20s, 50s and the unlimited

The good doctor that Grace was, even he wouldn't have given a prognosis like this for the game he loved.  It was all leisurely, measured and dare one say gentlemanly till a few eons ago. Scoring behind the wickets was not a form of art and rest days afforded aficionados a meaty bite dissecting performances and making predictions. Over rates were good and the run rate not so. "Limited" overs changed the landscape of cricket in a slew that no other game has probably seen. Limiting the already limited to twenty turned it into the sort of entertainment that one expects of Ethan Hunt's pursuits. The purists are aghast at the dwindling fortunes of the longer version while the junta laps up the shortest form. Fifty over matches have probably run their course and the version in its "end of life" phase. The ICC would deny this as vehemently as it denies BCCI's play in the executive decision making process. I still wonder why production companies pay obscene sums to get rights for one day matches. The TRP ratings are low and the turnstiles at stand still. May be push has come to shove and everyone's busy flogging a dead horse. T20 obviously doesn't offer similar time slots for advertising as the denouement is available in  three hours and the captains don't discuss their mothers in law between overs as they do in the one day game. Test matches have lost perspective except probably for a few hard fought series. Some say the five day game is the epitome of the cricketer's skill. How do you test the skills of a bowler when he practices something in the nets and is asked to do exactly the opposite on the field. Or the batsman who thinks blocking is the way to immortality. Every one wins at home and loses while traveling. Some say the non standard conditions are the spice of the game. I say its a spice that is made to suit the home team's guts, and create havoc with the visiting team's internals. May be its time to relegate the test to Ashes where it still stokes passion. Wonder who gets the kicks scheduling and watching limp draws. Instant gratification isn't here to go away and if that's what evolution has in store for the leather and the willow, amen to that.