"In swimming you have a 1500m specialist and a 100m specialist. It's the way cricket seems to be heading - only the best players are able to play in all three formats so if some guys want to concentrate on one form, so be it."
Sunday 18 February 2018 11:28, UK
Trevor Bayliss told Sky Sports he does not believe Twenty20 should feature in international cricket outside of World Cups.
England coach Bayliss - speaking after his side beat New Zealand in their final T20 Tri-Series game in Hamilton but missed out on a spot in the final against Australia on net run rate - reckons the game's shortest format should primarily be played domestically.
However, the 55-year-old expects separate T20 coaches - Ricky Ponting has expressed interest in a role of that ilk for Australia - to become the norm as the international calendar tries to fit in that format, ODI cricket and Test matches.
"I haven't changed my opinion - I wouldn't play T20 international cricket," Bayliss told Sky Sports' Ian Ward following England's two-run win at Seddon Park in their 100th Twenty20 international.
"If you want to play a World Cup every four years or so then maybe get the international teams to play six months before but I'd just let the franchises play.
"I think [separate T20 coaches] is definitely the way it's heading if we continue to put in so many games. There will be a blow out with coaches."
Australia have won each of their four games in the Tri-Series so far with a squad of players who had principally come off the back of strong Big Bash League campaigns, such as D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake and Chris Lynn.
Bayliss says that T20 experience showed in the Trans-Tasman series and thinks cricket will continue to see players focussing on the white-ball game over the red - England spinner Adil Rashid doing that this week after confirming he will only play limited-overs cricket in 2018.
"It is quite obvious that [Australia's] players have all come out of two months of T20 cricket, whereas both New Zealand and England have been playing other forms or, as is the case for some of our guys, sitting at home," said Bayliss.
"That was quite evident in the way that they played - they were up to speed with the T20 game.
"[Adil] was out of the Test team and wants to concentrate on his white-ball cricket. I think there will be more of those players - it's just the nature of the beast and the way world cricket is going.
"In swimming you have a 1500m specialist and a 100m specialist. It's the way it seems to be heading - only the best players are able to play in all three formats so if some guys want to concentrate on one form, so be it."
England will return to action in a five-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting in Hamilton next Sunday - but Bayliss says that game may come too early for Ben Stokes.
Stokes has been training with England in New Zealand after pleading not guilty to affray and is eyeing his first game for his country since the third ODI against Windies in September.
"Ben has fitted right back in and it only seems like yesterday that he went away," added Bayliss. "It will take a while for him to get up to speed and we will have to make a decision [based on] nets.
"I think [the first ODI] might be a bit early for him - and as we won our last series 4-1 [against Australia] there might not be a spot for him!
"We are just going to have to play it by ear."
Hear more from Bayliss in the video above - and then watch England's ODI series in New Zealand live on Sky Sports Cricket.
