I have been watching the IPL Twenty20 in the past few weeks and have found it very entertaining.

It is hard to argue that the game is pure entertainment and it will be interesting to see how the international cricket authorities handle it as, in my view, it has got to be a huge threat to the 50-over game.

It wasn’t surprising when reports came back that Andrew Symonds had been received well by Indian players and supporters with no racial slurs or anything negative like that.

I was recently in India just after “Monkey Gate” and most Indians I talked to, when asked who their favourite players were, would rattle off Gilchrist, Lee and Symonds.

But the way Symonds is bowling at the moment, maybe the next time I go over there I might have to ask who their favourite batsmen are because he is getting hammered with the ball.

Try this game

With the success of the Twenty20, maybe league and rugby could put a competition together at the end of the year to promote a shortened hybrid version of the two games.

It might go something like this: dancing girls, real scrums, two points for field goals, none for penalties, a 10-tackle count which restarts after a 40-20 kick, and if a forward chips and regains the ball the tackle count starts again, and no video referee.

Snipe report

The NRL Snipe is a little perplexed about the QRL’s timing of its naming of the Queensland Team of the Century.

“What about the QRL? They have chosen a final 25 players who will be cut to 17 and named at a black-tie dinner the Tuesday before the first Origin,” the Snipe reported.

“Now the thing I can’t figure is the FOGs have been having their annual lunch on that same day for the last 10 years so why did the QRL pick that evening to name their team?

“They must think the maroon boys are good on the drink and maybe their cunning plan is see how many of the 25 are still standing by dinner time: a simplistic approach on cutting players. Those who can still speak get in the 17.”

On another subject: “Has anyone noticed what is going on with Laurie Daley’s hair do?

“When he was doing the BWS adds it was all teased up like Yahoo Serious. Now he is having a starring role on Nine he seems to be having a massive comb forward going on.”

Use Reg for good

I never thought I would agree with the AJC but I read a press release the other day that at first look could have been a gee-up but was for real.

At Randwick, if John Singleton’s champion Tuesday Joy wins the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he has asked Reg Reagan to accept it on his behalf because Singo will be in New York releasing a new bra range.

But the AJC has banned the idea saying he would not be suitably attired. The AJC was probably more concerned about what he would say.

While I love Singleton’s sense of humour, I do think it would be risky and I have to wonder why the Footy Show does not use Reg to spread a better message.