While following the live win probability of the Mumbai Indians versus Trinidad and Tobago match, a good old friend of mine pinged me on the instant messenger and asked me: What is this Champions Trophy? When did it start? Isn’t there too much Cricket? And what is going to happen to the Test Matches, the pinnacle of Cricket? He lamented that too much T20 Cricket is harmful for the players (they get injured frequently and are not able to perform their national duties properly), for the Cricket lovers (too much Cricket, leading to disinterest in the game) and for the game itself (harmful to the Test format etc.).
My friend may have had a valid point, but I politely disagreed with him. I asked him, how many Test Cricket matches do you watch? He is a self-confessed lover of the 5-day format, but he said that at the most he watches the highlights of the Test matches. And probably he is not alone in this regard, after all how many people who call themselves a fan of the longer format really watch all the 5 days of a Test match? My guess is only a very small fraction of them.
My point is that what we are seeing now is the emergence of a free market economy in Cricket. It is a free market for the Cricket fans, the players as well as the stakeholders of the game. The T20 format has a huge fan following, who are willing to spend money to fill up the stadiums to watch the game, or spend time in front of the television to watch the 3 hour drama. Even with “too much Cricket”, there is a huge market for the T20 format internationally, and the IPL, Champions League and other leagues are cashing on that market.
As for the players, they are also finally getting their due, and getting paid what their counterparts in sports like Football, Basketball or Baseball are earning. Agreed that playing for the national team should be a player’s topmost priority, and agreed that playing too much T20 Cricket may leave them with little appetite for international duties.
But what about players like Ambati Rayudu who never make the cut for the national side? Or players like Ryan ten Doeschate who never get to play enough international Cricket? For many years, these players toil in the domestic leagues, earn the minimum wages and then hang up their boots when their body gives up, never even sniffing the chance to get selected for the national side. Remember, the shelf life of a Cricket player is short, and they also need to earn money to ensure a good livelihood for themselves and secure the future of their family. By playing in IPL and other T20 tournaments, they are getting to earn not only good money, but also share the dressing room with accomplished international players, something which they never would have got the chance to do otherwise.
More importantly, the free market system in Cricket should eventually lead to selection of players purely on the basis of talent without prejudices that plague the selection in national team, such as quota requirements, regionalism, favoritism, and ultimately selection without the consideration of the nationality of the player. It should lead to a more meritocratic system, where teams compete for the best talent, and the team with the best players wins it all. Let the free market economy reign supreme in Cricket, and let the Cricket players and Cricket lovers get their due.
As the friend whose query inspired this post, I am very much honoured. But I think it is more or less certain that Test Cricket will be killed by T20. As you point out, the economics in favour of T20 is too powerful…
I am not so pessimistic about the future of the Test Cricket. In the parlance of business language, Test Cricket will eventually become a “niche market” for the old fashioned Cricket fans, and there will still be many players who will swear by the longer format of the game.
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