Cricket for long was regarded as this rigid game, one that was laden with rules and traditions, and one that refused to embrace the changing society. But the influx of One Day cricket infused a breath of fresh air in a game that was originally meant to be played at a calmer pace.
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One Day cricket brought in huge crowds as it resonated with the new generation, who wanted cricket to be exciting, fast paced and result oriented.
ODI cricket flourished, brought in new countries into the foray and changed the game of cricket forever. But with the advent of the new century, the demands of the new generation changed, as they wanted an even shorter format because dedicating the entire day for a game seemed out of the question.
England came up with the T20 format and cricket changed forever. Crowds started longing for the shortest format, as it allowed them to walk into the stadiums and enjoy themselves after a hard day at the office.
But when you provide people with options, they want to explore more, and that led to the T10 league coming into existence. A 10 over a side league which would perhaps double the excitement, as batsman could go ‘bang-bang’ from ball one.
The acceptability of the league is something that is still questionable, as it is too short a format to bring in all aspects of the game to the fore, but we have seen funnier things in cricket, haven’t we?
Shahid Afridi though would vouch for this format every day of the week, as he conquered it last night, picking up a hattrick of his first 3 balls, dismissing Roussouw, Bravo and age-old rival Virender Sehwag to win his side the game.
Shahid Afridi’s side, Pakhtoons, got off to a bad start against the Virender Sehwag led Maratha Arabians side, losing their openers cheaply, but a brisk partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Dawson meant that the Pakhtoons posted a total of 121 on the board.
Sehwag and co. were up against it from ball one, as the asking rate was a bit too high, but it was still doable.
Afridi, though, knocked the wind out of the Maratha Arabians chase, taking a hattrick of his first three balls in the T10 format. Roussow held out into the deep, while both Bravo and Sehwag did not pick the wrong one and were trapped right in front. Sehwag managed to dish out a smile after the dismissal, giving it up to his age-old rival, Afridi.
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