Like it or lump it, Twenty20 international cricket is the future now and tomorrow

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  • Trevor Bayliss should be applauded for being brave and bold enough to maintain his opinion that Twenty20 internationals should be axed, but that’s not to say he is right. From an England perspective, it’s pretty worrying that the nation’s coach, who gets paid to coach T20, and is more of a specialist in limited-overs cricket, wants to disregard a format internationally that is the future now and may be the only future in a few years’ time. It’s here to not only stay, but dominate the game whether you like it or not.

    Sometimes it needs someone in authority to just say what they think but his views differ from vice-captain Jos Buttler, with the England wicket-keeper batsman recently saying that he could see cricket becoming a ‘one-format game’, i.e, just T20s, sooner rather than later.

    The timing of Bayliss and an under-performing Buttler’s comments have looked a little out of place after a dismal Trans-Tasman tri-series campaign for England, meaning the Three Lions have lost four of their past six series in the format – and have generally struggled since making the final of the 2016 World Cup in India. In contrast, England have caught up with and overtaken most in their wake but have fallen off the pace under Bayliss in the other two disciplines. That’s probably not surprising given his views and coaching background as a one-day specialist. Perhaps England need a change in direction before he calls time on his stint after the 2019 Ashes series on home soil. Indeed, his comments as well as the man himself give off a soporific vibe.

    HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 17: England coach Trevor Bayliss looks on during England Cricket nets at Seddon park ahead of their T2O match against New Zealand Black Caps on February 17, 2018 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

    England coach Trevor Bayliss has caused a stir with his comments.

    There is a lot of cricket being played all the time, end of. It’s not been overkill in 20-over internationals but certainly in the format as a whole with leagues the world-over cramming the calendar to boiling point. Bayliss, a man who has previously coached the likes of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, is happy to just see the format based around domestic leagues.

    To do so would only leave the international game behind the curve, and nor would it prevent the many more specialists we are seeing now from earning their crust – if they couldn’t find it with their country, they’d certainly find it elsewhere. The argument that many international matches are pointless or not competitive doesn’t hold up, either. While there are plenty of riches to be made throughout the game now for a select few, cricket is hard graft and toil where careers are on the line for the majority of players when they stride to the crease.

    The workload issue has been a long-term problem in cricket, not just T20s, but it is very difficult to change given the onus on making money. As we saw at Eden Park last Friday, watching an uneven contest between bat and ball isn’t actually that fun. Indeed, that day, the novelty of hitting sixes went up in smoke and to be honest, watching on, it wasn’t a fair contest between bat and ball. But 35,000 people were still there to see it in a game where attendances have been dwindling. That’s a tick in the box and off the back of that there is cash to be made through commercial and huge TV-focused revenue drives. The IPL being a case in point.

    Many maintain a love affair with Tests and even when the ICC Test Championship is implemented in a couple of years to make for more trophy-laden series, the problem is it probably won’t be enough to swing the massive tide of momentum that serves in the favour of T20s. It may still thrive in England but soon, apart from India and Australia, there may not be many other nations to fill up the opposition tours. It was brilliant to see the likes of Afghanistan and Ireland granted Test status last year, and to see what it meant, but it all seems a bit too late. The need to recognise what is happening and lean towards it is important to keep the great game alive.

    In a world where gifs, Instagram stories and how many likes you receive on social media seems to define how popular you are, you can apply it to T20 cricket, with the current and future generation feeding into a fast-food diet of popcorn cricket.

    Put it this way, if you’re a talented batter coming through the ranks now, and wish to earn a living and support your family, would you be blocking and playing conservative cricket? No, you’d be doing everything in your power to become a world-beating T20 star. Ultimately, the international stage remains the grandest of them all.

    JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - FEBRUARY 18: Shikhar Dhawan of India celebrates the wicket of Jon-Jon Smuts of the Proteas during the 1st KFC T20 International match between South Africa and India at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on February 18, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

    India are a dominant force in the T20 game.

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