Published: Nov 23, 2022, 11:54 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 23, 2022, 12:01 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Can you imagine a cricket match being played in shorts? Hard to believe that there was an instance when a professional cricket game was played in shorts. During the 1994-95 Mercantile Mutual Cup, the Victorian cricket association found a bizarre strategy to attract more fans to the stadium. They ditched the traditional jersey and made the players wear shorts in the tournament’s final.
The match was between South Australia and Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Magnificent 4-wicket hauls by Troy Corbett and Jason Bakker helped Victoria to bowl out South Australia for a mere 169. DS Webber was the only batter that could resist the Victorian bowling for a while and scored 47 runs. The target was not a stiff one and Victoria chased it down without breaking a sweat. Larkin scored 46 while Dean Jones made a solid 35 to script a brilliant win for the team.
Cricket since then has evolved a lot. The fans today need much more than just a game of cricket. There are music concerts during matches, especially in T20Is, fireworks, LED stumps and more to give fans a wonderful experience. Franchise cricket has played a part in how fans see cricket today. Test cricket is still in its original form as barring a Day-Night Test, nothing has been changed, but limited overs cricket is going through continuous transformation.
