Is it time to scrap one-day cricket?

It's not often I agree with Shane Warne, but his recent comments about the future of one-day cricket are spot on.

In an increasingly jam-packed international cricket calendar one-day matches are often tagged on to either end of a long Test series.

They merely provide a mildly interesting warm-up to a test series, or if you look at last summers' Ashes, a severe anti-climax after the drama of the five day competition. A lot of the England players looked disinterested and the flat atmosphere suggested the crowd weren't bothered either.

It was that series which confirmed my opinions about the future of the one-day game. The test match, so often seen as the format which would die out first, is actually starting to flourish due to its competitiveness.

With the demise of that great Australian side, which dominated for more than 15 years, there is no one stand out Test playing country. This can only be good for the game and, ultimately, attendances.

But test cricket isn't for everyone, we all know that.

It wasn't for everyone 30 years ago either, that's why the 50 over game was developed. It gives people a convenient bite-sized version of cricket, compacted into one day instead of three, four or even five. But times change and, as people's lives get even busier, cricket finds itself evolving once again, hence the rise of Twenty/20 - cricket for the iPhone generation.

Twenty/20 is filling the same market space as the 50-over game. It is a jazzed up, colourful, quicker and condensed version of the sport. It's designed to attract those who don't always take an interest in the game, as well as those with little time to spare. Just like a new car or new computer Twenty/20 is the model for the 21st century.

Admittedly scrapping the 50 over game would be a difficult thing to, it has been part of the cricket calendar for decades now. But if Twenty/20 is the financial future of the sport, and Test cricket its purest form, then they need preserving. Something has to give though, and I think one-day internationals should go.

Meanwhile, the England team are preparing to face Bangladesh with stand-in captain Alastair Cook.

England's Test odds  suggest the side should still win the series comfortably but some, including Shane Warne, have been critical of the decision to rest skipper Andrew Strauss.

In other sports news, the odds for this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup  were shaken up when hopeful Denman unseated his jockey at Newbury this weekend.

However, some pundits still expect the horse to push rival Kauto Star very hard in the big race.

Guest Post by Tom Mallows