that they face. Dot balls are nothing less than sins for the batting side; and hence, the birth of trick shots.

Players like Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Steven Smith amongst many others have mastered these kinds of shots like the switch hit, flamingo, helicopter, dil-scoop and reverse sweep to utter perfection.

And it’s not only the batsmen who have changed the style of their play; the bowlers too have come up with newer kind of deliveries like the slower balls, low full tosses, carom balls, knuckle balls etc.

#2 Cheerleaders

Delhi Daredevils cheerleaders celebrate a four during an IPL match

Before 2007, one usually used to associate cheerleaders and the art of cheerleading with the popular sports like American football and basketball. However, the inaugural T20 World Cup in the rainbow nation of South America witnessed the advent of cheerleading in the gentleman’s game.

Previously, a scintillating drive through the covers would usually be followed by a loud roar of the fans; or a perfect yorker knocking the stumps over was greeted by a sound applause. Fast forward to 2016: add to that whirling and twirling of the pumped-up cheerleaders to popular and catchy tunes making the already electrified crowd even more excited.

#3 Dugouts

Pieterson in front of his Melbourne Stars dugout during a KFC Big Bash game

Besides the cheerleaders, the maiden ICC T20 World Cup at South Africa presented the cricketing world with yet another gizmo that one would usually associate with football before that tournament.

And the tradition has continued, as even to this day – be it an international fixture or an IPL game – one would usually catch a sight of the dugouts on the edge of the cricket grounds.

Though the fans still haven’t quite yet figured out the actual relevance of the dugouts in a cricket field despite the presence of the pavilions, they sure help in keeping up the entertainment quotient of the shortest format of the sport.

#4 Newer camera angles

The talked-about spider cam in an international women’s cricket match

Nowadays, the evolution of 21st – century technology can be perceived at the cricket field as well, especially during the T20 matches. The introduction of newer camera angles thanks to the gadgets like spider cams and Go-Pro cameras attached to the hats of the two umpires have altogether, added a different dimension to the viewing of the sport.

Although these new cameras have a negative impact on the concentration of the playing eleven, they do provide a completely new and unique angle to the innumerable cricketing fans watching live matches on the television.

Previously during a test match against India in 2014, the Aussie batsman Steve Smith had criticized the wires of a spider cam for dropping a skier off KL Rahul’s bat.

#5 Players with microphones

An animated mic’d-up Shane Warne during a Big Bash game

Back in the days, cricket was considered as a test of skills and concentration. No one – even in their dreams – could think of a day when a player would play and simultaneously have a little chat with the commentators.

Nonetheless, thanks to T20 cricket, mic’d cricketers are a common sight for the cricket fans these days.

Recently, during a T20 match between India and Australia, Channel 9 was vehemently condemned on Twitter for making Steve Smith wear a microphone and in the process distracting him which led to the Australian’s dismissal.

However, the ex-England international, Kevin Pieterson has said in an interview that he wants players to get mic’d up in Test cricket as well to give the fans an in-depth insight into the on-field actions from a player’s perspective.