Since its inception, Twenty20 cricket has found its supporters and detractors. With the inagural Twenty20 World Championship to be held in South Africa next month Peter Roebuck, writing in the Hindu, feels it is hard to take seriously an event so dependent upon tomfoolery. He says it is causing ruptures in the ranks of several international teams and cites the example of Jacques Kallis, who recently stepped down from the South African vice-captaincy after failing to find a place in the Twenty20 team.

"Greater players even than the South African have been omitted, including several distinguished Indians. They, too, serve at the behest, though hopefully not the whim, of their Board.

What are they missing? It is a pity that the tournament has been called a World Cup, a description that seems to claim parity with tumultuous events in football and rugby. But it is only a salesman’s pitch."