South Africa’s fast-bowling great and former captain Shaun Pollock wants more “context and contest” in international cricket so that the game stays as “main CD” instead of becoming “background music” amid an incredible surge in the number of matches.

“I just think that sometimes the context of the game and also the standard and the rarity matter,” Pollock said.

“For example, in golfing terms the Masters is a wonderful tournament because it happens once a year, it’s four days or whatever it may be. Wimbledon too. Here, you keep playing, putting that output of more and more cricket.

“It becomes background music, rather than listening to it as a main CD. So I would hate it to become that way.”

Pollock doesn’t mind the entertainment T20s provide. “I personally think that T20 cricket is entertainment with a bit of a cricket flavour rather than the true form of testing your ability.

“Don’t get me wrong, people love it. I think some of the skills on display, some of the athleticism, some of the performances, the batting and the bowling, you know, some of it can be admired, but whether it’s a contest as much as it should be all the time, I’m not so sure about that.”