Normally, I might consider it a little impetuous to review a competition a mere two weeks in, but this is 20/20 cricket, where speed, noise and aggression are everything. I feel qualified to offer at least one of those.
So who is right about the IPL? The naysayers (and there are plenty), the cheerleaders (not those ones), or the John Davidsons? Here are some points that I’d like to make:
- The reality of 50-odd games of 20-over cricket was always unlikely to live up to the hype, but Brendon McCullum and his ilk have provided plenty of excitement.
- Despite all the razzmatazz, however, it’s still cricket (which we all like, don’t we?) and there is still a place for the arts of, say, captaincy and wicket-keeping.
- The boundaries arms race is threatening to make bowlers little more of an attraction than the umpires. This provides a great opportunity for world-class bowlers to show their quality, but also for youngsters to innovate, as anyone going for less than eight an over will probably be hailed as some sort of genius
I have plenty more to say on the IPL, but for now I’ll just say that whatever the merits and weaknesses of the format, I’m still watching…
