In this week's iafrica.com debate, Howard Kahn and Ryan Bubear go head-to-head over the apparent demise of Test cricket. Is T20, complete with thumping music and cheerleaders, really the way of the future? We bring you the iafrica.com debate!

Test cricket is what the players measure themselves on, argues Ryan Bubear, and quite frankly that is how it will always be...

To pit Test cricket against Twenty20 is a mismatch akin to a grumpy Dale Steyn steaming in off a long run to a trembling 12-year-old — simply no contest.

While the abbreviated form of the game is lapping up the attention of newly-converted 'fans' after the glitz of the Indian Premier League, the traditional version is confidently smiling backstage, sheltered from the thumping music and glare of the bright lights, content in the knowledge that this young pretender will be around for only so long.

Even if, as expected, 'concise cricket' continues to draw the masses for a few years to come, its success will be fleeting in comparison to the rich history of the Test game. And the individuals in the best position to judge the merits of the two, the players, prove this point.

Despite wads of cash 'earned' in the IPL spilling from their back pockets, players have been united in their view that Test cricket will always trump T20.

In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, a whopping 86 percent of players rate Test cricket as the most important format of the game. Only the World Cup (with ten percent) garnered any other substantial support, with T20 not receiving a single vote.

Test cricket remains the ultimate test for batsman and bowler alike.

The 'invention' of T20 cricket was a reaction to low attendances at county games in England. It was intended to put 'bums on seats' and tap into a market that would not normally attend a cricket match, and it succeeded. But once the shine wears off, numbers will dwindle and a new marketing tool will be sought.

Where Test cricket produces a keen contest between bat and ball, T20 is heavily skewed in the favour of the batsman. Too often, bowlers are rendered toothless, hurrying through their four allotted overs with the sole target of not being tonked out of the park every single ball. In the longer form of the game, bowlers can exploit a number of factors, like changing weather and deteriorating pitches. Simply put, the battle is fair and the man with the leather in his hands can actually afford to be positive.

Another worrying aspect of the advent of the 'hit-and-giggle' model is the effect on batting technique. In the relentless search for quick runs, technique is frequently sacrificed. At the risk of sounding like a geriatric MCC member sipping his tea in the Long Room at Lord's, these poor habits become second nature for many players and are bad for Test cricket.

The patience and concentration required to win or even draw over five days is immense. The ebb and flow of the game is intriguing, with tactics playing a crucial role. This is no close-your-eyes-and-swing affair. This is real cricket.

Don't get me wrong, there's no reason why the two can't successfully co-exist over the next few years (I, for one, would miss the scantily-clad T20 cheerleaders, if nothing else). But for true cricket fans, Twenty20 is comparable to fast food while Test cricket is the culinary equivalent of a fine five-course meal.

And while I enjoy the odd burger or pizza, I honestly couldn't stomach junk food every day.

Howard Kahn may be a fan of the longer version of the game, but, always a realist, he can't see the game surviving for much longer — not with the arrival of T20.

Last week's first Test between England and South Africa at Lord's has basically written this argument for me...

Sadly, cricket is dying and dull matches, like that first Test, are one way of sending this great game straight to the grave — without passing go and without collecting R200.

Twenty20 cricket, however, is a potential saving grace and the quicker the powers that be realise it, then, maybe, just maybe, we can save the future of this game we love.

Test cricket cannot survive if matches continue to follow the pattern from Lord's — a huge first-innings total, the team batting second in trouble, before following on and then batting for two days on a lifeless pitch to save a match.

Where is the excitement there? How the hell can cricket be sold across the globe as an exciting, fast-paced sport when a team bats at 2.35 runs per over for two days and four overs?

And this, at the so-called 'Home of the Game' — the home of the MCC.

Enter Twenty20 cricket, however; the perfect way to lure new, potential fans to the game — it has everything; it is quick, sexy and revolutionary.

The recent Indian Premier League (IPL) is a great example of this new form of 'sexy cricket', so much so that Bollywood productions were put on the backburner for fear of being ignored due to the cricket. Heck, when the Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and co. were in action in the IPL I would even skip happy hour at my local to make sure I could catch the last few overs from the comfort of my couch at home after work.

A game takes round about three hours — in this time two teams bat, two teams bowl and we get a result. That is, of course, if the weather does not spoil things. In many ways, I even found myself enjoying the inaugural T20 Cricket World Cup way more than the farcical 50-over version earlier in the year — a tournament that just dragged on and on and on...

Contrary to what some of you might think, I am a huge fan of the longer version of the game — but let's face the facts folks, cricket is going to die a slow death unless Test match cricket becomes more appealing to the younger generation.

They are the future, just like T20 cricket and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the so-called custodians of the game, have even admitted this with the launch of their 'all new' 20-team Twenty20 competition, which will kick off in 2010 and change the face of English cricket in the process.

Twenty20 cricket is one way of luring some young, new fans to the game. Then, and only then, can Test cricket have any hope of surviving.