The success achieved by the first Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa in contrast to the poorly attended World Cup Cricket in the Caribbean has led to former Australian spinner Shane Warne sounding the death knell of the 50 overs game.
Melbourne, Dec 21 : The success achieved by the first Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa in contrast to the poorly attended World Cup Cricket in the Caribbean has led to former Australian spinner Shane Warne sounding the death knell of the 50 overs game.
"One thing I believe is that 50-overs is gone. I believe Twenty20 should be one form of the game, keep that to a minimum and keep it special because it is so entertaining," Warne said.
"Twenty20 is how minor nations, the likes of Canada and Holland, can improve and promote the game," he added in his justification for the new version of the cricket.
He suggested that in order to keep the interest of the cricket lovers in the 50-over game, the authorities should limit it to a 40-over match.
"But I believe 50-overs competition should now be 40 overs, so we have a 40-over competition, Twenty20 and Test cricket.
"Experiencing Pro40 in England, it's like two Twenty20 games. The way society is, everybody wants everything fast. Pro40, there is still skill involved. Is it cricket? Is it entertainment? It ticks all the boxes. It also saves you about an hour and a half of the game," The Australian quoted him, as saying.
However, Warne also supports the continuation of the five-day Test match.
"Everything is very good, don't change it (Test Match), and don't touch it. Test cricket is for tradition," he said.
The spinner, whose 708-Test wicket-record was recently broken by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran, said, "Keep it, there is nothing wrong with it. It's up to other countries to lift their game and raise the bar."
ANI