Bat and ball 
/ Frank Gregan / 09 April 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Textbook stuff. Kraigg Brathwaite plays the forward defensive in style against Australia at the weekend.
"The ICC has to come out of denial and accept that there are three formats that need to be fitted sensibly into the international calendar without the aid of a shoehorn."
There's as much to be said about a controlled, patient fifty in Test cricket as there is in an explosive cameo in T20. All forms of cricket have their place in the game and unique skills. The ICC just has to do make room for it all, says Frank Gregan.
Last week there was so much cricket going on around the world that bat versus ball hogged the majority of the allocated chin-wag time with the 'grumpy corner' in our local. The club is a mini-society and like every society, it has its guilty secrets and it was my turn to get caught out as we reviewed the week.
"What about that performance by that West Indian batsman, what's his name?" asked one of the regulars.
"Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super Kings, you're on about his unbeaten knock of 43 from 18 balls against Deccan;" I replied, somewhat too smugly. Cue the tumbleweed and the embarrassed shuffling of feet. The tone of the conversation had been lowered with talk of the cricketing equivalent of pornography, the Indian Premier League.
It turns out that the innings the grumpy member was referring to was that of teenager Kraigg Brathwaite who showed maturity beyond his years whilst stubbornly amassing a total of 57 from 199 deliveries and frustrating the Australian bowlers. His innings was a polar opposite to that of his fellow West Indian, a slow- motion grind compared to the chaotic and glitzy cameo of Bravo's, that included a six off a leading edge. Bravo is in India courtesy of a No Objection Certificate issued by the WICB. NOCs are a controversial subject in the Caribbean.
The West Indian's participation in the IPL turned the conversation around to an oft-debated subject; is there too much cricket being played on too many fronts and in particular, is the twenty over format nothing more than a dumbed down loss leader invented for those who don't appreciate the 'real game?'
The shortest format of the game was introduced to attract the 'beer after work crowd.' What better way to spend a warm (well 14 degrees!) English summer evening than chilling out and watching the local first class team in action in a game that produces a result in three hours?
It worked, it attracted people into grounds that had never seen live cricket before and because of the volume of exciting finishes, thousands of new supporters were hooked.
From its humble beginnings the twenty over game has kicked on, shrugged off the ridicule and established itself as a format that is here to stay. Those who continue to reject it are showing more stubbornness than Kraigg Brathwaite at the crease. What is there not to like about it? There is a default answer to that question, mumbled as the speaker fiddles with his tie and swirls the ice in his gin and tonic, "it just isn't cricket:"
If one had to choose between the various formats it would be a tough choice. Test cricket is the Daddy, the supreme contest between bat and ball offering five days of intrigue. ODIs have their place although the longer series with dead rubbers quickly lose their appeal. And then we have the shortest format which looks like a fast forwarded ODI with bells and whistles and all the boring bits edited out.
It's a bit of a no-brainer. If one had to choose, Test cricket would be the choice but that's the beauty of it - we don't have to choose because there is room for all the formats. What has to happen is the ICC has to come out of denial and accept that there are three formats that need to be fitted sensibly into the international calendar without the aid of a shoehorn. The days of five Test series and seven match ODIs may have to be consigned to history in order not to saturate the market and water down the quality of the product.
The ICC World Twenty20 takes place in September and the market is beginning to take shape.
There's always value to be had in these major events by starting to build the portfolio early and already Betfairians have managed to match the West Indies at [19.0]. It's safe to say that those that have invested will be hoping that it's Bravo rather than Brathwaite that sets the target run-rate.
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