Twenty20 seriousness on par with one-day cricket, Tests: Clarke

St. Lucia, Apr 29(ANI): Australian skipper Michael Clarke has made an astonishing claim that Twenty20 cricket has the same status as one-day and Test cricket.

"It's the same - it's exactly the same. For me, it's as serious as a one-day match or a Test match. There are blokes in this squad who haven't played Test cricket. They haven't played one-day cricket. It's the ultimate for them," the Fox News quoted Clarke, as saying.

"It's become exactly the same as one-day and Test cricket. It's a form of the game that we want to be the best in the world at. We're not there yet, we're improving, but this is a way for us to start," he added.

The 29-year-old further said that from a player's point of view the shortest version of the game is no more a marketing vehicle to swell audiences and attract new fans.

"There's no such thing as a game of hit and giggle. That's something that has changed. It used to be about putting on a show, entertaining the crowd. But from a player point of view, that is no longer the case," Clarke said.

Clarke also revealed that he has approached the Cricket Australia (CA) management over altering its contract system to include Twenty20 specialists.

"I've told Cricket Australia that they should have contracts. I think there should be a Twenty20 contract introduced. I know once you play a certain number of Twenty20 games you can get upgraded to a Cricket Australia contract," he said. (ANI)