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Twenty20 Cricket RevolutionTwenty20 is the Latest Example of Cricket's Adaptability
Despite perceptions of conservatism cricket has proved itself one of the most innovative of sports, but is the Twenty20 revolution good for cricket in the long term?
The recent emergence of Twenty20 as the apparent financial saviour of world cricket is the latest example of the games willingness to embrace change. What is the history of one-day cricket and could Twenty20 prove a danger to the structure of the sport as a whole? From Test to Twenty20The first test between Australia and England took place in Melbourne in March 1877, heralding the arrival of the oldest rivalry in the game. It would seem a long journey to the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) and the riches on offer today, but the shorter form of the game has had an increasing impact on cricket over the last forty or so years. The First One Day CompetitionEngland gave birth to one-day cricket in 1963 with the Gillette Cup, a 60 over a side knock out competition contested between county teams. At the time, cricket in England was suffering financial difficulties with interest in the then three-day county championship diminishing. The Gillette Cup proved a resounding success and an extra competition was added in 1969. The John Player League was a forty over a side tournament played on English summer Sunday afternoons and drew large family based crowds. The third domestic one-day tournament in the English calendar was the Benson and Hedges Cup, which ran for thirty years from 1972. There are currently three one-day competitions during an English Summer. The 50 over Friends Provident Trophy, the Pro 40 and Twenty20. International One Day CricketMelbourne was the host for the first one-day international contest when Australia played England in 1971. This was the pre-cursor of the current touring schedules for test playing nations, where the one-day game forms an integral part of any itinerary. These games are very well attended and are an economic necessity for any nation hosting international cricket. The World CupThe growing popularity of limited overs cricket led to the creation of the World Cup in 1975. The tournament is held every four years, the most recent being in the West Indies in 2007. Having started as a 60 over side competition it is now contested over 50, with Australia being the most successful side, winning on four occasions. Dates and venues for the next three tournaments are: 2011: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh 2015: Australia and New Zealand 2019: England Twenty20 CricketTwenty20 was another innovation from England and has taken the world game by storm. Beginning in 2003, the late starts made the most of the long summer evenings in the UK and proved enormously popular with the public. Initially viewed by the players as of only peripheral importance, it has now grown in significance with the potential financial rewards immense. Twenty20 WorldwideThe first Twenty20 World Cup took place in South Africa in September 2007, India defeating Pakistan in the final played in Johannesburg. Attendances at the matches and worldwide TV audiences were uniformly excellent and players, administrators and spectators were untied in praise of the tournament. Dates and Venues for future Twenty20 World Cups: 2009: England 2012: Sri Lanka 2014: Bangladesh The Future of Twenty 20Recent announcements of the Champions League and the Sir Allen Stanford match have taken Twenty20 to a new level. The Champions League will take place in September 2008 in India or the Middle East with domestic finalists from India, Pakistan, Australia and England competing for a prize of £2.5 m. In addition, American billionaire Stanford has signed a deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board for five Twenty20 games between England and a West Indies all star XI. The prize money for the winning team will total £10m. The Future of CricketThe amount of money available in the Twenty20 format has taken the potential earnings of successful players to new heights. How cricket is able to balance the new found wealth with the tradition of the ultimate form of the game, Test cricket, will have a great bearing on the future of the game as a whole.
The copyright of the article Twenty20 Cricket Revolution in Twenty20 Cricket is owned by John O'Connor. Permission to republish Twenty20 Cricket Revolution in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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