Australian great Allan Border [Images] feels although Twenty20 [Images] cricket is not bowler-friendly, the new version of the game is good for youngsters and certainly has high commercial value to attract new viewership.
Border also sees the Twenty20 franchises challenging the primacy of the traditional game and is of the view that it would be challenging for the administrators to run three versions of the game.
"While it worries me T20 cricket discourages bowlers, I can see it is a good package from a commercial standpoint. It brings new viewership to the game and is a good entry level game for kids. But that said, Test cricket must be preserved. Certainly having three forms of the game is testing for the programmers," he was quoted as saying by The Australian.
"This is a vital period; a huge challenge to see whether the three forms of the game can co-exist," he added.
Border, who played 156 Tests and led Australia [Images] a record 93 times, still serves the game as a director of both Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia.
For a time after his retirement from the Test arena in 1994, he served as a national selector and as a manager and mentor to emerging international players.
However, Border made it clear that he does not aspire to become Cricket Australia chief.
"The way the game has developed the chairman's is effectively a full-time job and I don't see myself in that role," Border said.
His only on-field activity now is mostly on beach cricket sponsored by an Australian beer company and playing Warehouse Cricket matches at Marchant Park in Brisbane along with his 24-year-old son Dene.
© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
|