by Kiall Rowberry

Created on: June 04, 2008

Cricket is, and always will be, a game played over five days or four innings. While, there are other forms of the game that are played over shorter periods of time, the latest of which is twenty20, none of these truly represent the traditional nature of the sport.

While these variations of the game contain the fundamentals of cricket, they lack the key qualities that make the game great. Much like flag football or sevens rugby, the limited overs versions of cricket are fun to play and watch and may even attract new audiences to the game.

But what is missing from these games is the genuine contest between bat and ball, the dramatic twists and turns that inevitably happen over five days of competition, the x-factor that is a wearing pitch, and the ability of the true greats of the sport to showcase every skill in their repertoire.

While twenty20 has taken the world by storm, one must ask how much longer the novelty of watching the world's best batsmen try to hit sixes every ball can last. A six, in isolation, is thrilling to witness. It can free the batsmen from the shackles of tight bowling, change the momentum of the game, add pressure to an already troubled spell from the bowler, or simply just entertain the masses. But when sixes become the norm, not the exception, they can quickly lose their appeal.

What would happen if the game of soccer suddenly started to produce 20 goals a game? Would fans and players continue to celebrate every one with the same vigor that they do now? I doubt it, they would lose some of their magic and they would mean much less.

The history of cricket is littered with memorable performances. Sir Donald Bradman averaged a staggering 99.94 runs an innings over the duration of his career. That is almost 40 runs an innings better than the next best in history. As a comparison, Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb would have needed a batting average of .392 to match Bradman, Michael Jordan would have needed to average 43 points per game and Pele would have to have scored 3.7 goals every time he played.

If test cricket didn't exist, the career of Bradman would have been reduced to a mere sideshow, a few cameos lasting no longer than two hours. It would be like only watching Tiger Woods on a driving range.

Few cricket fans in the West Indies will ever forget watching Brian Lara make an astonishing 400 runs against England in Antigua. It was an innings of immense concentration, glorious stroke play and precision timing. But this innings would only be possible in

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