The T20 World Cup begins on the 5th of June. This is the second installment, with the first being won by India. It started off with a lot of mixed feelings, the most apprehensive were the Indians, and they did not select the big names like Tendulkar or Dravid, simply leaving it to Dhoni and his merry men.
The highlight was undoubtedly Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over and it was moments like this that quickly propelled the driving forces of cricket in India into action leading to the creation of the Indian Premier League. The final was a classic between India and Pakistan, coming down to the final over. It was the perfect example of what T20 cricket was all about, creating more tight finishes, reducing margins but inevitably compromising skill.
A buzz has been created in the UK over this world cup. I say people and not cricket fans, but for me it doesn’t matter, if they fill stadiums and people enjoy themselves then essentially that is what sport is all about. Twenty20 involves the fun side of cricket, the problem is by adding more and more money it becomes more serious than fun and with the lack of financial incentives at Test level there is a danger of it becoming boring.
There could be 7 or 8 winners this time round, with plenty of cricketing talent on display. So soak up the sun and enjoy the fun side of cricket, but save some energy for when the serious stuff starts in Cardiff on July 8th.
