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IPL to change face of cricket?
08/04/2008 22:03 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Former South African cricket captain Kepler Wessels said on Tuesday that the Indian Premier League (IPL) could lead to major changes to the game internationally.
The IPL is a Twenty20 tournament, involving eight franchises. Each franchise is a blend of experienced international players and promising young Indian players. The tournament will be played between April 18 and June 1.
Players were sold to the various franchises at a much-publicised auction in February.
Wessels, who is coach of the Chennai Super Kings, said the IPL was expected to take off, with more and more international players putting their names forward, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) would have to take action to prevent a situation where players opted to play IPL rather than for their countries, provinces or franchises.
"I think the ICC will have to set aside a window period of about six weeks each year to enable players to take part in the IPL, so that players don't have to choose between playing for their countries and playing for their IPL franchise," he said.
On a more positive note, Wessels said the lure of possibly playing IPL cricket might keep some players in the game for longer.
50-over cricket predictable and boring
Wessels said he did not think Twenty20 (T20) cricket would have too much effect on Test cricket, but he believed it could spell the end of 50-over cricket.
"It's such an exciting format, and it's over quite quickly as well," he said. "I think spectators and viewers might come to regard 50-over cricket as somewhat predictable and boring."
Former England player Robin Jackman, said he believed the introduction, first of 50-over cricket, and later, of T20 cricket, had already had an impact on Test cricket.
"Players are scoring more quickly, and all members of the team are chasing after the ball in an attempt to cut off just one run," he said. "As a result, the game is much more entertaining than it was in my day.
"Because players have learnt to score more quickly and fielding has improved so much, you have far fewer drawn Tests than there used to be."
Jackman, who was a Wisden Player of the Year in 1981, agreed with Wessels that the ICC had to take action quickly to prevent players from playing IPL cricket in preference to representing their country or their province.
"It's wonderful to see some of the senior players earning money which narrows the gap with the obscene amounts some top footballers are earning, but playing for their country should always come first," he said.
- SAPA
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