Gilchrist hopes Twenty20 doesn't lose its fun factor

Adam Gilchrist says the players still don't know what to expect at the Twenty20 World Championship as they will be competing for a trophy, unlike earlier international matches where entertainment was the key. "I think there is a little bit of unknown as to what's going to happen," Gilchrist said before Australia's departure to South Africa.

"We've tasted Twenty20 cricket, and it's been a real entertainment package, but in every game we played there's never been anything up for grabs. It's almost been like an exhibition game if you like."

Three players including Ricky Ponting have stayed back but are expected to join the team before Australia's first match against Zimbabwe on September 12. Ponting cited "private family reasons", while Shane Watson has a hamstring problem and Stuart Clark is attending to his ill son.

Gilchrist, who will lead the team in case Ponting misses out, said it would be interesting to see how teams approached the tournament. "I've no doubt that once we get there, and given that there's a world title up for grabs, it will get serious," he said. "But I do hope the entertainment factor stays. I would encourage everyone to try and embrace that entertainment part of the game."

He said the World Championship might push administrators to consider slotting in more Twenty20 matches in international schedules, though perhaps at the expense of one-day internationals. "I think world cricket will have a clearer understanding of how serious, how much we need to play Twenty20 cricket and what role it will have in the cricket calendar [by the end of the tournament]," he said.

"I don't know necessarily if it will be the be all and end all of Twenty20, but I do think it's here to stay for a number of reasons ... and it may be a case of, if Twenty20 cricket continued to grow, it might limit the 50-over game to a certain extent, with the need to tailor the program to fit both in."

The Twenty20 World Championship starts on September 11, with the final to be played in Johannesburg on September 24.