Cricket in the T20 format has quickly become a spectator favourite.However, I am in the mindset of the fast growing game to not expose young cricketers to this format. The game requires uncharacteristic behaviours that are not suitable for the longer game, which if exposing a young player too early to this format can be detrimental to his development.I am no expert, but I have to say that playing open cricket as a youngster had its advantages in that I was able to take my time with the bat, helping me to develop a sound defence in the development of my game.The aggression that T20 requires doesn’t afford a young player the luxury of that, thus making it so much more difficult to build an innings consistently.With that said I am still impressed at the quality of our young cricketers and with Tre Manders being included in the current squad for the upcoming T20 tournament is something he should be proud of.Having him involved certainly gives me mixed emotions, but with the quality of our coaching staff, I am sure that his progress in all three formats of the game will be monitored closely.Tre is definitely a player who in years to come can be one of Bermuda’s best batsmen if not the best in the Island, but we have to allow him to develop and fine tune his game. At present he looks a very solid player who likes to work the ball to all sides of the field and is not too flashy or overly aggressive.As Bermuda head to Florida to the T20 tournament my hope is that the players will be able to transition their minds, tactics, shot selections, and bowling strategies to that of the 50 over game quickly upon their return.We have a strong team but is this tournament going to help our hinder our chances of qualifying in April at the ICC Division Three tournament in Bermuda?Our natural game is aggressive, similar to that of the West Indies and the T20 suits our style, but over the years our aggressive nature has failed us.Too often our players are batting looking for the big shots and boundaries, instead of grafting and dissecting the field.T20 will get our players in the frame of mind of ball beating, a term often used by the national team players, which is a trait that could work for us if each player is on form, but the most likely result will be a collapse in the innings. Changing the mindset will be a natural transition for some but for others it will be more difficult, especially if the players have success in the T20 tournament.The 50 over game is certainly not about ball beating, and will require more patience with the bat and tighter bowling because of the difference in the rules as it relates to field placement. Players will be required to think more and think for longer periods while playing the longer version.Other countries are able to counteract this issue simply because of their pool of players, choosing the players based on which format suits them. There is always that exceptional player who can play both formats of the game and play them well, but realistically, not most.When watching T20 cricket the imagination that some of the players use while batting is nothing short of incredible. Some of the shots that we see are out of this world.An example of this is when Kevin Peterson, a right-handed batsman, as the bowler ran in, he turned and batted left-handed while the ball was being bowled and hit the ball into the stands.This was by far the most outrageous cricket shot I have ever seen, and as the game progresses the cricket shots seem to get more and more creative.Fortunately for Bermuda, the national team will be playing a few 50 over tune up games upon their return, just prior to the big 50 over tournament.The more practice matches we have the more chance we have for players to peak at the right time.To all of the young future star cricketers around Bermuda, I believe that you should be spared playing the shorter version of the game all together while you are still learning your craft.Batting is an art and if we are not careful we could stunt the growth and development of our youngsters if too much emphasis is placed on this style of play.We certainly want each and every one of our youngsters to reach their true and full potential, and stray away from always seeking to entertain the crowd, and look to build an innings with a batting plan and sticking to it.Quote of the week: The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. — Steve Young