Twenty Twenty, A Newer Better Cricket?

T20, or Twenty Twenty cricket has created a massive splash in the sporting world since its birth a handful of years ago. It started out being viewed as a little bit of a laugh but has quickly established into an ever expanding billion dollar enterprise with no hint of slowing down any time in the near future.
T20 is simple enough for the casual audience and entry-level spectators to get an understanding of the sport, and sure enough a number of those fans will find their way to other, lengthier, variations of the game. In much the same way people who might not care enough or comprehend enough about cricket to sit down for a full test or one day may find T20 easier and a much more pleasing spot to start, but then get attracted by the pure elegance of the sport.
However, to an American citizen who has grown up with the spectacle of something like basketball, this is more like the professional sports that they can relate to. The 2 competitors are as aggressive as they possibly can be while both batting and fielding, with wickets and boundaries abundant. The crowds are large and raucous, the entertainment loud and excessive. It is Cricket for the masses. And if we are honest, if there is ever any real hope of cricket breaking into the US marketplaces, it is with something like T20: obnoxious, proud, and unashamedly extravagant.
The problem that many cricket fans have with the game however, is not that they are thieving tv audiences or money but players themselves. The younger players care not at all for the traditional forms of the game, only the money and fame associated with the new form of the game.
It is also apparent that younger batsmen who have been raised for T20 cricket never even make an effort to acquire many of the base skills players will need to be effective in the alternative variations of the sport of cricket. This leads to a lot of cricket fans being worried about the long term prospects of their international teams.
Not unjustifiably apparently, test match attendance is down in every country except Australia and England, and that is likely only because of the Ashes series and the huge rivalry that is associated with that, and India has no test matches scheduled for the next two years. It is a worrying time for test match fans and cricketing puritans everywhere.