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This is an archive article published on May 8, 2005
Paking them in
Pakistan became the third country in the subcontinent to adopt Twenty20, after Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The latter was a flop despite the p...
Written by Aarti Dabas
May 8, 2005 12:00 AM IST
2 min read
2 min read
Pakistan became the third country in the subcontinent to adopt Twenty20, after Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The latter was a flop despite the presence of stars such as Jayasuriya and Sangakkara 8212; and the same prediction was made of Pakistan8217;s effort.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board is having the last laugh after a turnout of close to 40,000 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the final last Saturday 8212; despite the fact that there was not a single star playing.
Twenty208217;s success was not overnight; it was part of a larger plan by the PCB to revamp the game. The PCB, said its former CEO, Rameez Raja, wanted to attract both spectators and corporate sponsorships to domestic cricket. So, it gave the game a facelift and a new identity. Nine regions were identified and, most importantly, the Board found corporate sponsorship through a three-year, 45-million rupee deal with ABN AMRO.
8216;8216;It was our dream that this Twenty20 Cup should be like a mini World Cup for domestic cricket in Pakistan. We treated it like an event. There was coverage on television, radio, the press apart from outdoor advertising. And judging by the capacity crowd on the day of the final, I think we8217;ve exceeded our expectations,8217;8217; says Salman Sarwar Butt, ABN Amro8217;s country consumer head in Pakistan.
However, there are several issues that need to be tackled. The most important being the fact that there were three games a day at the Gaddafi. 8216;8216;Twenty20 cricket was designed to attract a new clientele to cricket grounds. Three hours of entertaining cricket 8212; it8217;s an outing for a family. But they are killing the concept by playing 3-4 games in a day,8217;8217; says Dean Jones, a commentator during the Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year.
The writer was part of the crew covering the event for TEN Sports
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