Originally Posted by Ben Dorries

AUSTRALIAN skipper Ricky Ponting last night pleaded with cricket administrators not to overuse the Twenty20 fad, claiming the funky new format could easily go stale.

Ponting's warning came after a sellout Gabba crowd of 38,894, a ground record, gave the high-energy game an excited thumbs up in its first international on Australian shores. Australia smashed nine sixes in its total of 3-209 and then bowled out a lacklustre South Africa for just 114 in 18.3 overs.

Cricket was the sideshow in the heart-pounding three-hour extravaganza which featured off-field eye-turners such as breakdancers and DJs.

After play, Ponting said he liked the concept but insisted it was best used in one-off showpiece events at international level.

"I think the game would get stale very quickly if it was played a lot," Ponting said.

"You just get used to seeing all the boundaries and all the sixes and that sort of thing. I think it's best used in the way it has been used the last few times we've played it."

Australia's avalanche of runs was primarily caused by an explosion of shots from the debonair Damien Martyn, who hit 96 off 56 balls before he was caught at point in the final over.

The chase was far too hard for the South Africans, who just can't crack a win in this country.

After high-pressure loses in the Test series, the Proteas would have happily shed blood for even the brief satisfaction of a Twenty20 win.

Every dot ball in the match – and there weren't many – was booed by the pulsating crowd which swayed to the tune of Bobby McFerrin's novelty hit Don't Worry be Happy.

There were plenty of skills to please the purists, such as Ponting's fabulous run-out of Jacques Kallis when the Australian skipper had just one stump to aim at.

And everyone at the ground, including Channel 9's commentators, got into the vibe.

Nine's men, rarely seen without their standard-issue pressed suits and ties, wore casual garb with open-collared shirts.

Nine introduced a popular innovation, hooking up players with microphones to provide on-field interviews.

When South African skipper Graeme Smith dropped Martyn, a dolly of a catch on 41, we learnt it was because "my chest got too big".

There was no such explanation for another spilled catch when Boeta Dippenaar initially looked like he had caught the big-hitting Andrew Symonds (54 off 26 balls) in the outfield.

Test discard Martyn could not be outdone as the man of the moment.

He hit five glorious sixes in an innings that narrowly failed to pass Ponting's 98 last year as the highest individual score in the four Twenty20 internationals to date.

If Martyn had batted five balls longer he would have become the first man in Twenty20 international history to carry his bat.

Australia's last over – bowled by the unfortunate Monde Zondeki – went for 22, including 20 off the lusty blade of Symonds.

Swingman Nathan Bracken was Australia's chief destroyer in the early overs and would have had the spectacular figures of 3-4 at one stage if Martyn had not returned the favour to Smith by dropping a spiralling high ball.

One of the great things about last night was the game's extraordinary unpredictability. No one knew what to expect, or even how to play.

Ponting admitted as much when he had a TV microphone thrust in his face after being caught in the outfield off controversial young spinner Johan Botha.

"Who knows what the right tactics are? We're just trying to have fun out here," Ponting said.

Everyone in the crowd – the biggest since the old Gabba dog track was demolished in 1993 – was yearning for more.

But there doesn't seem much chance of adding many more Twenty20 matches to the cluttered international schedule.

The future of the game looks to be mainly at domestic level, which needs a shot of adrenalin to boost dwindling interest and spectator numbers.

Originally Posted by DomainK

Personally I enjoy test cricket the most.

Originally Posted by Spinner

What I would actually like to see is a Twenty20 European Cup - of course England would start off being favourites, but many of the lesser-known cricketing countries would then have a chance to show off their talents, in a game which is not as difficult as Test/ODI cricket.