Arthur issues Twenty20 warning

Mickey Arthur does not want to see Twenty20 encounters usurp 50-over internationals

The Twenty20 concept is best suited to domestic cricket and could be the victim of "overkill" if overplayed at international level, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has warned.

Arthur, a self-confessed purist, does not want to see Twenty20 usurp 50-over cricket as the premier limited-overs form of the game. He said two Twenty20 matches per tour was the ideal number.

A crowd of 70,000 is expected for tomorrow's Twenty20 clash between Australia and South Africa at the MCG.

"I think they kickstart the tour very, very well. I think there's a huge amount of public interest for it, which is great," Arthur said.

"Then every two years you play a world championship. I think that's perfect for international cricket.

"I worry that sometimes you might have three ODIs and a five-match Twenty20 series on a tour because of the commercial value.

"I think that would be wrong because that would kill the appeal of Twenty20 cricket to the domestic competition."

The Twenty20 Big Bash - Australia's domestic competition - has attracted strong crowds all around the country.

The inaugural staging of the IPL tournament attracted large crowds in cricket-mad India.

Just as one-day cricket initially attracted big crowds domestically before being more frequently played at international level, Arthur said, the same could happen with Twenty20.

"I think Twenty20 is a game for domestic cricket," he said. "The franchise effect of Twenty20 is very, very good.

"I just worry about overkill of Twenty20 cricket with international teams.

"Because, as it was in one-day cricket when your one-day cricket started, it was really well supported domestically and internationally when it happened obviously everyone wanted to go and watch that more and more.

"I just think at international (level) they have to be careful of killing the Twenty20 concept for the domestic franchises. I think Twenty20 belongs domestically."

The first domestic Twenty20 match was played in England in 2003 but it was not until 2005 that the game was played at international level.

India won the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, officially called the ICC World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007.

The next tournament will be held in England in June this year.