Test Cricket vs T20: Which form of the game is best?

Test Cricket has been the premier form of the game since the inception of International Cricket. The long form of the game requires stamina, skill and patience in order to overcome your adversaries. The Test form of the game has treated sporting fans to the talents of West Indian genius Gary Sober's, Australia's batting maestro, Donald Bradman and New Zealand's pace menace, Richard Hadlee just to name a few.

Despite the illustrious tradition of the five day game, a new Knight has entered the hearts of worldwide audiences. Twenty Twenty is now reinvigorating the game, with its emphasis on big hitting, bowling variety and instant gratification. The Indian Premier League has shown just how entertaining cricket can be. Big hitting stars have arisen from the short form of the game. Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Murali Vijay, Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan have entertained fans around the world with their explosive batting performances. T20 is not seen as an immediate threat to the Test game as it requires very different skills and appeals to two different audiences. The longest form of the game attracts cricketing purists while the short form of the game attracts those with a shorter attention span and a penchant for immediate excitement.

Overall T20 has enriched the sport, as it has brought a new young audience to cricket and should ensure that we have even more talented cricketers than we have been treated to over the last century. The threat that IPL poses is that it pays the players huge sums of money that may encourage players to retire early from the Test form, in order to lengthen their careers in twenty over cricket. The best example of this I can see is Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka who has somewhat prematurely retired from International Tests, in order to focus on the 50 over and 20 over formats. Malinga is a massive loss to the 5 day game with an arsenal of bowling deliveries unrivalled among world seamers today.

The Test game is responsible for players' emphasis on technique, stroke play and temperament. T20 on the other hand is more concerned with slogging, full length bowling and bravado rather than the more noble focus of the 4 innings form.

Five day cricket is still the most revered form of the game by players but how long will this continue to be the case?