Welcome to Rock n Roll Cricket - the Twenty Twenty World Cup!

What World Cup is this you ask? Is it the Crown Green Bowls tournament, maybe it's a face off between the best around in darts? Or maybe Politicians are going to have a tournament to see who the biggest liar and cheat is between them.......yeah right, they would all win!

But no, the World Cup is in fact in for our nation's beloved sport of cricket. I say that rather tongue in cheek, as for someone who has loved and played the game since I could put a pair of pads on, I also realise that its probably not the most exciting to watch...compared to say....well watching paint dry...........and not very exciting paint either........a kind of off grey.

Anyway, that will all change this year, as not only do we have the unbridalled national hysteria of the Ashes to look forward to at the end of the month, which if it is anything like 2005, will get the whole nation behind that man Freddie Flintoff and his mates, but we also have the most rock n roll form of cricket ever taking place over the next 2 weeks.

Yes the Twenty Twenty World Cup kicks off today with England versus Holland, and while they might have as much chance as winning the tournament as my mum, even in a mismatch like this, you're guaranteed some amazing action. If you haven't seen it before you are in for a treat, scantily clad dancers, hot tubs, and blaring music, it is a far cry from the sport that WG Grace played while stroking his ample beard back in the day....thank God!

I love my test match cricket, and my one dayers, but I appreciate that I play cricket, and it's a game very much like golf, that once you dip your toes into you get hooked, its addictive, but if you haven't played it its about as much fun as a broken rollercoaster. The problem lies with the fact that 5 and 4 day games, and even One Day matches, are about as accessible to the non cricket fan as Fort Knox, and understandably fail to get newcomers excited about this great sport.

Well Twenty Twenty addresses that, and while people will say it's a concession to the instant consumerist society we live in, well wannabe philosophers who are trying to impress chicks might say that....like me, I argue that this provides the perfect "Gateway" into cricket, and who cares what form of the game that kids are playing, as long as they are playing it.

Yes you will get huffy old blokes wearing blazers with really cool moustaches sitting in the Long Room at lords crying into their Gespactcho soup bemoaning that it wasn't like this in their day.........and yeah, I suppose that's right, but dinosaurs roamed the earth then too, and you don't see many of those about now!

In sport you have to move with the times, and as long as Test cricket is still played, I truly feel that 20/20 will not detract from it one bit, in fact it should hopefully swell the interest in the sport and make it the most popular game in the world.......mwahahahahahahahahaha...okay maybe not, but it's a start!

I mean loads of people play 5 a side football but that hasn't taken over the full version of the game, yet it's probably how most kids get into the game by kicking a ball around with their mates down the park. If 20/20 can allow people to try a new sport, and not have to take 8 hours of your day to play it, and having to take out 3 mortgages for the equipment, subs and tea fee's, then that can only be a good thing.

Look at the England rugby 7's team, I spent some time with them ahead of their win at Twickenham the other day, and it's so much more than just a team of talented guys having fun. It's an incredibly professional setup plus it gives a chance for players with potential to cut their teeth at international level, playing against the best in the world, in front of huge crowds, and it provides a conveyor belt of talent to the full 15 side, which is surely a great example of what this shorter form of cricket can achieve in the long run.

Onto the tournament itself, well the favourites are India who won the inaugural competition 2 years ago, and they look in top form having blown away their finalists from 2007, Pakistan, in a warm up match just this week. They have some explosive batting, and of course an amazing bowling attack who are specialists at bowling toe crunchers at the death and in Dhoni, one of the best and most innovative captains around in this shorter form of the game.

It will take a lot to beat the Indians, but then again there are some amazing teams in the tournament too, with Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa all having start studded squads capable of beating the best on their day.

I actually, and I know this is probably just my inane national pride, really think we have a chance this time. We are used to the conditions, we have an in form side all jostling for a place in the Ashes team, and we did invent this form of the game.........oh but then that doesn't count for much as we invented the full version of the game as well!

I hope we at least get into the Super Sixes, as from there anything can happen and we are capable of beating anyone in a one off game......dare I say it...... even the Aussies! Yes we will miss Flintoff, but KP is due a few runs and will be looking to put a marker down, and with Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara, we have the top order batting to destroy teams, plus our bowling team isn't bad, although we are lacking a few death bowlers, but watch out for Anderson is he is a man on fire!

Oh and keep an eye out for Bangladesh, Ireland and the rest of the minnows who will be out to add to their impressive giant killing scalps of two years ago, and in this form of the game anything can happen!

Anyway, we kick off the whole event today at 5.30 against that famous cricketing nation..............the Netherlands at the home of cricket, Lords, and I for one can't wait!

Plus I will be covering the Australia vs. West Indies game at the Oval tomorrow on Offside on Kerrang from 1pm, with the game commencing from 2 o'clock, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for my preview of the weekends sporting action and what is coming up on the Big Show!