T20s a threat to Tests
Tests and 50-over games will remain popular despite the growing success of the Twenty20 format, Interna-tional Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said Monday.
"There is no question about the popularity of Twenty20 cricket," Lorgat told reporters after unveiling the World Twenty20 Trophy in New Delhi.
"Its popularity has gone beyond expectations but other formats are also popular. There was a lot of negativity around the other formats, but in the last 12-18 months we have seen some fascinating 50-over games.
"When [India's] Sachin Tendulkar scored 200 [against South Africa in Gwalior], most people were of the view that 50-overs cricket would definitely survive.
"We have also seen some great Test matches being played in this period. What is important is how we manage the formats."
The West Indies will host the Twenty20 Cup from April 30, the third edition in four years, but Lorgat said it was due to an "anomaly" in the calendar and it would remain a once every two year event.
"The fact that it is the third T20 World Cup in four years is a bit of an anomaly. We are trying to rectify the scheduling and set it right," he said.
Lorgat also brushed aside concerns that many players would arrive tired in the Caribbean after their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which ends barely five days before the Twenty20 Cup.
"The World Cup in England last year came immediately after the IPL. But it was extremely successful. We saw a full house at all the venues. I think the IPL is a great forerunner to the World Cup," he said.
"Players are in the T20 mode and we are hopeful of an equally successful World Cup this time around."
Lorgat, however, ruled out creating a separate window for the IPL in the Future Tours Programme (FTP).
"We don't envisage a separate window for a domestic event like the IPL," he said.
"We cannot incorporate all domestic events into the FTP. It is just not possible as there would be implications for all other member boards."
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