Sudden death, and the Super Over

Sporting contests that go right down to the wire and yet fail to identify a winner have a certain mystique. Drawn or tied encounters bring out both the strengths and inadequacies of the two sides that competed and, in essence, capture one of the basic qualities of human beings: our imperfections.

Building a case in favour of such contests in the National Football League, Bryan Graham of Sports Illustrated writes, "Sure, ties in the NFL may be ugly results. But there's something poetic about their ugliness. A tie is like a scarlet letter of mediocrity. Even typographically, it's an eyesore, an aberration spilling over from the record column into the margin like a less attractive-looking asterisk, a permanent reminder of a season's ordinariness."

Mention cliffhangers to any cricket fan, and the discussions will immediately veer towards two tied Test matches (1960-61 and 1986-87) and a World Cup semifinal between Australia and South Africa at Edgbaston in 1999. That matches without a clear winner are recalled in such vivid detail suggests a thing or two about the emotional investment in such occasions.

However, with time, every sport has changed to reflect prevailing trends. In 1970, the penalty shoot-out was introduced in English football. Tiebreakers came into existence in lawn tennis at Wimbledon in 1971, and 'sudden death' and penalty shoot-outs have been used in hockey for many years.

Tiebreaking techniques are more of a way to decide the winners in the knockout phase, but the commercial imperative to identify an immediate victor in Twenty20 cricket has meant that the game's shortest format has embraced winner-take-all methods even in the group stages of a competition.

On Sunday night (April 7), when Vinay Kumar went from hero to villain in the space of two overs, he was the latest to end up on the wrong side of the lottery draw. After having tied the game for Royal Challengers Bangalore, he gave away 20 runs in the Super Over as Sunrisers Hyderabad prevailed in a thrilling encounter.

The precursor to the Super Over was the bowl-out. In Auckland in February 2006, New Zealand and West Indies tied the fifth-ever Twenty20 International, before the bowl-out went in favour of the home team - 3-0. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack reported: "As the disappointed crowd started to file out, they were halted by the news that the tie would be broken by a bowlout - five players from each side bowling two balls each. Suddenly the evening took a madcap turn."

The madness has only intensified. Twenty months later, India won a bowl-out against Pakistan, 3-0, at the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in Durban. Since then, the cricket world has moved over to the idea of the Super Over.

New Zealand and West Indies were once again involved in the first Super Over in internationals, in Auckland in December 2008. This time, West Indies prevailed. Daniel Vettori and Chris Gayle had contrasting views on the concept. "The game's called Twenty20, it's not called One1," pointed out Vettori, while Gayle said it was "the best one-over match I've ever played."

Who was to know then that Gayle would go on to become the most impactful T20 batsman and be involved in as many as three Super Overs, two of them coming in the IPL?

At Newlands in 2009, Gayle took Kolkata Knight Riders to 16 runs before Yusuf Pathan smashed Ajantha Mendis for two sixes and a four to give Rajasthan Royals victory. The IPL did not have to wait long for its second instance. In 2010, an excellent over by Rusty Theron ensured that Kings XI Punjab prevailed over Chennai Super Kings in Chennai.

Of the 22 matches that have been decided by a Super Over in the last five years, 17 have come in domestic competitions - an indication of the number of T20 leagues populating the cricket landscape.

Graham goes on to write, "On the field, a tie is simply a euphemism for a mercy kill: No two competent teams should be able to play 15 minutes of sudden-death overtime without scoring - and no fans should be held hostage on the premises any longer if they can't."

Super Overs have divided opinions. For some, it is an unfair way of judging the difference between two equivalent sides. For others, the idea of sharing points is a more credible approach. However, with T20 cricket being the flavour of the season and franchise loyalty on the up, no one seems to complain if a Super Over gives them their money's worth. It certainly keeps bums on seats.