Cricket in Cinema: 'Death of a Gentleman'

The documentary hopes to decelerate the decline of Test format

'Death of a Gentleman' is a documentary released by Sam Collins and Jarrod Kimber asking some tough questions about the fate of Test cricket in the face of the increasingly popular fast-paced Twenty20.

The documentary features several cricketing greats such as Tony Greig, according to whom the longer format is ‘a character builder.’ However, the inefficiency of the administrators coupled with the rise of T20 format is endangering the sport.

Pitting the five-day game against the three-hour shot-bashing extravaganza, the documentary zeroes in on the contribution of India - the main driver of TV revenue and host of T20 tournament Indian Premier League (IPL) - in gaining T20 the appeal it garners today.

The money associated with IPL has resulted in players like West Indian Chris Gayle often being unavailable to play for their country and consequently, this absenteeism by top players has reduced the amount of Test matches played today.

The purpose of the documentary is to bring to light the plight of the beloved five-day game and to appeal to viewers to help rescue it by signing a petition.

Watch the two minute trailer here:



The story originally appeared on The Guardian