What a couple of weeks it's been for cricket. To see the excitement, the crowds, and the close finishes convinces me this format has a huge future, so long as we don't overdo it. In 50-over cricket you can watch the beginning of the match, then come back several overs later to catch the end. But the games in the World Twenty20 have been so gripping you hardly dare leave your seat. Cricket needs to compete with other sports, and Twenty20's development is the wake-up call the game needs to do just that.
It's been interesting to note, despite all the talk, that specialist Twenty20 players haven't really materialized. Sure, there are always different types of shot that come into the game – although Tillakaratne Dilshan's scoop has been played before in Australia – and you need them to unsettle the bowler from time to time. But the players who have succeeded most are the ones with the soundest techniques. Even in Twenty20 you need to be able to hit straight down the ground.
In fact, batters are forced to improve their technique because they have to score on both sides of the wicket. In a Test you can get away with scoring predominantly on one side, because it's all about wearing the bowlers down. But Twenty20 doesn't allow that luxury. You're forced to attack lines of bowling that you could otherwise ignore. And you can only do that with a sound technique. It was no surprise to me that Jacques Kallis did so well before South Africa's tactics went awry on Friday.
I wasn't too disappointed with England, because their team fabric looks good and they were playing with real enthusiasm. Paul Collingwood's captaincy is improving, although I'm worried about the effect it has on his batting. But overall some of England's decision-making was poor, and I believe that goes back to county cricket, where the lack of intensity means there's no real need to develop that side of your game. It was also clear, both against Holland and West Indies, that they lacked hitters down the order. Luke Wright impresses me with his verve and freshness, but his explosiveness should be used lower down, not wasted up front. It seemed crazy that Dimitri Mascarenhas wasn't picked against West Indies, when he's exactly the kind of guy who can do a job down the order.
I would not have had James Foster in that side, either. I'm a big Foster fan, because his grit and fight are what every team needs. But England lost matches because of the lack of runs down the order. Why move Matt Prior up the order in 50-over cricket, then leave him out in Twenty20? As Chris Gayle himself said, it's illogical. Foster's two stumpings were smart, but most keepers would have pulled off at least one of them. People fall too easily into the trap of getting carried away with the details and not looking at the bigger picture.
One player I was impressed with was Adil Rashid. I wouldn't necessarily have picked him for this tournament, because leg-spinners need to learn how to flight the ball and use the crease without being under too much pressure. Twenty20 doesn't allow you the space to develop those crafts, but Rashid at least showed he's an exciting prospect who can field well and bat too. If England play two spinners in any of the Ashes Tests, Rashid should play with Graeme Swann ahead of Monty Panesar.
So where does Twenty20 go from here? I believe the format will have a knock-on effect on other forms of the game and I hope the administrators think clearly about how best to harness the excitement and the fact that new fans are coming through the gates. I've written before about how Test cricket could become a limited-overs format, but I think the first obvious effect could be on the 50-over game.
There are a number of possibilities. They could make it 40 overs a side, or split the 50 overs into two lots of 25. They could even allow teams to divide up the overs into two innings as they see fit. The scope then for new tactics would bring an extra dimension to the game.
What is clear is that there is a place for Twenty20 in the public appetite. We went right the way through the Indian Premier League and straight into this tournament, but still the crowds are pouring in. Forget the old-fashioned types: Twenty20 can enrich cricket beyond all our expectations.
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