50 Over Cricket Enjoys a Renaissance

If you are one of the people that thinks 50 over cricket is dead then I would like to challenge your view. The last 3 one-dayers that have been contested (2 between South Africa and Pakistan and one between Australia and Sri Lanka) have all been thrillers. They have had ebbs and flows that you cannot get in Twenty20.

Sri Lanka vs Australia was a prime example. Australia got off to a flyer, Sri Lanka took a few wickets to peg them back then Australia recovered again to post a respectable score. When Sri Lanka came to bat they lost 2 wickets quickly which put Australia right on top, Sri Lanka recovered and looked in control with Sangakkara playing beautifully, Australia then seemed to have all but won the match having reduced the Sri Lankans to 107/8 chasing 240. Cue one of the most remarkable cricketing comebacks that I can remember watching.

Once Sri Lanka had lost the 8th wicket, I fully believed the game was over. How wrong I (and presumably everyone else watching the game) was. The Sri Lankans say that the game is never over until Mathews is out. They were right.

The key to the success of Mathews and Malinga was that they were playing with no fear. There was no pressure on them as no one expected them to succeed. As soon as there was some pressure Malinga subsided, as he set off for a non-existent single in a rush to finish the game. Thankfully for Sri Lanka the ice-cool Muralitharan was on hand to guide Sri Lanka to another unexpected victory (he recently smashed 31 of 15 balls to see off Bangladesh).

There were many pleasing things about watching this record-breaking partnership (besides seeing the Aussies somehow manage to lose from another comfortable position, providing hope for the upcoming Ashes series). Chief among these were the shots played by both batsmen. The one that stands out most in my memory was the 6 Angelo Mathews hit over mid-off from Mitchell Johnson. It was not just a bludgeon (something Lasith Malinga produced on a few occasions) it was pure timing. He did not seem to try hit it too hard and the end result was me blurting out all range of superlatives to describe the shot. This was the point when I really started thinking that Sri Lanka were going to win. When they still needed 60 runs to win I started thinking they might well do it (such was the ease they were playing the Australian attack). At 100 runs to win I wondered whether it was possible. Surely I should have learned from recent games to expect the underdogs to emerge triumphant.

I apologise for only touching on the Pakistan vs South Africa games but unfortunately I did not have the pleasure of watching either games. Oh how I would have liked to see Abdul Razzaq's fierce onslaught.

I will admit that a year or two ago I too thought the 50 over game was dead, these recent games have however re-kindled my interest. This is coupled with my diminishing interest in Twenty20 as I fear overload will completely kill my interest in the format.

I have no doubt that 50 over cricket will be here for some time yet (a slight reduction in overs to 40 or 45 could happen) and to any doubters out there about the health of Test cricket. I can assure you, it is and always will be the ultimate form of the game.