I had the pleasure of recently spending a week in the Caribbean on holiday, an island paradise of relaxation, warm sea and hot sun. Antigua really is a beautiful place, sprinkled with palm trees, sandy beaches, friendly locals…and cricket.

Cricket is the national sport of Antigua and you cannot go far without seeing the passion they hold for the game. As I stepped off the plane, I was greeted with several images of Sir Viv Richards, an Antiguan who is regarded as a national hero to the locals. On driving to the resort, within half an hour I had seen two cricket stadiums and a few other smaller pitches, one occupied by two teams, dressed in the customary whites that took me back to watching the Windies on the box during my childhood.

It is then I noticed the difference between the visions of cricket that the English and Antiguans hold. The stadiums were not plastered in advertising, players were not wearing fancy equipment and the reverence for the game itself, including respect for the rules and sportsmanship was at its highest. There was no sledging, no foul-mouthed antics and the pitches were a lush green without the presence of huge company logos to mar the spectacle. It’s the game itself that is beautiful and is played that way by the natives. There are no complications, just pure cricket.

It is then I started to run the English game through my mind. If we can actually forget about the antics of Freddie and the pedalo, sledging et al, there has been one major change to the game and for me, it’s like rewriting the bible in text speak.

Twenty20 is the embodiment of everything that cricket is not. Disgusting corporate exposure, outfits that were probably designed by Lawrence Lewelyn-Bowen, white balls and jingles every time there is a boundary. The ruling body has decided they need to Americanize the sport to appeal to a younger audience, presumably plagued by A.D.D. Since when have Middlesex been known as the Middlesex Crusaders? Essex Eagles? Somerset Sabres? What next? Arnold Schwarzenegger bowling the first ball? It all boils down to the ECB thinking that this equals money. I did find this a little amusing, especially when you realise that the Middlesex CCC website is sponsored by Northern Rock.

Cricket should not be about money. Cricket should not be about players thinking they are superstars. Cricket should be about twenty-two men, all wearing whites, contesting a game that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. There should be respect, appreciation, sportsmanship and fairness. At present, in the professional game, there is greed, cheating, decadence and disrespect.

I find myself nowadays watching ESPN Classic, a doff of the cap to when cricket really was great. Just yesterday, I was watching Michael Holding take seven wickets against England in the 1976 series. Yes England lost, but the entire English crowd clapped the great man off. A truly wonderful spectacle all round, well, apart from the England batting collapse….

…it also meant I won’t subliminally change my electricity supplier or mobile phone company.