Twenty 20 Cricket

Re: # 20
For any sport to succeed on the national, or any level for that matter, the sport needs to acquire a hegemonic status - level of emotional attachment - and a status of national-past-time. Twenty20 is an obvious solution with regards to cricket's diffusion, I agree.

Re: # 21
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Srilanka are poor nations all right, but they generate 75% of the cricketing revenue.

This is how it works: all the revenue goes to the ICC, which is then disbursed to the cricket playing nations. Cricket will die in New Zealand, for instance, if Sub Continent did not generate enough revenue. Same goes for Australia, South Arica, West Indies, UK and the remainig nations.

There is a lot of meny in cricket, especially in the sub continent. Did you hear this story, when India threatened to quit Australia's tour amid the issues with Ausies; Indians were ready to pay off Ausies with the penalties' money without putting a dent in BCCI's cash balances!

Not to mention the investment in IPL and ICL in India - Which other country did you think was capable of investing that much? The other biggest investment in the history of cricket has been from Kerrie Pecker in the 70s, which was just a fraction when compared with the amount which went in IPL and ICL. UK and Holand will eventually put money in cricket with respect to the degree and level of the past time that cricket will take on their national levels.

Finally, nations don't make investments in sports as such, but the private investors. Soccer, for instance is hugely financed through the investments that investers make by ways of taking its franchises.

Qaiser...
India, Pakistan and BD are poor nations. We need rich and powerful nations to promote it. Europeean block conributes fund towards promotion and development of football and Africa, South America along with Europe provides the skill and popularity of the game.
How much money Holland and UK spends on cricket?

If Cricket is to become popular amongst the Europeans and Americans, it will have to be 20-20. Anything longer than that and it won't take off.

Re: # 17 It really depends how look at cricket. For example, the number of hours that go towards cricket are more than any sport. On the other hand, football is followed by the most people in the world.

In the cricke playing culture, it does not take long for the kids to pick the sport up. However, in non-cricket-playing culture, it can take many years for a kid or any one to learn the game.

There is a real chance for cricket to grow in China, Japan, and USA through the twenty20.

Re: # 17
Agreed. Cricket will never be as popular as football! There can only be one sport as popular as football and that is football. However, cricket is almost a second most popular game - taking into account its popularity in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh - nearly two billion people are into it as their national pass time.

Yes, twenty-20 cricket has a potential to grow in USA - mind you the game was literally kicked out of the USA as Americans tend have shown more hegemony - emotional attachment - with the sports that they invented, such as basketball and baseball.

With regards to Dilmiyah, I think it is ICC which is dragging cricket against its popularity by discouraging the new coming investors in the game!

Re: # 15
Cricket, as Game will never be as popular as footbal. Cricket is too complex to be played by a small kid, without constant coaching.
Dalmiya have tried to expand the game and infuse more fund He was not very successful. We need much larger contribution from europe and involve Japan and China and central asian countries.
20-20 can revive cricket in USA...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_cricket

Re: # 15
It will be impossible for ICC to organise any sort of event with 10 more countries playing cricket to the level of current 10 core nations, except organizing some thing in twnety-20 format. It took almost two months to conclude world cup 2007 with 16 countries participating in it....

We all know that it took New Zealand almost forever to register their first ever win in test cricket! Countries like Bangladesh, Kenya, and Zimbabwe will eventually make their mark. Other emerging nations, such as Ireland, Scotland, UAE, Holland, Canada, USA should be slightly better in ICC with regards to their recognition.

It is worth noting that some nations might do very well in twenty-20 and possibly cause upsets as has been a case in the IRB Sevens!!!

I would like to initiate a discussion here: how would ICC manage if 10 more nations started to play cricket - I mean good cricket? Isn't it tough for the development of cricket when ICC and its core 'constituencies' make it so hard for the new entrants to come into their circle?

Re: # 3 see http://www.cricinfo.com/database/ABOUT_CRICKET/HISTORY/

Re: # 5

Thank you for putting the reference for me Qaiser. That is indeed helpful.

Re: # 8
Cricket is surely not simple game! It is considered to be one of the most complex sports around!

Re: # 6
I can agree to some extent that cricket is in some sort of trouble - it is declining in West Indies, where basket ball is taking over; declining in New Zealand fractionally; Ausies say that in 10 years' time cricket won't be a national past time there; cricket hasn't done very well in Pakistan due to security issues in the country; cricket has not been doing well in England as the national side has been underperforming for a while! However, Indians have done well and perhaps given the game a life line to some extent, especially through the fixtures such as ICL and IPL.

Re: # 7
1. If you are talking cricket in general, then cricket has been around since 18th century and well and truly evolved but did not spread as much as other sports of the same era have! If you are talking about twenty-20, then there is not doubt it will evolve. The question is: will it help spread cricket cross-cultures?

2. We must retain all forms of cricket including ODI. However, we should continue developing twenty-20 like ICL and IPL, as well as introduce cricket to the non-cricket-playing-nations via the twenty-20 format.

3. I must acknowledge that any country that has done a real service to cricket in these days is India - as mentioned earlier, 75% of the world's cricketing revenue comes from the sub-continent and the most of the 75% come from India.

Re: # 7
1. If you are talking cricket in general, then cricket has been around since 18th century and well and truly evolved but did not spread as much as other sports of the same era have! If you are talking about twenty-20, then there is not doubt it will evolve. The question is: will it help spread cricket cross-cultures?

2. We must retain all forms of cricket including ODI. However, we should continue developing twenty-20 like ICL and IPL, as well as introduce cricket to the non-cricket-playing-nations via the twenty-20 format.

3. I must acknowledge that any country that has done a real service to cricket in these days is India - as mentioned earlier, 75% of the world's cricketing revenue comes from the sub-continent and the most of the 75% come from India.

Re: # 1
"Cricket is a simple game. Bowl, hit. Run..."
Cricket is not simple game...

Everything evolves with time; so should cricket. Sports is a form of entertainment. 20-20 Cricket is not bad. We should retain both 20-20 and test cricket. One day international should be removed...
BCCI IPL is rocking.

Cricket is in trouble. When english people were at top it was gentleman game and they played at slow pace for 5 days. They use to have tea, coffee and lunch break, biskit breaks and tea. The game was leaserly and enjoyable. Now indians have demolished by making as commodity, every player is share. You can allow them to play but they should not be allowed make rules as they are not gentleman.

Re: # 4
The reference is as follows:

Kaufman, Jason & Orlando Patterson. 2005. “Cross-National Cultural Diffusion: The Global Spread of Cricket.” American Sociological Review. Vol. 70(1) P. 82-110

Both Jason and Patterson come from Harvard University. They took up this research project years ago with the help of various research assistants.

I hope this will help. Thanks for your input.

Qaiser, can you please provide me with the source reference of the first game of cricket between America and Canada elevens, and about the number of cricket clubs in Philadelphia? I'll much appreciate this.

Excellent stuff!!!

I agree that cricket is traditionally played stricitly by certain nationalities, where British colonies existed. On the other hand, no one even knows about the game from the rest of the world!

I think that twenty-20, on one hand has opened the doors for many unemployed and frustrated cricketers, and on the other hand dragging exisiting professional players unnecessarily, and I take your point that the marketing focus of the game should be on the non-cricket playing nations.

Re: # 1: You are spot on mate! The 75% of world's cricketing revenue comes from Sub-Continent. Also, you are right that the format existed since Adam and Eve's times and I am not suggesting otherwise either.

The article suggestes that it is a very good tool to take the game beyond the borders of core cricket constituencies - 10 core cricket playing nations. Cricket, for starnge reasons, never crossed its borders on the international level beyond 10 cricket playing nations. However, twenty20 is a format that might suit and attract many other nations, while cricket's other formats - test and ODI - never did and never will!

I have used the example of IRB - International Rugby Board - which has, on the similar lines, introduced a Rygby format known as Rugby Sevens. You see traditionally, there are six top Rugby playing nations, which dominate Rugby Union - Rugby's format like test cricket. In Australia and couple of other countries, Rugby League - Rugby's format like ODI cricket - is very popular. Rugby sevens is marketed in non-rugby-playing-nations very successfully. For instance, one of its yearly tournament is held in Dubai every year, where there were over 100,000 spectators in the stadium during the two days of the event of 2007.

In summary, cricket needs to grow out of its borders and twenty20 might be the sloution!

Cheers.

Qaiser: One word money?

That is what is making the world go round.

ODI and T20 has shown money is in subcontinent -hence the soul searching about what is cricket? The white estb feel that it will no longer be able to control cricket the way it has so far, and is scared ****less about it.

We all played 20 over games when young, and even today in village cricket it is often a 20 over game. It has always been so and will so.

Cricket is a simple game. Bowl, hit. Run. If caught without hitting the ground you are out. hit your pads you are lbw (if blocking wickets). Hit stumps you are out. Okay there is some fine-tuning to this (which game does not have it).

T20 is not new has been around