subject: Universal Soldier The Gennext Cricketer [print this page] In these days of racy changes in cricket, opinions are myriad. One is that Twenty20 cricket will change the way we view our Test cricketers. So, what will crickets future star be like? What kind of player will play across all styles of cricket?
The IPL Their Oyster
The Indian Premier League has provided a glitzy stage for international aspirants to perform and be noticed by the selectors. Now, some onlookers are even questioning how important the Ranji and Deodhar Trophies and other traditional domestic tournaments will be to spot new Indian talent for 50-over matches and Tests.
No doubt, Twenty20 cricket is completely different from the five-day variety and arguably, from 50-overs. Still, considering at least 60 per cent of Indias Twenty20 players are able to gravitate to the other two formats, a whole new jack-of-all-cricket generation may be about to mutate, importantly, from Twenty20.
More Twenty-20 tournaments
An immediate spin-off from the first IPL in 2008 was the Champions League and here, a youngster proving his talent would merit at least the same consideration if not more. Therefore, the opportunities just seem to be multiplying through Twenty20.
Critics may say that the Champions League shouldnt be a selection ground for India prospects because it wont necessarily showcase the best local talent (Only the top three IPL teams qualify). There is some logic there, however, the question can be turned around to Can the selectors ignore a performance at least as good? Theoretically, the league represents a higher class of cricket.
Foreign Leagues
There is yet another T20 window of opportunity for todays starry-eyed youngster the premier leagues of other countries; Piyush Chawla who plays for Kings XI in the IPL represented the English domestic side Sussex in their T20 league. Whos to say that a sterling performance in a foreign league like this wouldnt hand a player a spot in the Indian team, particularly if the climatic or pitch conditions are similar to the tour destination; selectors are only too conscious of the conditions when picking sides to tour.
Ideal Players
Ian Chappell had early on identified JP Duminy as the blueprint of a player suited for 20-20 cricket, a label the diminutive South African has lived up to. Now, talent scouts of all the cricket boards may be out to find blueprint players suited to all three versions of the game Agreed, the term doesnt fit to the T in this respect, however, were talking about players who may be predominantly T20 but comfortably hold their place in the other two versions.
Yes, there is the wisdom of not burning out a player by playing him in all three formats but lately, we have a new trend to rest players from specific tourneys or series. If these are consistently made the recovery windows for todays highly skilled and athletically grilled cricketer, then he can be match-ready for important fixtures across all three types of cricket.
Fast-paced Tests
There are advantages of grooming a multiple-game cricketer; particularly the batsmanTest cricket is played amidst fast run-scoring previously unseen, therefore needing attacking batsmen from the T20s and 50-overs. Similarly, bowlers in Tests are expected to prise out batsmen faster and not merely wear them down no wonder there have been inventions like the doosra, the back-of-the-hand-flipper, the knuckle ball and the slow bouncer in the last decade and a half compared to only the googly in the hundred years before that.
Further, the international media which tended to approve our play leading to respectable draws is these days showering praises on positive play and true winners. Therefore, captains are willing to make challenging declarations or chase stiff targets at the equal risk of defeat. High-voltage, bold and exciting Test cricket is here to stay.
Correct Combinations
Next, with the current success mantra of finding the right team combination instead of combining the best individual players, the selectors may be happy to play the lads familiar with each other in more than one type of cricket. Recently, Twenty20 specialist Shahid Afridi of Pakistan was offered the post of captain for all three versions, an experiment which didnt succeed for Tests, but the appointment could still cause a global shift in thinking. After all, Indias MS Dhoni is the captain in all formats, although he made the transition gradually, starting with T20.
The Athletes
At the inauguration of the National Cricket Academy in India a decade ago, Rod Marsh referred to the cricketers as athletes, a tag that stuck. A new cricket culture based on supreme fitness was going to be the formula for the twenty-first century a cricketer would put in disproportionately longer hours of training in endurance, strength and allied skills, compared to cricket. As expected, the hard work started paying off.
Premier Fitness
The IPL franchises too have focussed on the fitness and cross training needs of their players. Kings XI Punjab on its part has a qualified Strength and Conditioning coach to drive the boot camp and the seasons exertions. Training programmes are tailored to individual needs and an eagle eye kept on fitness levels during the off-season period also.
The dynamic thinking from the fledgling franchise has even influenced the parent body, the Punjab Cricket Association to partner with it in fitness camps, another example of institutional cricket learning from the new arrival.
Injuries and Player Resting
The start of the millennium therefore saw fitter and stronger players but more prone to injuries, because of which many started missing matches. It led to the tactic of resting players, although conventional thinking made team managements initially very hesitant not to play their best ones. Simultaneously, there has been a crusade towards lightening the cricket calendar and spacing the matches well.
Change Management
Coming back to the present day, our evolved T20, ODI and Test player would have to deal with an additional aspect the changeover across three formats in short time spans. Dont forget that physical apart, a players mental strain will increase, what with having to bat or bowl to individual targets given by coaches and captains. If the future is likely to see the rise of this new all-rounder, one thing is certain rest and recovery will become an even more important part of managing players careers.
Unforgiving Itineraries
With the spurt in cricket commercialism since 2000 it is going to be very difficult to reduce the number of matches or tournaments, as the modern game itself depends upon the revenues to run successfully. Therefore, again, the only solution is to rest players from entire tournaments.
Tests Avatars
Test cricket in the meantime is mulling changes to bring back the viewer, one being day-night Tests. Another suggestion is to make teams play a Test until it ends in a result, regardless of the number of days taken. However, this is unlikely to receive much support although it was the norm less than a hundred years ago; one Test had to be abandoned because the steamer was leaving the country on the tenth day and the visiting team could not afford to miss it!
Split Innings
Sachin Tendulkar suggested a hybrid between a Test and a 50-over match teams would play each other over two innings of 50 overs each, which would retain the feel of a Test but with the pulse of a limited-overs match. Already CA (Cricket Australia) has adapted this theme on a trial basis to a domestic tournament.
Whether Test cricket changes its form or not, it is certain that its players will be styled like Ninjas, of various batting, bowling or fielding forms. Theyre most likely to be borrowed from T20. The future remains exciting!
