Book of the week

Crash! Bang! Wallop! Twenty20: A History of the Brief Game By Martin Hindley (Know The Score, Pounds 9.99)

At a time when everyone around the world - players, administrators, pundits, public and press - is talking about the future of Twenty20 cricket, it seems a trifle odd to find oneself reading a history of this form of the game.

After all, Twenty20 cricket at the professional level is a mere five years old - although 20-over versions of the game have been around for far longer than that, the format having been adopted, for example, for midweek evening leagues between club and junior sides.

Still, this razzmatazz-infused, brash youngster has blown, hurricane-like, through the cricketing world. In doing so, it has left a trail of doubt about the future of the 40- and 50-over and three- four- and five-day versions of an ancient game.

A 20-over match lasts for just two and three-quarter hours, which includes a 15-minute break, and that brevity has attracted enthusiastic crowds and of course, widespread television coverage. That in turn has attracted huge sums of money from advertisers and sponsors, as well as the broadcasters, and all that lovely lolly is being used to tempt (and pay) some of the world game's greatest players.

Unfortunately for the author of this book, the Twenty20 bandwagon - perhaps gravy-train would be more accurate - is still gathering speed. Things keep happening; events are overtaking talk. The Texas billionaire Sir Allen Stanford's entry to this new world, for example, has rather left Martin Hindley's book behind.

But there is always a silver lining behind the darkest of clouds, and with luck the happenings of the last three months - culminating in the fiasco over the proposed Sri Lankan tour of England next year, which now seems likely to be trimmed or cut to accommodate the demands and rewards of the Indian Premier League - will warrant a rewrite, or at least an addendum.

Such a rewrite will also give Hindley a chance to make a few corrections - the odd journalist's name is misspelt, for example. Of course, if the publishers had bothered to employ a literate editor, such corrections would not be necessary.

For all that, this is a readable book, albeit written from an acutely personal viewpoint. With notable exceptions, a great deal of thought has gone into it - perhaps it is just a pity that no one was able to halt the force that is Twenty20 cricket long enough to let this brief history catch its breath. As it is, another huge chunk of the shortest game's story is already waiting to be written.

Copyright c 2008 Independent Newspapers UK Limited. All rights owned or operated by The Independent.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.