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Queenslander
14-01-06, 11:58 AM
A WATCHFUL Cricket Australia will resist adding extra Twenty20 internationals to the 2007 calender but thought enough of the game's impact to try to squeeze one in at the start of this year's Ashes series.

Despite remaining cautious about Twenty20's future role, English sources have revealed they scuttled a CA plan to play a sawn-off game against Australia before the anticipated five-Test series.

In the first sign the ultra-shortened format is now seen by international teams as more than a hit-and-giggle, the England and Wales Cricket Board insisted the Twenty20 game be removed from the draft Ashes itinerary because only their Test team would be in the country at the time.

The England one-day/Twenty20 squad are only due to arrive for the VB series in January next year.

But far from being a chance to replicate the social buzz at the Gabba last Monday night, the English feel the Twenty20 proposal was possibly an Australian ploy to score a one-up before the start of the first Test in Brisbane in November.

England was looking for more four-day games but also believes CA may have been attempting to deliver payback for its 100-run win in the Twenty20 clash at the Rose Bowl at the outset of Australia's ill-fated Ashes tour last year.

While the result was played down by all publicly, the English side has since revealed it was a massive confidence boost to beat Australia so heavily. England pace bowler Simon Jones said the win removed any aura the Australians may have arrived with.

"There was just a sense of disbelief we were in our dug out and they'd crashed to 7-31," Jones said.

Similarly, England coach Duncan Fletcher said in his recent autobiography he knew his side could win the Ashes after the Twenty20 game.

"The aggression was the part I liked when we went into that match.

"We got into their faces, got into their space and it was so well done ? it was 'we can win this'," Fletcher wrote.

Australia and England will clash in a Twenty20 format in the only international clash set down for next summer, on January 9 in Sydney after the completion of the Test series.

The enormous popularity of the Twenty20 games in recent weeks ? both at international and state level ? has powerbrokers keen to know more about growth strategies for the format.

CA have declared they want to learn more about the demographics of the sellout Twenty20 crowds before deciding whether more games are called for or not.

"We still have more questions than answers," said CA spokesman Peter Young.

"We are very keen to understand just who it was who came to the Gabba.

"Was it 100 per cent new fans, was it traditional fans just looking for more cricket, was there a significant component of non-traditional fans?

"All those questions we'd like answered so we can make decisions on the game for the future.

"We are very conscious in England the Twenty20 phenomenon has very much been a county product, and has helped drive revenue into the counties.

"We'll look into whether it is or isn't an international product."
http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17818626%255E10389,00.html

I understand this move as too much of a good thing will kill the concept of 20/20.

The Original Idiot
14-01-06, 01:25 PM
CA must be careful not to saturate the market for 20-20. I'm not surprised by England's claim of underhanded tactics, any organisation linked to channel 9 are not short of using nefarious purposes IMO.