hoshiarpurexpress
T20I Debutant
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2020
- Runs
- 6,497
Speaking in an interview:
"I think the Blast is the best T20 competition in the world - not for its quality necessarily, but for its longevity, the joy that it brings to spectators in the UK culminating in one of the greatest days in the cricket calendar - Finals Day - which I used to dread. Fourteen hours, full on, with a mascot race when I didn't have a clue what they were doing and the Hollies Stand where they don't know what day it is from 10 o'clock in the morning.
"I have worked on the IPL, but it is a private enterprise and benefiting already wealthy people. The T20 Blast is for the people and bringing money into the game. That's a major factor for me in saying it is the best. The IPL fits an Indian audience because the players are Gods out there, but it is deadly serious. If I am doing a T20 game I'll have a hoot. Blokes messing up and having a laugh, although serious enough that everyone cares about the outcome. I embraced the competition straightaway and could see that it is fun and entertainment."
Now the Blast is under pressure, part of a county game that feels under siege. Attendances were at record levels before the disruption caused by Covid, but since then the Hundred has been heavily marketed and a few county officials are looking at advance Blast ticket sales this summer with a little concern. The future of the professional game in England is impossible to predict.
"The Hundred is fun and has brought new interest. But the problem is it doesn't fit, it messes up too many other things. If you look at the three main players - ECB, Sky, BBC - ECB like it because it brings a shed-full of money, Sky's viewing figures are high, and it gets the BBC into the game, a game that is short and that fits their schedules. But it kills county cricket."
"I think the Blast is the best T20 competition in the world - not for its quality necessarily, but for its longevity, the joy that it brings to spectators in the UK culminating in one of the greatest days in the cricket calendar - Finals Day - which I used to dread. Fourteen hours, full on, with a mascot race when I didn't have a clue what they were doing and the Hollies Stand where they don't know what day it is from 10 o'clock in the morning.
"I have worked on the IPL, but it is a private enterprise and benefiting already wealthy people. The T20 Blast is for the people and bringing money into the game. That's a major factor for me in saying it is the best. The IPL fits an Indian audience because the players are Gods out there, but it is deadly serious. If I am doing a T20 game I'll have a hoot. Blokes messing up and having a laugh, although serious enough that everyone cares about the outcome. I embraced the competition straightaway and could see that it is fun and entertainment."
Now the Blast is under pressure, part of a county game that feels under siege. Attendances were at record levels before the disruption caused by Covid, but since then the Hundred has been heavily marketed and a few county officials are looking at advance Blast ticket sales this summer with a little concern. The future of the professional game in England is impossible to predict.
"The Hundred is fun and has brought new interest. But the problem is it doesn't fit, it messes up too many other things. If you look at the three main players - ECB, Sky, BBC - ECB like it because it brings a shed-full of money, Sky's viewing figures are high, and it gets the BBC into the game, a game that is short and that fits their schedules. But it kills county cricket."
Last edited by a moderator:
