The aberrations of Twenty20
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
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The Twenty20 format is too one-sided and monotonous to enjoy, where the batsman is the emperor and the bowler a pauper. Pradeep Magazine, while assessing the IPL in the Hindustan Times, believes for any sport to be enjoyed, it has to pit two sets of skills against each other and create conditions and ground rules which do not favour one against the other.
The IPL reminds me of Hans Christian Andersen's tale 'The Emperor's New Clothes' where two conmen trick the emperor and his subjects into believing that the dress which they have made for him will not be visible to those who are either not fit for their jobs or are fools...In the story it is a child who speaks the truth. Here, at the risk of being called a dunce, I echo what the child said: “The emperor is not wearing anything at all.“
Although Shane Warne can still keep a tidy length, his days of pulling rabbits out of hats are possibly behind him. Peter Roebuck elaborates on the beginning of the end for the Rajasthan Royals captain in the Hindu.
Warne has not played any hard cricket for three years. No amount of nets or training runs, let alone hands of poker, can prepare mind and body half as well as genuine combat. Great cricketers can keep going for a year or two before time catches up with them. Eventually brazen opponents realise that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes.
More Warne bashing, as Mike Selvey in the Sport blog on the Guardian website says the Rajasthan captain calling Yusuf Pathan's blitzkrieg against Mumbai Indians as the greatest innings ever is an insult.
Dear God, Warnie, forget the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd and all that living-in-the-moment adrenaline stuff. Forget, for a minute, your vested interest in promoting IPL, or even making a team-mate feel even better about himself. Just think before you open your mouth. Nope.