Proteas coach warns of international overkill T20 risk

Mickey ArthurSydney, Jan 10 : South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has urged cricket administrators not to let greed force a rise in the number of Twenty20 internationals.

A crowd of 70,000 is expected to attend Sunday night''s Twenty20 clash between Australia and the Proteas at the MCG, and the fixture is sure to be a ratings hit for broadcasters, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The match, and a second Twenty20 clash in Brisbane on Tuesday night, continues the boom for the shortened format.

But Arthur wants administrators to resist the temptation to schedule too many Twenty20 internationals despite their corporate attraction, for fears of diluting the game''s appeal and player burnout.

"I reckon the format is right if there''s two Twenty20 internationals, that''s it," he said on Saturday. Once you start getting into international Twenty20 competitions, that''s when I''ve got a problem with it," he said.

"I really think domestically it''s unbelievably good for the game, but you must be wary of overkill at international level," he added.

Arthur said the tourists were mindful of rotating bowlers through the two Twenty20 matches and five one-dayers over the next three weeks to keep them fresh for the Test series against Australia in South Africa, which starts next month.

The explosion of Twenty20 has already prompted Australia, South Africa and England to begin planning their own IPL-style competitions. (ANI)

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