Kallis

was really suprised to see full house in UAE. That also for an ipl game. And considering its Pakistan's 2nd home and they struggle to get like that many people to the matches its a good effort.

I mean its not rocket science, But cricket is definately getting more popular with the t20 cricket around.

Agreed. Those that says test cricket is real cricket and 20/20 is a silly form are fooling themselves because they like traditions.

Going by gate attendance, the most popular version must be 20/20 and 50/50.

Don't get me wrong, I personally like test cricket, but attendance clearly shows people don't care enough to spend 6 hrs a day for 5 days and pay for it. Modern lifestyle does not allow this luxury for many. There is still interest in England and Australia, but very little in other countries.

Yes exactly. I think also since test cricket is a very difficult form to pick up, we will perhaps not see any more countries develop in that area and hence only 8-9 countries are playing will keep on playing. Tbh even the test playing nations are struggling with test cricket. Otherwise we wouldnt be seeing so many one sided series as we do now.

T20 and 50overs provides that equality among the new nations that are coming up and the existing ones and it gives a more exciting seeing for the fans and people that havent seen cricket before. Im sure in the next couple of years we will start seeing more such tournaments like IPL, or even IPL expanding and perhaps running for a like 5 months.

Also I think people that are fans of the pure form should start adapting themselves to t20 cricket. Its definately exciting, so that cant be a reason to hate t20 over tests. And we have seen players like kallis, kohli and AB that play t20 with proper cricketing shots. So you dont need to slog to be able to do well in t20s. So there is enough quality in t20 cricket its just that people need to change their perception.

and lets be honest all players from all countries want to be part of ipl. It definately helps so much. So many players have made a name in IPL and the performances in this has helped them earn a place in their national sides.

There was a time when I thought Warner is only good for ipl, but he has a come a long way since then.
I think players respect playing for IPL now and this means giving their best which in turn helps then earn these contracts and also improve their performance. Johnson is another example. He played so well last IPL and after that he got call in the national side and we all know what he is now.

The point is IPL is not just for making money. I think many players take it very proffesionally and want to perform well in it.

In any sport, some fans have a hard time adjusting to changes happening in the game. New formats and new regulations happen in every sport. Most of these changes happen because the administrators have a job to make sure they retain the enthusiasm of fans.

Basketball was losing popularity when they introduced the 3-point shot, and later the cut the play time for each possession. Table Tennis was too fast for fans to even see the ball; so, they regulated the balls and changed the scoring format. Even the conservative sport, golf, kept introducing changes like the introduction of FedEx tournament at the end of the season.

The 20/20 format can be ugly at times when bad shots fetch fours and bad balls bag wickets. Nevertheless, you see highly innovative shots in this format that you do not see in test cricket or 50/50. I don't believe people like Cook, Ponting, Laxman, or Dravid can switch right/left with the ease of Glen Maxwell. Of course, when you judge their overall careers, Maxwell's pales in comparison to the ones like Dravid. But, for a few weeks each year, he entertains in his own way and fans seem to come in big numbers to watch. That's all it matters and one can't ignore facts.