Mumbai: The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) CEO Malcolm Speed said that Twenty20 format should not be classified as young men’s game as it could help extend the international careers of star players, who were on the verge of retirement.
"As a cricketer gets older it becomes harder for him to play five-day cricket and One-Day matches, but if you only have to field for twenty overs and if you can do that at your best, I think there is an opportunity for older players to prolong their careers," Speed said.
"It may extend the cricketing life of some players. That's a positive as well. There are stars like Sanath (Jayasuriya) and Shuan (Pollock) and if they can stay in the game for as long as possible and as long as they perform at the highest level, then it is certainly good for the game," he added.
"Former England new ball bowler Chris Lewis has been called-up by Surrey to play T20 at the age of 40. So this format is not restricted to only the young. Even the seniors can make a mark if they keep performing," Speed said.
Stressing that the T20 could be used successfully to promote the game in new countries, as last year’s Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa brought in a new set of supporters, Speed said, the ICC was trying to cash-in on this wave.
"We saw the popularity of the Twenty20 in the World Cup in South Africa. The new supporters of the game were coming to the game and were enjoying it. And what we will also see when we go to new countries where the game is developing - China and USA, which are the two major targets of the world cricket, that T20 is much easier to promote and understand than the longer formats of the game," he said.
"So it is useful to that extent. I think that the point that I want to make is about this being a challenge as compared to other sports like volleyball and football. T20 is claiming as much newsprint and TV time as compared to other forms of the game. So it has emerged as not only a developmental tool but a full fledged version of the sport," he added.