Cricket Xtra: World T20 the last stand for pioneers

Ajit Vijaykumar 03:38 04/04/2016
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  • T20 icon: Chris Gayle.

    This World T20 has been special in many ways. It’s the first to have a repeat champion, a tournament where subcontinent teams struggled to pull their weight and pitches were in focus as much as they are for Test matches. We had a couple of centuries and five-wicket hauls to go with a handful of spectacular finishes and catching.

    But there is another reason why this edition of the tournament was special – it signalled the end of an era as far as the ‘original’ star cast of T20 cricket is concerned.

    The format has been around since 2003 but it truly grabbed the attention of fans during the inaugural World T20 in 2007. A short tournament, following the never-ending 50 over showpiece event in the same year, and an explosive India-Pakistan final meant fans across the globe were hooked on a new variety of the game.

    T20 stars were born and they were loved by even those who weren’t traditional cricket fans. But it’s been nearly a decade since Twenty20’s big bang and some of the biggest names of that period, who either became pioneers of the format or embodied the essence of T20 cricket, will not be there (in all likelihood) to entertain us during the next World T20 in four years time.

    The biggest name that will be missing in the next tournament is Yuvraj Singh.

    The dashing southpaw gave the format its ‘big’ moment, hitting England bowler Stuart Broad for six consecutive sixes; a feat that is, arguably, the format’s most iconic.

    While his bat fell silent this time at home, the 34-year-old can sign off knowing he did something special.

    The next on the list of World T20 retirees is Lasith Malinga. The Sri Lankan pacer burst onto the scene in Test matches but his slingy action and killer yorkers and slower ones became stars in their own right in the shortest format.

    In fact, he is among the handful of fast bowlers who is in demand specifically for the T20 format, be it international games or franchise-based tournaments. Sadly, fitness woes ruined Malinga’s plans this time and there is almost zero chance of seeing the 32-year-old on the world stage again.

    Given his age and slipping fitness levels, Chris Gayle can also be added to the list. The 36-year-old Jamaican is synonymous with the slam bang format, dazzling crowds across the globe with his magnetic personality and monstrous hitting.

    Gayle’s departure will definitely leave the format and tournament that much poorer.

    Moving on, one of the most remarkable all-rounders of the format, Shane Watson resurrected his career playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League and his value with the bat and ball came to the fore this World T20, where he smashed a 21-ball 44 against Pakistan and took 2-23 from four overs against India.

    Those two performances were the perfect way to mark his retirement from international cricket.

    There are a few other players who will not be around playing T20s in 2020, unless there is a drastic turn of events.

    The foremost among them is India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. While the wicketkeeper-batsman has maintained that he is no mood to call time on his limited overs career, logic states that the 34-year-old will have to make way for another wicketkeeper soon.

    Dhoni can be called T20’s ultimate skipper but the journey has to end at some point.

    Then there is the outlandish ‘ABD’. South Africa’s AB de Villiers pioneered lap shots, scoops and swivels that have been replicated by many batsmen but no one does it as freely as AB. However, whether the 32-year-old’s fragile back can last another four years is questionable.

    Add to the mix Pakistan’s mercurial Shahid Afridi (36), India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (35) and Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan (39) and you get a sense that a unique story has come to an end, at least at the international T20 stage.

    Fans will most likely not see these stellar players fight it out for the respective countries in 2020 in Australia. And while the game never stops for anyone, especially in T20s, we must acknowledge the contribution these players made in making T20s and its showpiece event what it is today.

    The game will see many big hitters, incisive seamers and sharp captains, but they are unlikely to have the charm of the ‘original’ group of daredevils.

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