It's interesting to see the progress of two of cricket's newer Test recruits. Sri Lanka started out in the 1970s and Bangladesh in the late 1990s. Who would have expected a bunch of Under-19 Bangladeshis and a few wily Sri Lankan veterans to pull the carpet from under India? The answer is everyone but India. While the established teams anticipated a competitive World Cup, India underestimated the opposition.
 
Corruption allegations have reared themselves again following Bob Woolmer's murder. These allegations have been made in relation to one-day internationals, a form of cricket invented for easy packaging by TV. But these games, outside of the World Cup, are largely regarded as meaningless by players and fans.

Test cricket is played in an entirely different spirit and is a proper measure of cricketing skill, especially over the course of a series. Cricket will have to get its house in order, with greater co-operation between countries and stiffer punishments for those caught cheating. The old boys' network will have to be replaced by proper organisations but ultimately, fans will have to judge for themselves whether players are trying or not.

Twenty20 is here to stay and it's official. Next September in South Africa, the inaugural World Cup of this version of the game takes place. The tournament will take betting to a new high and entice non-cricket playing countries. Is anybody taking a bet that there will more than 40 countries in the fifth Twenty20 World Cup? And is there any doubt that the stars of the game will be the likes of Matthew Hayden, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle  and Jacques Kallis?

The Twenty20 brand is very different to the so-called traditional game where teams battle over five days  with long periods of focus and concentration. But on the other hand, we want more people to enjoy the game and Twenty20 is a proven method of increasing cricket's popularity. Football's immense popularity comes from instant gratification, a fast-paced game with a result in 90 minutes. Is cricket heading this way?

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