From the department of the-condescending-yanks- may-actually-notice-this-time:
Where gentleman players once distinguished themselves in white trousers and knit vests, Twenty20 was accompanied by cheerleaders wearing what resembled sports bras. Restraint was out. Music was in. The games, 27 in all, involving 12 countries, each took about three hours, in sharp contrast to the customary five-day test match.
Think of Twenty20 as cricket on Red Bull. Or as the historian Mukul Kesavan put it, “kamikaze cricket.”
“The whole point is to go for it, and keep going for it,” said Mr. Kesavan, whose history of Indian cricket, “Men in White,” was published this year. “The emphasis is as much on athleticism as skill, and where, therefore, there’s a premium on youth and fitness and abandon.”
The final paired India against its old rival and brought out a display of not only wild abandon but also patriotism, with flags flying in the sunshine and many offices in both India and Pakistan clearing out unusually early; the match was broadcast in the evening here.
The average age on the 11-man Indian lineup was about 23, and on the Pakistani team just under 25. That reflected two disproportionately young nations: the median age in India is about 24, and in Pakistan, 19.
If the ICC puts its money where its mouth should be, a Twenty20 tournament could quite easily be held in the United States at some point in the future.
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