ROLL UP, roll up. After the Test everyone's looking for a result, and what a result it would be if thousands flocked to the world's newest Test venue to witness cricket's seismic shift to embrace the pop culture.
The Test was supposed to last five days; the next match at Riverside is supposed to last two hours 45 minutes and that includes the 15-minute interval.
Durham Dynamos launch the Twenty20 Cup at 5.30pm on Friday with a match against Nottinghamshire Outlaws, with both teams batting for 20 overs. They will play in their coloured National League outfits and there will be the usual Sunday sideshows, including bouncy castles and face-painting.
While Durham have been pouring their energies into ensuring a successful Test debut for their ground, other counties have been extending their Twenty20 vision.
Worcestershire are to have a jacuzzi at pitch-side, while pop bands Mis-Teeq and D'Side will play live at the first Sky-televised Twenty20 game, Hampshire Hawks v Sussex Sharks, at the Rose Bowl.
The competition theme tune "I don't like cricket... I love it" is a remake of the 10cc "Dreadlock Holiday" hit. It has been recorded by five-piece multi-racial band United Colours of Sound.
And of course we all know that the aunt of the lead singer of United Colours of Sound was the interior designer of Brian Lara's house in Trinidad!
Billed as "twice the action, half the time", the Twenty20 Cup promises to be great fun. It will do nothing to help us win the Ashes, but that's not the point.
The finances of county cricket are increasingly precarious and the clubs need to attract a new audience, but one of the main points of interest will be whether the 5.30 starting time proves suitable.
Will office workers in Newcastle or Sunderland dash home to pick up the kids knowing they might arrive halfway through the first innings?
All the counties play five games over an 11-day midsummer period with no plans to use floodlights, although they are an obvious possibility for the future.
Here are ten things you may not know about the Twenty20 Cup:
1 The 2hr 45min duration is precisely half the length of the previous shortest game in this country.
2 The 18 first-class counties are divided into regional groups of six, the winners and the best runner-up going to the finals day at Trent Bridge on July 19, when Atomic Kitten will play live.
3 Batsmen have 90 seconds to get to the crease after a wicket falls. Bowlers may bowl a maximum of four overs.
4 There will be 48 matches using 96 white balls.
5 The overall winners will receive £42,000 in prize money.
6 The best batsman, bowler and all-rounder in the competition will win £1,500 each.
7 An accumulated TV audience of 3m is anticipated, with games broadcast on Sky TV and Channel 4. BBC Radio 5 Live will broadcast ball-by-ball coverage of the final.
8 It is expected that 250,000 spectators will watch the 48 matches.
9 Durham Dynamos will host two games at Riverside against Nottingham Outlaws this Friday and Leicester Foxes next Wednesday. The games start at 5.30 start and end at 8.15.
10 The ECB considered introducing a 'Golden Over' where all runs scored would count twice.
l Tickets for Durham's matches are £10 for adults and £5 for children but are half price in advance. Ticket office number: 0191 387 5151
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