Hello and welcome back to my blog
The IPL has begun! I won't attempt to provide commentary on every game but I do intend to highlight certain points as the Juggernaut moves along. Last time I mentioned that spin bowlers need not worry if they get hit for fours and sixes.. This has been shown to be true in the tournament so far as Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Daniel Vettori have had good success in the face of aggressive batsmen. Also It is great to see both my picked teams (Bangalore and Delhi) winning their first games.
Unfortunately this is where the good news ends as I reach a serious problem that has suddenly materialised to the dismay of many. The seven and a half minute breaks at the mid-point of the innings has taken many by surprise, including myself, but really it should come as no shock. The IPL is really just the biggest cash cow (no pun intended) that cricket has ever seen and any commercial advantage is being taken to bloat this beast to its limit. The break is by no means a tactical break few were stupid enough to believe so.
Tonight we saw the big problem with this addition to the IPL when a game was shortened by rain to 14 overs per innings but the break was kept in full! Common sense should dictate that such a break could be shortened to keep the players on the field even if it is pro rata. I see this as the game bowing to business - cricket is now a business not a sport or at least the pendulum has swung in that direction. It is probably inevitable but I find it disappointing all the same.
I just hope the situation doesn't become one where by we watch a bit of cricket to entertain us between the advertisements. A dangerous move at the very least.
Well that's it from here and I hope you join me again.
It's good bye for now
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Well, I have to say that I agree with you on this one Baz. The 'tactical strategy breaks' are a complete and utter farce - if anything, it seems to derail the strategic decision-making by destroying all the momentum gained by a team before the break.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing is that Modi and the IPL claimed that the point of the breaks was to reduce the amount of time that teams spent talking about tactics during overs. They managed to completely ignore the fact that the game does not break itself into 10 over blocks that you can plan for in advance. The game can change completely in the space of one over and captains will still need to spend time during overs talking tactics, so all the break will do is make games run even further overtime.
Having said that, it would be naive to claim that last year's IPL was some sort of purist tournament that has been sullied by the ad breaks. It's always been about the money, and it will continue to be about the money. I doubt that it will spread to other games and tournaments, this is more about Indian greed than any viable long-term view of the sport.