The T20 specialist

[Furn]

Remember back in the 80's and 70's when a country's ODI team was exactly the same as the test side.

We saw the same when T20 first came on the scene with the ODI team basically playing.

Now we are starting to the emergence of the T20 only player.

Batsman that can whack the hell out the ball to all parts, with no need to worry about technique or the application and concentration needed to build an innings.

Pace bowlers who can bowl yorker after yorker combined with 8 different kinds of slower balls.

Spinners that bowl 100kph+ darts into the blockhole, all of which can field like demons and run between the wickets like Usain Bolt.

With the IPL and more lucritive T20 tournaments to come, why would these players bother to try and play test or even 1st class cricket. Why practice a forward defence when u dont need it ? juz slog across the line thats what you do.

I dont think it wont be long before countries test teams and T20 are completely different players. With the ODI side made up of a combination of the 2.

thoughts?

[Team Mo']

It's an interesting question. Dollars or playing for your country?

I'd take a Test Cap over a T20 contract every day of the week.

[alfy!]

I think the majority of the players (95%) would take playing for there country, over the money. But this may change, as players realise they may never play for there country, so focus on Twenty/20. We have to figure out ways that players can play IPL, and normal international cricket.

[Coin_Toss]

I'm not surpised at the slightest bit about the emergence of T20 "specialists". In the modern-day game, as you say with the introduction of Twenty20 cricket and IPL, players will be picked mainly for this form of cricket. For example, David Warner will play a lot of matches for Australia in Twenty20 cricket but is unlikely to crack into the Test team given that he hasn't played a first-class match for New South Wales.

[Marklar_33]

It's an interesting question. Dollars or playing for your country?

I'd take a Test Cap over a T20 contract every day of the week.

Would you then be happy with that 1 cap and go on to get a giant T20 contract?

[Furn]

I dont its a matter of choosing but more which you are better at.

The thing is the skills required are very different between test and T20 and in time it will be almost impossible to play both well.

Test players wont be able to keep up with T20 players who practice nothing but hitting fours and sixes all the time as they will have to work on other parts off their game instead.

[Paddy_Mac]

It's an interesting question. Dollars or playing for your country?

I'd take a Test Cap over a T20 contract every day of the week.
Yeah but a test only goes for 5 days. Leaving two days for T20's

[pluga_4]

the game is still in its infant stages.

a series is only 1-2 games max at this stage.
a touring team will just use players from their odi squad (like the aussies will do in south africa)

the home team have the oppurtunity to choose specialists or blood young players if they wish.

a 20/20 world c'ship is probably the only time a genuine squad can be chosen for this form of the game at this stage.

[The Reaper]

The team we played yesterday was as close to a specialist side as we have. Only two players in our team played in the test series and one was the captain

[Mr P@H]

England tried the Specialist T20 team at the ICC T20 Championships, it's clear that Mal Loye, Schofield etc are not International level players. Although the best players ultimately (And if they can be bothered) are the best test batsmen (KP, Ponting, Hussey etc) who can play agressively but not recklessly. Top class spinners and seamers who bowl it fast and straight.

Test players wont be able to keep up with T20 players who practice nothing but hitting fours and sixes all the time as they will have to work on other parts off their game instead.

Perhaps, but you take someone like Dimi Mascarenhas, probably one of the people i'd want out there for England in a six hitting competition but i've seen him play some superb FC innings for Hampshire, some saving the game. There is always room to improve your FC game. It's ok hitting fours and sixes but you need to do it consistently at FC and Domestic OD level before you get recognized.

[POBT]

The team we played yesterday was as close to a specialist side as we have. Only two players in our team played in the test series and one was the captain
Presumably though, there were Test players missing who would be considered almost automatic T20 selections - Clarke, Haddin, Johnson. Add in Symonds and possibly Lee and there's still 6 or 7 players who are arguably in our best XI for all 3 forms of the game.

[Badesumofu]

Well, I think personally for a start that playing for your country should pay more than playing for an IPL team. It's clearly a more valuable service, so it should pay more. The IPL has done many interesting things, one of which is that it has established the true market value of cricketers. International Cricketers are underpayed and over-worked (odd as it may seem, I don't think it's disputeable, given the relative nature of the terms employed).

That aside, it probably makes sense to focus on whatever you are best at. I think that someone like Warner could dominate in all three forms of the game. He does average over 50 in ODDs, so he's not just a pretty strike-rate. He's just such a sweet, clean hitter of the ball. He sees it really well, and seems to have good cricketing instincts.

I really rate him, and it's quite possible that he could make his first class debut in a tour match for Australia.