No game lasts more than three hours, and it provides wholesome entertainment with -- as Mahendra Singh Dhoni pointed out — fours, sixes, wickets, cheerleaders and music. Twenty20 cricket would appear to have all the ingredients needed to make it a success at the Olympic Games. It will, however, not figure at the Olympics in the near future.

A couple of months after he had expressed the optimism that Twenty20 cricket would be included in the Olympics, Malcolm Speed put all speculation to rest. International Cricket Council's (ICC) Chief Executive Officer said he didn't foresee Twenty20 cricket at the Olympics in a hurry.

“The ICC is seeking to become a non-playing member of the International Olympic Committee,” the Australian said at the OR Tambo International airport here. “There is no immediate plan for the ICC to be included in the Olympics. Previously, when we have been invited to be in the Commonwealth Games, cricket has rejected that invitation. So I think it is unlikely that cricket will be in the Olympic Games.”

Speed said for sheer exposure and for television audiences, an India-Pakistan Twenty20 World Cup final was just what the doctor had ordered. “Yes, if we had chosen the teams for the final, it's hard to go beyond India — the second most populated country in the world — and Pakistan, the sixth most populated country in the world,” he pointed out. “For the exposure of the game, it's a great final.”

The short duration of each game, friendlier ticket prices and the continued presence of India and Pakistan in the event has brought not just crowds but also the character that was conspicuous by its absence at the World Cup in the Caribbean earlier this year, and last year's Champions Trophy in India.

On fears that Twenty20 cricket might quickly push 50-over internationals and Test cricket to the background, Speed had this to say: “We have a protocol in place where each country is permitted to play three international Twenty20 matches at home each year, and a maximum of seven including their away tours each year. The ICC World Twenty20 will be played every two years depending on whether there is a World Cup in place.”