Cricket in recent days has proved a dull game. West Indies were beaten hollow by England- by an immense lead of 209 runs. Sri Lanka lost to India. All this showed the fall of two giants. Windies were the most formidable team at one time and Sri Lanka also dazzled. The question that is being asked is whether international cricket is losing its appeal. Windies started their downward slope in the 1990s. That was long before the beginning of T-20. Is the decline of West Indies due to the fact that they are a string of islands and without the cohesion that makes for cricketing excellence? The spirit of anti-colonialism exhibited by West Indies in the past has also ebbed away. The advent of T-20 has turned the glorious game into a mercenary affair. Test cricket because of its long duration has lost its glamour and appeal. In Sri Lanka, the outstanding cricketers of the past have not left worthy successors.
International cricket bodies have also turned a blind eye on the mediocrity that has set in. The money monster has dulled individual and team brilliance. Administrators and players have simultaneously become victims of this craze for monetary gains. Bitterness prevails between administrators and players in most cricketing countries. The present lacklustre cricket is no surprise. The Indian cricket board as well as the Aussies have become a quarrelsome lot. South Africa does not much care about international cricket. Pakistan does not play home series. It is a gloomy scenario.
