Twenty20 – the future of cricket

Ray Mali, the new International Cricket Council Chief Executive has said at the launch for the Twenty20 World Cup in September in South Africa that Twenty20 is the game of the future.

Mali said with crowd numbers down for Test and one-day cricket, the ICC would be looking towards Twenty20 cricket to capture the public’s imagination.

“Within the next five to 10 years, every South African will be playing this kind of game and without any doubt this is a great concept, it is a game of the future, ” Mali said.

South Africa skipper Graeme Smith said Twenty20 cricket was popular with the players adding “T20 cricket has helped the game move with modern times, its broken moulds – even in terms of our own thinking, and targets that seemed impossible are now possible.”

The ICC’s cricket manager David Richardson also commented saying “I think this format is going to show the public exactly how good these guys are. You have the freedom to play like you have never played before.”

The Twenty20 World Cup kicks off on 11th September with the final in Johannesburg on 24th September.