Things we learnt from the 2020 Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast
The inaugural edition of the Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast came to an end on Saturday, with Ifira Sharks being crowned as champions, and boy it was one hell of a ride. But entertainment aside, the competition also taught us valuable lessons and has made us contemplate about the future of the sport.
In these unprecedented times, where positivity is hard to come by, the Vanuatu T10 Blast solaced us with some enthralling entertainment and made us realize why cricket is more than just a game. The competition lasted for just 10 games and 22 days, but the action that unfolded in this short period of time gave every single of us a lot to think about, in terms of the sport. So we, here at SportsCafe, have decided to list down the four biggest takeaways from the tournament, what weâve learnt from the 22 days of action we witnessed in the Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast.
The feeling that live cricket provides is irreplaceable
We, the die-hard fans of the sport, were starved of any kind of live cricketing action for over two months but then entered the Vanuatu T10 league. Whilst it did not feature the best of the best cricketers in the world, the tournament did, however, make us realize what weâve been âreallyâ missing all these days: some live cricketing action. There is no bliss that can be compared to watching 22 cricketers slog it out on the field and especially after an extended detox from the sport, live cricketing action felt like a direct hug to the soul. Be it passionately cheering one side or getting a kick out of seeing batsmen score big or nervously watching the underdog upset the favourite, live cricketing action teleports our mind and soul to a much more peaceful and entertaining dimension, one thatâs way superior to the drab and mundane ordinary life that we live, and the Vanuatu T10 Blast made us realize the same.Â
All-rounders in shorter formats of the game are invaluable
The single biggest takeaway from this yearâs Vanuatu T10 Blast, it could be said, was discovering the real extent of impact all-rounders can have in shorter formats. In Joshua Rasu, Andrew Mansale and Nalin Nipiko, we had three all-rounders who were not just the best batsmen of their team, but were also amongst the highest wicket-takers, while the likes of Simpson Obed and Wesley Viraliuliu thwarted the ball down the order while becoming reliable entities with the ball. We also had the likes of Patrick Matautaava and Apolinaire Stephen who were also very good with both bat and ball, but went unnoticed due to the monstrous performances of the aforementioned all-rounders. All this while, weâve been sold this narrative that an all-rounder âshouldâ have one dominant skill, but the VT10 showed us that you can indeed be your teamâs best batsman AND best bowler at the same time.Â
T10 cricket is here to stay
Say what you want, but T10 cricket is here to stay. You might be a purist who absolutely hates the sight of the white-ball, but the truth is that even an extremely short format like T10 can extract the absolute best out of the cricketers. A complaint thatâs often made about shorter formats, especially T10 cricket, is that there is very little time for teams to bounce back yet in 10 games in the VT10, we saw plenty of dramatic twists and turns, with teams coming back to win games out of the blue. If anything, the shorter the format, the smarter the cricketers have to be. Making T10 cricket mainstream might not be wise, but at least for small/growing cricketing nations like Vanuatu, the T10 format would do a world of good to level the playing field and help the cricketers hone their skills.
Vanuatu cricket has an extremely bright future
To be honest, prior to the tournament, I was skeptical about the quality of cricket that would be on display but it did not take long for me to eat humble pie. The very first match of the tournament saw extraordinary hitting from the likes of Rasu, Mansale and Viraliuliu and with time, the number of cricketers producing world-class performances grew manifold - to such an extent that there were over 10 players who left their mark in the competition. Andrew Mansale, Joshua Rasu, Simpson Obed, Wesley Viarliuliu, Stephen Sandy, Nalin Nipiko, Clement Tommy and Obed Yosef are all exceptional talents who are definitely going to shine in the years to come. This tournament made one thing very clear - Vanuatu cricket is on the rise, they have some remarkable cricketers at their disposal and it wonât be surprising to see them move up the ladder in associate cricket in the years to come.Â