Cricket is a proud game. There are few other sporting codes that hold onto tradition as steadfastly. The blazer brigade must have been seething with the arrival of the Indian Premier League this weekend — denouncing it as a blight on the game they hold so dear. Me? Well, I’m no traditionalist…

While I enjoy Test cricket as much as the next guy, I do not view the T20 format as a naughty child. Truthfully, it only adds to the game for me. You have all the elements that make cricket such a great game with the added excitement of huge hitting, fierce bowling and a carnival atmosphere. I’m not about to complain about dancing girls either! What’s not to like?

Test cricket has a massive following still (not in SA maybe, but the Ashes series proves how widely it is followed), and it is still the truest form of the game, even I can admit to enjoying that mental warfare between batsmen and bowlers during a tense final day with a crumbling pitch.

But you get the feeling that there is only room for two forms of the game. And if you were going to do away with any of the formats of cricket it should be the 50-over game, which has become stale and less gratifying for the fans — the last World Cup in the West Indies is proof of that.

But the IPL gripe is not simply over the format, it is also about the massive sums of money that the players are being paid. The cynics feel the IPL will kill the international game, but considering how short it is, I seriously doubt it will infringe on the annual calendar of tours. And I cannot begrudge the players for wanting to get a decent payday either.

That it is limited to India is not a problem for me either. While the country is a cricketing powerhouse, unrivalled in its financial prowess, it is now up to the other national boards to follow suit. England is already talking about their own version of the IPL, while Australia, South Africa and others could look at doing the same.

SA may battle to match the financial clout of the Indian board, but if you told local sponsors that the likes of Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Sachin Tendulkar and co were going to be playing for local franchises for two months, I can’t see them guarding their wallets all that hard.

And judging by the stadiums in India this weekend, the fans are not exactly going to stay away either! Of course, logistically it could be a nightmare, but do away with the copious amounts of ODI series currently dotted around the globe and I am sure space would be found. Did you know that Bangladesh and Pakistan played this weekend? I doubt it, but the IPL did not escape many fans’ attention.

If the other ICC countries don’t follow India’s lead, they will only have themselves to blame for India strengthening their power over the global game. We all know the ICC are not about to stand up to India anytime soon.

I’m all for a global T20 league. Test cricket will never disappear, and the game is better for it, but if cricket’s bosses are serious about growing the game across the globe, while maintaining the current fan base, they need to pay for a facelift. And the IPL is proving the T20 is a pretty good face to start with.

  • And speaking of facelifts, I am sure you will notice iafrica.com has had one of its own! We’re all pretty excited about the new look and functionality and plenty of graft has been put in to ensure that our readers get the very best site out there. Comments of course are most welcome (even criticism if you must), so if you have anything to say about the new look mail me now!

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