Satisfying stuff

Over the years I have been proclaiming that T20 cricket is all about entertainment … and cricket is simply the vehicle. That was perfectly illustrated during an extraordinary shootout in the Champions League T20 on Wednesday in Bangalore.

Unlike some cricket broadcasters I thoroughly enjoy watching the newest format of the game but I really don’t care too much who triumphs. My support will always sway towards a particular outfit as the game unfolds if I don’t have any original allegiance, but basically I just want to be entertained. For pure sporting action, this wham bam stuff can be quite thrilling. The number of times the result hangs in the balance in this format come the business end of the game is quite remarkable, and that is why it attracts hordes.

We generally tune in to the latest mad dash and scramble from somewhere in the cricketing globe for one main reason. You will obviously hope that your chosen bunch gets up, but your foremost joy is the experience of watching every ball being an event. You want it to go down to the wire and in a masochistic way enjoy having your raw emotions tugged from pillar to post until the victors’ rather exaggerated celebrations are in full swing. You are often left emotionally spent but invigorated. When that happens whilst watching sport it is pretty damn satisfying.

That is exactly how you would have felt if you experienced the CLT20 clash for a semifinal berth between Royal Challengers Bangalore and the South Australian Redbacks. It was a magnificent game that kept you on the edge of your seat until the very final ball. The Royal Challengers gunned down 215 to win, and witnessing that final delivery being dispatched into the crowd to seal an astonishing victory was breathtaking.

As the Chinnaswamy Stadium erupted in celebration, Ian Chappell was quick to point out that the game had treated the spectators to both a century and a five-wicket haul. Without skipping a beat he added that both of those remarkable accomplishments belonged to the losing side!

We are unlikely to see that happen again.