Twenty overs to fame

[CSK Fan]

AKA the Maggi noodles instant legends of the game The advent of 20/20 has proved to be a blessing in disguise for many less talented cricketers. They excel only in this form of the game and their fan following largely consists of young fans of this form. Here are some of the more prominent ones Sahid Afridi Afridi had waited 12 years for T20 to be invented. Right from his very first ODI he was always a T20 player. Players adapt to a different form of a game but when T20 came around, it looked like the game had adapted to Afridi. Consider this; before the advent of T20, Afridi was consistantly on the fringes of the team. Banished from the tests and on the point of having his ODI place questioned after a string of mediocre performances. Even his teen fan brigade was on the verge of moving on to greener pastures. And then T20 came along. Afridi proved that he was capable of holding on to his concentration for the four overs he needed to bowl and the few overs he was required to bat for. Suddenly he was the superstar again. His T20 bowling performance rubbed on his ODI bowling form and he became an indispensible member of his team. With talks of a test return and a very likely stint as Pak's ODI captain, Afridi has it all made today. That he is highely sought after in overseas T20 leagues is the icing on the cake. Afridi can thank his God that twenty twenty came along at the right time and rescued his floundering career. Umar Gul He is fast, he is acurate and he is almost unplayable. Thats Gul in T20. How a bowler's performance can vary so much between ODIs and T20 is a mystery. He is below average in tests and ODIs, cannot contain runs, cannot take wickets. But reduce the number of overs in a game and you will find that he is the best in the business. Searing yorkers or unplayable short stuff, Gul has made T20 bowling into an art form. If not for T20, he would most likely have been dropped from the team long ago. His good return in t20 keeps his stakes high in the team. If and when IPL starts accepting Pak players again, Gul will be one of the most highely sought. Shaun Tait He is lightning quick, a treat to watch when on song and a wicket taker when in form. Unfortunately Australia wants nothing of him in test matches and ODIs where he is wayward, leaks runs and breaks down after five overs on the trot. Australia perhaps, is the team which takes this form of cricket the least seriously. So Tait is very unlikely to earn respect or fan following at home. But he is sure to make the speed gun fanatics happy and earn a lot from the T20 leagues Kieron Pollard Consider this. Pollard has earned more from the game, despite not having played any tests and a handful of ODIs, than some players who have played for over ten years. Thats T20 for you. Pollard's doemstic prowess has earned him riches he might not have dreamt of while growing up. He seems to have a sane head on his shoulder and might try his hands at tests but not if Modi and his IPL have their way with him David Hussey Hussey's Australian career might be floundering but his hitting and all round prowess has earned him $625,000 in IPL, almost double of what his captain and one of the best test player, Ponting did There are numerous other such players who are not listed here. T20 might not earn you respect but gives you all the fame and money you want

[sangrock]

1st three players - on the money. Pollard - too early to say anything David Hussey - he seems to be developing into a good ODI player!

[achilles]

T20 is the best way to :finger: the selectors.

[king2be98]

Well whether you will accept it or not, T20 cricket is here to stay, there is no way it's going to disappear. Now Test cricket will always be the form that matters, but T20 definately still has a place in world cricket. The fast paced frenetic adrenaline fuelled shorter version of the game may not be fond with the purists, but neither was ODI cricket when it started.

[S.Bond]

i will not even debate about afridi, because it's obvious that afridi is a very good one day player... Even tait bowled exletentally in ODI's he played and was very good in the 2007 world cup, was a star performer..... gul also is not very good bowler in test andODI but he is not poor.... Poor article, meant nothing....

[CSK Fan]

i will not even debate about afridi, because it's obvious that afridi is a very good one day player... Even tait bowled exletentally in ODI's he played and was very good in the 2007 world cup, was a star performer..... gul also is not very good bowler in test andODI but he is not poor.... Poor article, meant nothing....

You cannot deny that Afridi has improved in ODIs only recently. But Afridi is not by any means a good ODI player. He is not an ODI match winner. His usual figures in ODI bowling is 45-50 runs for 1 or 2 wickets. Is that a match-winning ODI performance? With the bat he contributes nothing in ODIs. Do you want me to pull Gul's ODI performances? When was the last time he conceded less that 60 runs in ODIs? When was the last time Tait played in ODIs? How likely is he to play again for an extended period?

[EnterTheVoid]

Nice writeup, I like it :wtg: