Aussies and the 20/20 World Cup

The Australian Cricket Team has been bundled out of the World Cup in the first stage of the competition. The most worrying thing about this is that they didn’t appear to even care. 20/20 is here to stay. It’s a fast paced product that appeals to a huge range of current and potential cricket markets. The sub-continent has embraced the game as have the thousands of the cricket mad public, particularly children, who want fast paced action. The other great thing about this version of the game is that it is very marketable and it provides the perfect product to push into Asia, Europe and any other developing cricket markets.

For cricket aficionados nothing will ever replace test cricket which in its pure form should be held on to at all costs. The men in suits controlling the game of cricket need to understand the implications of what they have at their disposal. Get it right and Twenty20 cricket will actually ensure the future of test cricket by creating vast coffers and new markets for the game in both forms to flourish. Get it wrong and they run the risk of destroying the game totally.

The Australian Cricket Board owed the world a much better effort in the World Cup. They sent a team that only had the Ashes on their mind. Why not look outside the square and why not look to both the youth and also the experienced retired test players to create its team? Imagine if 888’s own ‘King of Spin’ Shane Warne captained the team over in England. Fans would have been breaking down the gates to get into the ground and television ratings would have gone through the roof. They may even have won.

Even if the Aussies aren’t there, there are still plenty of great matches being played and 888sport.com will be running competitive books on all the games. So why not make a few dollars on the punt while snuggled up on the couch late at night.