The Twenty/20 Virus

Regular readers may have noticed – but not necessarily been disheartened by – the absence of much cricket-related commentary here. There are a couple of reasons for its absence. First, I’ve been reading a lot in preparation for what I hope may become a longer-term project. Secondly, so much of the news these days is sufficiently depressing as to make one think that the game – that is to say, the game one knows and loves – is scarcely worth the candle.

And yet, despite this, there are occasional sparks of light. Consider the comments of Darren Ganga, for instance. The West Indian is no-one’s idea of a titan, but he seems to have the sport’s best interests at heart.

“Really and truly, this [Twenty20] is not really a benchmark for judging players. Test cricket is the ultimate,” he told Colin Croft in a BBC interview on Friday. “There will be a point in time when a lot of people are going to get jaded over this version of the game and realise it doesn’t show the true colours of a cricketer.”