The perils of Twenty20's big bucks

Twenty20 has had its share of detractors, with the Australian's Peter Lalor being its latest critic. Lalor argues against cricket's new format, and has found an ally in Greg Chappell, the former Australia captain.

Former Test captain and the previous India coach, Greg Chappell, has been watching the lantana-like spread of Twenty20 with some concern. He says that while he is happy with the new game being played as a fundraiser at the domestic level, he is concerned that it might affect the focus of our most important breeding grounds for Test players -- the states.

Chappell points out that the one-day game has so distracted most of the other cricketing nations that they have fallen away in the five-day game. He worries that the simplistic Twenty20 form could do further damage. For a start, he finds the form is naive and needs development. "It's got limitations as a form, it is very one-dimensional," Chappell says. "It's certainly not the panacea for our ills as some consider it."