The T10 Debate: Scepticism remains but batsmen are relearning what is possible

The quality of the Abu Dhabi T10 League as a viewing spectacle has caused plenty of debate in recent weeks. Here, NICK FRIEND argues that, for all its flaws, there is evidence that T20 cricketers have benefited from its compressed, harum-scarum style

I think the first thing to say about the Abu Dhabi T10 League is that, quietly beneath the radar over the last four years, it has forged itself a reputation as an increasingly secure date in the franchise calendar.

It won’t be for everyone, but then nor does it have to be. It remains cricket: a game centred around the fundamentals of bat and ball, even if the emphasis weighs more heavily than ever on the importance of boundaries and uber-aggression for batsmen and the opposite for bowlers.

From that perspective, it is difficult to assign proper analysis to the format at this stage. It is all a bit harum-scarum and lacking in nuance; the just-finished competition suffered at times from the chasm in standards of some matchups.

But behind the team names, viral antics and inviting boundaries, there is some worth to a tournament that has brought further realignment to the mindsets of this generation’s white-ball cricketers.

When England chased 146 in 11 overs during a rain-affected T20I with New Zealand to force a super over late in 2019, Jonny Bairstow singled out the impact of his experiences playing for Kerala Knights in 2018, where he was captained by Eoin Morgan. In one game, Bairstow hammered a 24-ball 84. Last week, for what it’s worth, Chris Gayle whacked the same score in two fewer deliveries, chasing 100 with 27 balls remaining.

At Eden Park, Bairstow explained: “A lot of the guys played in the T10 last year and said: ‘Look, we’re not far off here if we can get within striking distance. With the small boundaries, we’ve got a chance.’”

When he was caught behind, England were 100 for 4 in the seventh over. In their 66-ball chase, they hit seven fours and 13 sixes. Yes, needs must when faced with a target like that, but attempting it and pulling it off are two very different ideas.

^{Jonny Bairstow specifically referenced the impact of 10-over cricket in England's chase of 146 in 11 overs against New Zealand}

And so, if the rise of T20 has removed the glass ceiling for what limited-over cricket once believed was possible, then T10 might just take that notion further – at least in mindset rather than technique, with any lasting remnants of handbrake removed.

“You realise how hard you can go without getting out,” Laurie Evans told The Cricketer a year ago. A common theme when watching 10-over cricket is exactly that: being bowled out seems nigh-on impossible, which allows batsmen to go hell-for-leather without any second thought. Arguably, that lack of jeopardy takes away a significant portion of what makes the game so interesting. Powered by Lendl Simmons, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Rovman Powell, Northern Warriors made 183 in one match in 2018.

“In T20, some players hold themselves back because the game is 20 overs long,” added Evans. “But with T10, you don’t really want to overthink it too much – it’s almost like the purest form of cricket: you’re just going out and trying to smack it as far as you can every ball. You just adapt your game for that one competition.

“Generally, we’re playing T20 and it’s a completely different game. Sixes and wickets play a massive part in T20, whereas in T10 they lose their value in a way. I wouldn’t say it’s improved my game, but it’s certainly fun to play in.”

The alternative view: Thomas Blow argues that any benefit it outweighed by a poor spectacle

George Garton was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019 tournament, a success that earned him a trial with Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL auction that followed shortly afterwards. Ultimately, he wasn’t picked up, but that is beside the main point; as a seamer, he had come through not only unscathed but with his stature enhanced.

For context, Lancashire seamer Richard Gleeson told The Cricketer following his first experience of the competition that “if you can go at less than 10 or 12 per over, I think you’re doing all right”.

Garton picked up 12 scalps in 16 overs, at an economy rate of 10.25, in 2019. It is T20 cricket played in fast-forward: every ball is both part of a powerplay and a death over. If nothing else, it is excellent practice.

“It’s interesting,” Garton told The Cricketer at the start of 2020. “I think there’s more pressure on the bowlers in T20 cricket. Whereas in T10, because it’s so short, you’re expected to get hit for four and six.

“There is that expectation – you’re expected to go for runs. You can almost be happy with going for two boundaries in an over.”

Gleeson added: “What I found was that it does give you a chance to be a hero and win games. If you can bowl your two overs and take a couple of wickets and keep the run rate low, you can almost win the game inside your two overs.”

Although he wasn’t playing in the game, he recalled a pre-season T10 fixture between Lancashire and Surrey, well-documented after Will Jacks struck a 25-ball century. Like Garton, Jacks has used the platform given to him by that performance as a springboard: a fine record in the T20 Blast landed him a Big Bash stint this winter.

^{Will Jacks hit a 25-ball century for Surrey against Lancashire in a T10 friendly in 2019}

There is that element too – the opportunity this compressed shop-window affords. The ultra-shortened format further increases the value of genuine fireworks: in winning his side this year’s tournament, Pooran smashed 241 runs and 22 sixes in 99 balls across nine games. If he wasn’t already a shoo-in, he surely enhanced his chances of a Hundred draft deal. USA international Ali Khan – already known on the franchise circuit, granted – recorded the remarkable figures of 3 for 0 in one game.

Presumably, too, there is a raw value to simply bashing one’s way into form. For someone like Tom Banton, using a fortnight to swing with abandon in the knowledge that little consequence awaits can only be of benefit, particularly after a personally frustrating winter. When he joins up with his Quetta Gladiators ahead of the Pakistan Super League, he will at least arrive in a confident frame of mind, having excelled in a week of – for want of a better term – competitive range-hitting.

The format is also viewed in some quarters as cricket’s potential route into a multisport festival. If the Olympic Games are to be a realistic dream, then the compressed, attacking appeal of T10 might just make it an appropriate option.

Of course, no one looks at the Abu Dhabi T10 League and sees perfection – certainly not me. Like every fledgling tournament, it has flaws to iron out and work still to do. At times, it looked amateurish and many tuning in for the first time on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom found it difficult to take seriously.

It might ultimately be that a 60-ball innings is simply too short to create the level of theatre that T20 has so successfully brought to the sport. In my eyes, that is the way it feels at this stage.

But there are obvious benefits in the meantime: the absence of local player restrictions has opened the franchise door to new overseas faces; batsmen have discovered a new level of limitlessness; enthusiasm among new audiences could spread the game’s global appeal; and, by all accounts, it’s a bit of fun. And why shouldn’t that count for something?