Andrew Alderson: Flurry of events may see game lose its edge

Brendon McCullum. Photo / Getty Images

The World T20 in Bangladesh isn't really benefiting the international game with this cluttering of the cricket calendar.

Last June most of the same teams gathered for the Champions Trophy in England; within a year they'll do it again at the World Cup in Australasia. That's three global tournaments within the space of 21 months, yet the world test championship remains shelved. This limited-overs feast is a recipe for too-much-of-a-good-thing; the graveyard shift playing times of the World T20 will discourage all but the most ardent New Zealand fans from watching.

Those times are more conducive for other parts of the world — late afternoon and post-dinner on the sub-continent and a day-shift in England — but that is no guarantee of enjoyment.

Twenty20 was seen as a panacea to lure old fans and entice new fans — but it's become an epidemic. Cricket needs breathing space in its schedule to make internationals special again. T20 might need to become a purely franchised league sport so international status is reserved for the test and 50-over formats. T20 initially reeled in the revenue; fans may 'burn out' with the current saturation of satellite leagues worldwide.

No one can blame players and coaches for banking six-figure cheques for a couple of months' work in the Indian Premier League and lesser sums elsewhere. If you're part of the T20 merry-go-round and it's paying the bills then, understandably, there's a reluctance to bite the hand that feeds.

The gripping test and one-day international contests staged by New Zealand against the West Indies and India this summer were like a delicious entree and main. The World T20 has been like the extra plate of dessert which leaves you bilious. Too much cricket spoils the taste.

The tectonic plates of supply and demand are shifting uncomfortably. When there is a glut of cricket to watch, fans have to work too hard to sift the special from the ordinary. Only the rarest 'cricket tragic' will watch for the sake of it.

That's where tests hold their aura, plus having few of them means they're more anticipated. The New Zealand-India series was an example, admittedly helped by a home team succeeding. People mightn't attend but anecdotal evidence suggests they follow proceedings. In contrast, the empty seats of the HRV Cup T20 competition played largely without the top New Zealand players, spoke volumes for its status despite the format's supposedly user-friendly three-hour time frame.

With T20 there is also often a disparity between bat and ball. Who wants to watch matches where hitting sixes becomes repetitive? Surely cricket's purpose is not for bullying bat to constantly dish it out to benign ball. Tussles between the sport's two key weapons are preferable.

T20 is mediocre when reduced to slogfests but, when true strokes are played and combined with intelligent bowling and dynamism in the field, it holds merit.

The World Cup could be a saviour for New Zealand cricket, just as it was in 1992. Ticket prices are reasonable, there are plenty of home games to captivate a new generation and the national team is playing an outstanding brand of ODI. It's hard to imagine a global triumph by a New Zealand team at the World T20 in the next fortnight garnering the same enthusiasm.