For the first time ever, South Africa has reached the finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be played on Saturday in Barbados. T20 (Twenty20) cricket is a shortened version of one-day cricket and has revolutionised the sport in the past 20 years. But, warns cricket scholar Sharhidd Taliep, if the country wants to keep reaching finals, it will need to modify the T20 format that’s played by young cricketers. Currently they play the same version of T20 as competitive adult cricketers and this isn’t good for growing the all-round skills needed.
What’s your take on the World Cup so far?
South Africa have achieved a monumental milestone in reaching their first World Cup final in over 30 years in either the T20 or the one-day format. The country’s T20 ranking has never been good – it’s ranked fifth in the world while it’s ranked third in one-day internationals.
Playing as underdogs in this final could take some of the pressure off them and it wouldn’t surprise me if South Africa won this World Cup. What’s certain is that millions of young people across the globe will be enjoying and learning from the final, visualising themselves as players.
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And that’s where I have a caution. Young, developing cricketers in South Africa are playing the same version of the T20 game as the one played by competitive adult cricketers. There are a lack of policies or enforced rules to regulate these playing conditions. It’s left up to individual clubs and schools. Because of the pressure to win, more often than not holistic cricket development is not happening. This can lead to a lack of all-round skills and can also result in burnout, injury or fatigue.
Before you explain why, can you tell us what T20 cricket is?
T20 limits the cricket innings to a maximum of 20 overs per team. Bowlers are limited to a maximum of four overs. This emphasises quick scoring and aggressive play, often resulting in dynamic and fast-paced contests. The game is completed within three hours. In contrast, one-day matches span 50 overs per team and last seven hours, fostering a balance between strategy and endurance. Bowlers are allowed up to 10 overs each.
T20 cricket was officially introduced in 2003 by the England and Wales Cricket Board to revive professional county cricket. Attendance and revenue were declining and cricket was often viewed as a dated sport for the elite. T20 is fast and exciting viewing. Matches are short enough to be played during weekdays, attracting more fans.
The T20 format allows for many boundaries being hit, prizes for fans and live entertainment. It has become financially lucrative and has revolutionised cricket. A typical success story is the introduction of the Indian Premier League T20 competition. The league recruits the best international players and has a brand value estimated at US$10 billion.
The T20 World Cup was introduced in 2007, with South Africa hosting the first event. The success of the tournament resulted in the organisers staging it more often than every four years, like the one-day cricket World Cup. Since 2007 there have been nine T20 World Cups.
South Africa’s record in World Cups has been dismal – until now. The birth of a local annual T20 competition – the SA20 – has catapulted viewership and attendance of cricket. It’s helped revive a dying sport. But does this mean it’s a good format for everyone?
The simple answer is no. T20 cricket makes sense for adults, who are already specialised in their playing positions. It was never intended for youth cricket and I believe if the format isn’t modified for juniors it will hinder cricket development. Research suggests that early diversification, rather than specialisation, is crucial for youth sport development.
What are your concerns about T20 youth cricket development?
Young people benefit from taking part in a variety of different sporting activities, developing an all-rounded, holistic athlete. This theory suggests that early specialisation programmes for young people can lead to excellent junior performance – but not senior performance. At youth level, cricket should be designed to promote more people playing it – and learning a range of skills rather than specialising in one aspect of the game.
In South Africa, mini cricket caters for kids who are nine years old and younger and is aimed at this inclusive participation. But after that the rules are not standardised across the country. So many schools and clubs follow the adult T20 format for children over nine.
This poses challenges for the development of all-round, highly skilled cricketers who can excel at T20. Here’s why:
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In the T20 format, middle and lower-order batters often don’t get a chance to bat, because most of the balls are faced by the top-order batters. When they do get a chance to bat, there are few balls left in the innings and they often have to play risky strokes to score maximum runs – at the peril of losing their wicket.
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Wicket keepers are not rotated, so more young players don’t get a chance to test their wicket-keeping skills. And wicket keepers don’t get a chance to improve their bowling skills.
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The best bowlers will bowl their allocated four overs and so fewer players get to develop and test their bowling skills.
Being caught up in the outcome of matches and not the process of creating cricketers leads to a culture of intense pressure on young players. This can lead to burnout, a loss of motivation and a lack of enjoyment. It can drive young players away from the sport.
The issue can be summed up in a discussion I had with a parent of an under-13 A cricketer. The parent described the lack of enthusiasm and dismay that their child expressed because the child faced less than 30 bowling deliveries in two years of matches.
Add to that the relative age effect: players born in the first quarter of the year are more likely to dominate because they are bigger and stronger than players born in the last quarter. T20 rules need to be adapted to suit the needs of young players.
What are the solutions?
England, Australia and New Zealand have adapted the rules for young cricketers. These adaptations include fewer players per team, adjusting the pitch length for each age group and limiting the number of balls a batter can face or a maximum score a batter can reach. Bowlers and wicket keepers are rotated, providing all players with a chance to test different skill sets.
This promotes early diversification and inclusivity – more people feel more comfortable playing the game. It’s not surprising that more young people are now playing cricket in these countries.
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Studies show that making these kinds of changes to games for young people in various sports can improve participation, fitness, enjoyment and skill.
Modified versions of cricket should become standard practice in South Africa if the country wants to grow the game to new highs and keep performing the way the national team has this year at the T20 World Cup.
