Sleeping Beauty - Is Test Cricket losing its charm?
Sleep is a natural and fundamental process present in all forms of life including human beings, plants, and animals. The mind and body rests and consciousness is either partial or completely inactive during this period. It is often described as a behavioural
process which is marked by some immobility of the body but is prone to mobility due to external stimuli.
This is not some research article on biology or psychology. Rather the writer’s observation came off in the middle of a video of a Test match between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in August 2010. As the camera was panning towards the tastefully dressed spectators,
it suddenly zoomed into a man’s face. The screen was bulging out with the man’s innocent face as he was perfectly at ease on the plastic seats with this eyes close and drifting in a place far, far away. The poor man was sleeping and he was not bothered about
his surroundings. Even after some time of field action, the camera again found the sleeping beauty and he was still oblivious of the game. It actually seemed that he spent the money to sleep in the stadium. Poor fellow!
The sleeping man triggered a storm in the writer’s brain as to why he was sleeping there? Maybe he wanted to have a tan in a natural way as the sun was blazing hot and he was not even sitting in the shade yet he was having a blissful sleep. Or maybe he was
sleeping because he was bored of the long format going on? In the writer’s head, the latter might come close to solving the mystery.
A little snooping around the cricket blogs made the writer realize that cricket enthusiasts all over the globe love the game. They passionately follow all the forms of the sport. They have their favourite teams and they have their favourite players. They
shower love, praises, and appreciations to the extreme when they win. In contrast, they shower hate, pain, and criticisms a little over the edge when they lose. They would form bonds with like–minded supporters and they would get involved in heated debates
with the non-supporters. Their emotions run high during the game and if the team performs below their expectations, they are subject to a nervous breakdown.
As new forms of cricket are being introduced and tested in the cricket world, fans and supporters of the game are welcoming this fresh trend. On the other hand, many supporters also question the format. According to them, the old tradition of test matches
and 50 over One Days was what defined the “gentleman’s sport” in the first place. However, the new trend of limited over game - the Twenty20 (20-over match) has fast created a niche for itself and has taken over the largely dominating format of cricket.
The test cricket format has taken a plunge in its popularity in recent times. It is jeeringly said that those who love Test cricket should enjoy the match while it lasts. The recently concluded Australian tour of India saw the cricket enthusiasts (especially
the Indians) enjoy all the action and celebrate Sachin Tendulkar’s accolades during the Test matches. The hoopla around the Ashes (starting from the 25th of November) would also boost the interest in Test matches. But that would be it. The excitement
for Test matches would die down as the limited-over game takes over for the next few months. However, a true cricketer is distinguished by those who can endure the physical and mental exhaustion. Their technique and temperament are truly tested in none other
but a Test match.
Whereas the broadcasters “poking” fun at the sleeping spectator also speaks volume for the audience at home. They might not watch the entire game as they would find the format dull. The match demands 8 hours of the five days of your life. And the bottom
line is nobody has the time. Plus the test matches considerably get fewer sponsors as other forms of the sport. As much as some people hate the over-played ads, some might find them as music to their ears.
Therefore, a right balance must be found between all the three formats and justice should be prevailed with the most pure form of cricket- the Test matches. The Test matches should have their stints of enjoyment for the spectators so that they don’t fall
asleep again.
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