'Fun' T20 now a serious business

Twenty20 cricket was branded as "fun" when it was launched as a professional sport in England six years ago.

But as the blame game started over who was responsible for the decision to call-off Tuesday's Twenty20 international between England and Australia without a ball being bowled, one thing was clear: top players are not prepared to take any chances with conditions just to entertain a capacity crowd.

Twenty20 cricket has gone from 'hit and giggle' to a lucrative business thanks to the advent of the Indian Premier League and the World Twenty20.

Tuesday's match was abandoned primarily because a two-metre square area damp patch on the line of the bowlers' run-ups at the Brian Statham End was ruled unsafe by the umpires.

Former Australia fast bowler Jeff Thomson labelled the players "soft".

But with Australia's attack set to have featured Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Dirk Nannes, all of whom can bowl at over 90mph, captain Michael Clarke was in no mood to take risks.

"I'm 75 kilos and for me to put my foot on that was very unstable so I can't imagine (England's Ryan) Sidebottom, Lee and Johnson - bigger boys than me - running into bowl on that," he said.

"There's no game I play for Australia that I'm willing to just go out and bowl some full-tosses so the crowd get a great spectacle," Clarke added.

After the match the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced they would hold an inquiry, with Lancashire facing questions as to why an international match was abandoned because a small area of the outfield was wet.

Although 600,000 pounds was spent on a new drainage system in the pre-season, it did not cover the run-up area as the square at Old Trafford is to be turned next year, when the new drains in that section of the ground will be installed.

Angry Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes insisted inadequate covering and drainage were not behind the abandonment, which came after Sunday's first Twenty20, also at Old Trafford, was also washed out.

"I'm perfectly aware of the safety of players, I played the game for 20 years myself," former Lancashire seamer Cumbes said.

"But there are times when you've got to think about the people who've paid 50 quid (pounds).

"Sometimes I think we'd rather play in front of empty stadiums," he added after the crowd reacted with impressive restraint to the lack of cricket.

Tuesday's was the third embarrassing abandonment England have been involved in this year.

Three months ago a one-day international (ODI) against the West Indies at Headingley was abandoned in bright sunshine without a ball bowled because a new drainage system couldn't cope with a downpour.

That in turn followed the abandonment of this year's Antigua Test on England's Caribbean tour because of an unfit outfield.

On Friday, England and Australia are set to play the first of seven ODIs at the Oval, where in 1977 they took part in an extraordinary limited-overs match.

Back then, play continued despite rain and then hail lashing the ground and Australia captain Greg Chappell saw his side to a two-wicket victory with a superb 125 not out.

Although there was a reserve day, that clashed with a public holiday for the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of both Britain and Australia.

And that meant there would be no television coverage if the game went into a second day.

"I realised the best chance of winning was to get off and start again the next day," Chappell said. "But I played on for the sponsors' sake."

David Frith, writing in the Cricketer magazine, said: "As for the bemused spectators, they were left to reflect that in the days ahead first-class cricketers, far from splashing about willingly, would not be prepared to emerge if there was the smallest spot of rain in the air."

More often than not, it seems, they still aren't.