Twenty20 losing it's charm in England..?

To be honest, I don't think T20 is just losing it's charm in England I think T20 is losing it's charm everywhere. You only have to look at attendance figures for some of the IPL matches in SA to know that people are staying away in other countries too.

Actually if you look at the attendance figures from the first IPL then the amount of tickets that were sold was proportionately low to the amount that were given away. For some of the time, the only time you saw full stadiums were when the organizers gave them away to local people and school children or if they reduced the price significantly. And that's been the same for this IPL.

This years T20 World Cup in England is probably going to suffer a similar fate, listening to TMS a few days ago the commentators were saying that the tournament is far from sold out and they're struggling to sell out grounds.

People aren't necessarily boycotting it but they are starting to stay away from it and I think the major reason for that is because there is far too much of it, far too many tournaments and games and far too much emphasis and importance placed on it. The people who run cricket have latched on to one particular format (T20) & are now over saturating the game with it, it's a cash-cow they're intent on milking dry.

Look at the number of T20 tournaments; this year there is the WC, the IPL (with 59 games, plus in the next few years they're looking to expand so there will be even more!), the English domestic competition (next year the counties will stage two T20 tournaments!) plus other domestic ones around the world, the Stanford series wasn't all that long ago and there's talk of more IPL like tournaments in other countries (including America). It's so over saturated (as is the whole of the cricketing calendar; there are far too many Tests and ODI's as well) that people are becoming bored of it all, the audience are voting with their feet and not going to the games so much any more.

Instead of letting the format build up slowly or having a few big, important competitions that actually mean something they've smothered the calendar with limited overs cricket, it really is overkill. In fact they've taken the emphasis away from Test cricket and other formats. There's just no balance and their needs to be (especially if all of the formats are going to survive in the long term).

I don't suppose the recession helps matters much, neither does the cost of tickets in England (they're astronomically high) but that can't be entirely blamed as tickets go on sale months in advance.

Now; has T20 really got a long term future?

Yes if they reduce the number of tournaments, balance out the calendar a bit more and place equal emphasis on all formats rather than over killing T20 for the sake of money.

Will the IPL still be as popular in 5 years time?

Perhaps. I think it might but not necessarily as popular as it is now. I think it's survival depends on a lot of factors such as the number of other T20 tournaments there are and the fans themselves wanting to go. But really there's far too much money invested in it for it to die away. But again they need to reduce the amount of games etc.

Is the World T20 Championship here, going to help or hinder the popularity of Twenty20 Cricket?

Hard to say, it depends on a lot of factors, but as I said the audiences are already voting with their feet and not buying tickets (of course that’s not to say they won’t be sold out by the time the tournament starts but I‘m sure you get my point lol). And with the fact that there are already so many other T20 tournaments around it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming hard to keep up with them all. It gets confusing so people end up losing interest.

Well you being English would know as well as anyone if t20 cricket was losing its charm in England, but over here in South Africa it is still growing its huge here and people absolutely love it that's why the IPL had such great support every game even week days, everywhere you went people were talking about it, gathering around big screens in public places to watch a bit of the action whether they be in a mall shopping or a casino.

You would think with the amount of 20 20 matches by now it would be in overkill, but I honestly don't think so people like being able to spend a short time watching a match getting an exciting game in a lot of 20 20 games high scoring or not were brilliant games coming down the last ball keeping viewers glued and when it transfers to international level next month where the intensity will be even higher I'm sure lots of people are waiting for it to begin like me.

I think in 5 years the IPL will be popular by then it will be pretty different player's have adapted to the shortest version of the game by then they would have evolved their play even further making impossible situations now seem very likely then and as the audience embraces the changes it will hold strong in its appreciation of the game's t20 format.

Has it ever had any charm? When it was first touted, thought it was a ridiculous idea. I remember watching one of the early matches, with James Kirtley jogging back to his ark after each delivery, as time was at a premium. But I was won round (slightly) to T20 - it wasn't as bad as I expected and could be viewed as a harmless bit of fun. And Finals day is great, especially Davd Lloyd and the Mascot Derby!

I wouldn't say T20 is suffering from a loss of charm. I would say it is suffering from overkill. The fixture lsts are gradually becoming congested with T20. Various domestic competitions, and ever-burgeoning international fixtures mean it has lost it's novelty value.

Novelty drew crowds of 30,000 five years ago. But now audiences can more or less have T20 on demand, so the inclination to go and watch it isn't the same. Miss one today, you can go tomorrow, is becoming the mindset.

Does it have a future? Yes and no. 50 over cricket has been around for a long time now, and has gone through various changes. The same will happen with T20. It is still a marketing man's dream, and there is enough interest (particularly from TV) to ensure that it survives for many years to come.

Also, it needs to be borne in mind that with a recession currently taking place, many families will be picking and choosing what matches they watc. Ticket prices are high, but even if costed by the clubs at affordable prces, there is still often a huge expense for a family of four, the target audience of T20, when you factor in travel costs, catering, gifts and merchandise.

As for the weather: you need to toughen up. The Bank Holiday weekend was sunny, and fairly warm (even hot in some areas!). Altough it rained here last night! So much for putting weedkiller down!

The attendances for the West Indies matches were poor because they were the third choice tourists, England had just played one of the most boring series imaginable against them in the Caribbean, and they just didn't whet the appetite.

In summary, T20 does have a future. It is 50 over and Test cricket that could be struggling.

Well the rest of the season ahead is not going to be the same I believe. The matches against West Indies and the domestic T20s for England can't compare to what's following next- i.e. T20 World Cup and The Ashes. I'm sure they will attract huge crowds.

I too prefer T20 over ODIs and I think the T20s will actually pose a threat to ODI version in 5 years time that you're talking. So its more like whether the ODIs will be there in 5 years time?

IPL will only gain more and more popularity. This year's IPL final was seen by over 11 million people compared to 8.5 million of last year's final which Rajasthan won. So the "overkill" thing is actually the blooming of this spectacle considering its appeal.

IPL is marketed on a much larger scale than any other domestic T20 competitions therefore they won't attract that much of appeal.

I'm sure rest of the season will be feast for the cricket fans.

P.S

England have treated Windies in the test and ODI series ruthlessly and this will boost their confidence for the Ashes. Hope to see a great Ashes this year.

You can't compare India and England in term domestic cricket.

In England, all domestic competitions brings in viewers. This is happening for a very long time. And if they lose interest in the game, it's just natural. They need more variety every time.

But in India, not many will be there to watch a first class match. And IPL is the first venture in commercializing cricket in India.

IPL is the only domestic tournament in India that's broadcasted live.

England's T20 competition is no different Pro40 competition, except the number of overs is less. The same set of players, and same venues and little more excitement.

In IPL, more foreign players are involved, the atmosphere is totally different, they have better marketing strategies, etc.

To make T20 more exciting in England, they should come out of the county format, and teams should be created with different criteria. This will force a change in allegiances, and they'll support a different team.

And India's population and the percentage of cricket followers will sustain cricket in India. When coming to sports, it's all cricket in India. But majority of English follow Soccer.

I feel IPL can only get better from here.

May not be the type of sport English like. More importantly the price for the tickets may also matter in this deep recession all over the world. But I think T20 WC will be to their capacity when top teams meet.

Test cricket attendance is bad even in countries like India, SL, BD, Pak.

I am not sure if Ashes will be played with full capacity. I bet only if England is winning or have been competitive - else would be more than half empty.

IPL will only survive if the appropriate marketing is done and timing the season is more important with International stars participation. It will die if they make by changing formats, adding multiple IPL seasons, absence of big international stars. IPL is more about business rather than Cricket. The sport has been utilized to the max to generate revenues to BCCI and owners.

Batting=Shocking Bowling=Shocking Effort=None Belief=None. They have got sub-par players such as Gareth Batty (like, how did he get a game)? They are getting rid of hopeless players (Panesar, Giles, Harmison) but replacing them with players that are worse or just slightly more effective. Gareth Batty would be a reasonable spinner if he was eligible for Bangladesh. Even he probably would not make the team. Same as Giles and Panesar. They lacked the world class spinner for far too long. Adrian Mascarenhas is an okay bowler, but, his batting is at a nice, fast rate. So I think he can be a good ODI Player in years to come. Considering Stuart Broad's age he is going along pretty well. He might be a really good bowler by 2012-2013. They just need to groom him. Looking at the batting, the sun does not shine much brighter. Looking at the stats, the only good batsmen are Pietersen (Mr. Ego, but I like his batting), Paul Collingwood (nervous though) and Andrew Strauss. They have been chopping and changing. I would keep the side the same and then you will notice once they gel you will probably find that they will start play exciting, winning cricket.

It is just a passing fad.T20 will have an end where as test cricket will go on forever as long as kids play cricket.

Edit - In Sl,for eg,lifestyle dictates the attendance for a test match,but 3 or 4 day matches between schools(big match days)usually end up with all seats taken and then some.First class cricket and tests are popular and are watched on tv,we don't usually go to grounds coz of other reasons(safety,economic,etc).It'll change in the near future.

And why would they be? This is an Ashes year, thats all that matters. Im not at all shocked

I don't think that T20 has a future at all. It is repetitive and often very one sided and doesn't provide nearly the amount of excitement and diversity that tests do. Tests allow for many different characters and types of players but T20 just has samey feel to it. Its ok once in a while, but not the sort of thing you'd want to see over and over again

EDIT: Yes it has been popular before because it was new at the time, and it was exciting when it was first introduced, it was different. But now the saminess and repetetiveness has set it, its boring, not exciting any more.

EDIT: I know!! England are playing well! I hope Prior makes a 100, he deserves it

That really isnt good for England 20/20. The sport should attract alot more attention, since there is always action and there is a million more percent chance you will see a four/six hit. I hope that the World 20/20 championship comitee try and help this problem, it could determine the future of england 20/20.