Kohli’s exit? T20 cricket is about to change

There was some amusement when English cricket authorities explained the idea of ​​a “Twenty20” two decades ago. at intermission and a hot tub on the border (which led to some selling to fans one sunny summer’s evening in Durham The audience used to flasks of tea and gentle applause had never seen anything like that bit of joke—”hit and giggle”). , as it was known at the time.

But things started to get more serious in 2007 when India beat Pakistan to win the first T20 World Cup and the sporting superpower fell in love with the short form. The following year, the Indian Premier League (IPL), a plutocrat-backed domestic competition, was launched. Suddenly, T20 became important.

This new code is proving to be a challenge for many players. The common-sense techniques that most have mastered often hinder their performance. However, there are also those who think the adaptation is easy. Those who have biceps capable of hitting the ball far and the courage to take risks are increasingly developing. Likewise with those who have the best cricketing brains, such as Shane Warne from Australia and MS Dhoni from India. Spin bowlers are enjoying a renaissance, as batsmen are forced to become more aggressive with their deliveries into the tub.

The first T20 era lasted until the mid-2010s. As the old guard exited the scene, the IPL grew. With an influx of investors offering previously unimaginable riches, the second generation of cricketers realized that focusing on T20 skills made sense. Players like England’s Jos Butler were still teenagers when T20 came along and had more time to adapt his style. They changed the game. Mr Buttler, for example, has pioneered a batting streak that would have made Test players of the past turn pale. Some, like the “walk” above the batsman’s own head, have passed from one world to another during his career.

Many second-generation stars will not return in 2026. David Warner, an avid Australian, and Rohit Sharma, a successful Indian, are 37 years old. Andre Russell, a West Indian T20 specialist, is 36 years old. Virat Kohli, India’s best batsman, is 35 years old. Even if they wanted to continue playing, they would probably be eliminated. This year’s IPL provided a clue as to where T20 cricket is headed. The tournament saw eight of the nine highest team totals in IPL history. The scoring rate increased from just under nine runs and an over in 2023 to over nine and a half. The batsmen played more aggressively than before and it paid off. Nine players scored more than 300 runs with a strike rate of more than 175 runs per 100 balls faced. This has only happened 16 times before in the IPL.

Four of the nine players to achieve this milestone are from the third generation of T20. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Sharma, Tristan Stubbs and Phil Salt are almost the same age as T20 itself. They grow up practicing long shots (hitting the ball as far as possible) and relay catches (two fielders combine to make an implausible catch that should fly over the edge). For them, cricket means T20. They know that in this format, scoring 20 runs from eight balls will give their team more chances of success than scoring 40 runs from 30. Mr Salt is already on the ball in the England team, and Mr Stubbs is South Africa’s designated finisher, adept in scoring a goal at the end of the half. The transition from the second to the third age is underway.

Unfortunately, few new styles of play have been seen at the World Cup so far. The pitch in New York, flown in from Australia and moved to the stadium, has proven to be a minefield for the batsmen. Goalkeeping in the Caribbean is also tricky. The score is also low. But don’t be fooled. This says more about the conditions in this tournament than the team’s intentions. T20 will be a faster, more athletic and more popular game when the next World Cup arrives.

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