Cricket this century will have to keep pace with the technology evolution. Of this there is no doubt. I am also convinced the new millennium will see the growth of Third Generation cricket, therefore completing the full set of cricket time frames to be enjoyed.
Super Max Cricket is an example of the break from tradition that cricket will need if it is to survive the time and action demands of future sports lovers. This is exactly the evolution the game took when the one-day game came to the fore in the 60's and 70's.
The Max game is designed to condense the best elements of the game into a short time span of no longer than three hours, with emphasis on television presentation. It is about to grow further too because the International Cricket Conference has endorsed Max as its preferred short form.
New Zealand has played international matches with England and now the West Indies. More will follow when it is realised that new recruits to cricket will be attracted by the full-on appeal of Max. The ACB and NZC have promoted Super Max Cricket in two options:
1. Super Max (League and International) is an 11-a-side, 2 innings of 10 overs matches lasting 3 hours. This form is proven in a weekly league or international series format.
2. Super Max 8's is an eight-a-side, one innings of 10 overs matches lasting 90 minutes. This form is ideal for a 2-3 day tournament format including finals.
Within the next five years most ICC countries will embrace Third Generation cricket to attract new participants and maintain overall interest for television networks and the sports fan.
Innovations for how cricket can be played will emerge. Like the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, which will feature the first full-scale winter cricket match in Australia because it has a retractable canopy. Portable pitches can be dropped in at short notice to provide the right surface.
This is a direct challenge to winter sports in Australia, which in their turn are encroaching on the summer preserve of cricket. Indoor cricket is popular in some parts of the world, with its tensioned nets, its short form game and its emphasis on action. It can be played on an arena similar in size to a basketball court. It develops skills in fielding particularly, where the player may catch the ball off the net and frequently will dive pass to obtain a run-out. Beach cricket will surely have its place at the height of each summer.
Beyond these developments are some exciting prognostics. By the middle of the 21st century I can visualise many extraordinary changes in the game of cricket. Let's examine some of them, in a spirit of adventure.
You can expect cricket arenas to have canopies and for the seats to revolve around the arena so that the view is constantly changing. Each seat is equipped with its own headgear that allows for viewing and hearing commentaries with an ability to select shots from any of the 100 or so cameras around
You will notice that the field itself is not grass but a specially developed material, non-abrasive, non-staining and with consistency of bounce.
The technology that has improved field hockey so much will become mandatory in cricket. One traditional area that will remain is the pitch. It will be grown from grass, but under suitable conditions to produce a desired surface for the home team. There will be many debates about this but home conditions will prevail, for that is part of the glorious uncertainty of cricket.
Controlled playing conditions will become essential as the world's global heating process makes sport unplayable in natural environs.
By mid-century there will be full air-conditioning and by the end of the century the electronics will have evolved to such a degree that the umpires will have become redundant.
One such reason for this will be the need to eliminate one of the most controversial and confusing rules of all, the LBW. Instead four stumps in place of three will be used, and LBWs and leg byes will be banned forever. Thank God for that, I hear!
Whenever ball touches bat a snickometer type of screen will light up. Umpires will be there simply to maintain on-field discipline, for that is one human aspect of the game that will not readily change. In fact, there will be more outward expression than ever before as the individuals try to portray themselves.
All appeals will be judged by a panel of five experts sitting in a room with screens linked to the 100 cameras. They will particularly watch the ball's flight on mega-slow motion aided with ultra-sound devices to hear the smallest of snicks. Close calls will be magnetized to its fullest and each judge for each decision will hit the green or red button, all five lights will show and the majority will rule. After seeing the best replays the panel will have 10 seconds to make their decision.
For the population of the world will have grown immensely in one hundred years. Along with the climatic changes will come a need to cater for all these pressures by improved technology. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a subordinate society on the moon and intergalactic sporting contests will develop as the facilities on other planets come on line!
Despite all these fancies the game of cricket will remain essentially the same. Since primeval days man has wanted to hit a ball with a stick. Cricket, and to a lesser extent golf and hockey, have provided this basic instinct its opportunity and have cloaked it with all the rules and laws that render it so fascinating.
Gameplan
