Adam Gilchrist. Matthew Hayden. Andrew Symonds. Freddie Flintoff. The list of Twenty20 galacticos is growing. The trend is clearly pointing to the future of the game that lies in T20 cricket supporting all other forms financially so that players may pick up the skills in them for the distilled version, which is all the rage.

The ICC, formed on June 15, 1909, may have seen historic events in its 100-year existence. But its future is somewhat more easily told now. The Flintoff saga is the one most emblematic of the new age in which the celebrity cricketer will choose not to take the hard grind of everyday cricket, restricting himself instead to a T20 existence of plenty of money and less cricket.

Gilchrist drew his roadmap before anyone else, but only after he broke down in tears when the realisation hit him that he did not have it in him anymore to keep at cricket as a daily profession. He chose to hang up his gloves and head off to the IPL where he is a revered figure now after inspiring his Deccan Chargers to a trophy triumph just a year after they had hit rock bottom in the inaugural IPL.

Hayden tried his hardest to disprove critics but his waning prowess would not allow him the privilege and he too handed in his papers to take the wholesome IPL route. His mate and fellow Queenslander Symonds got there because of his difficulties with the strict team regulations of international cricket by which some personal freedom is signed off for the common good.

The rebel Andrew had found his métier as the world’s first free cricket agent who would go wherever the call of T20 is loudest. Many others could see merit in the argument, as did Freddie Flintoff, he of Pedalo notoriety. Flintoff may have been coaxed more by his bodily frailties than alcoholic fumes. No modern cricketer has gone under the knife more often than the burly Lancastrian.

Time then to hit the T20 road and give the old, busted up ankle a rest and get into a cozy situation. For the injured galacticos whose bodies will not take the rigours of a full-fledged international schedule, the place to be is where to bowl four clever overs is the norm and a hit in the park is all captains may wish for. This list of galacticos can only grow.

Kevin Pietersen is another likely candidate for exclusive T20 existence soon. He is hobbling about in the Ashes series, not sure when the injury to his Achilles tendon will erupt again to cripple him as it did on the morning of the T20 World Cup match, which England famously lost to the Netherlands in his absence. The Ashes are so emotionally significant that KP is withstanding the pain to stay in the arena, but for how long?

The T20 route is bound to become even more lucrative as Australian cricket opens up to the possibility of state teams signing up galacticos for their domestic T20 matches. There is talk of a US premier league to come up before 2011 while South Africa is convinced it can put a league in place soon. Any player who can command two appearances in other continents besides an IPL contract can expect to be in clover from fees that are far more in a year than a Test player can hope to assimilate in a career.

No Indian cricketer has dared to take this T20 only path although a few have been typecast as limited-overs specialists who are not in the Test team radar and hence get more time off from the demanding schedule. But then we had the peculiar case of Dhoni skipping a Test series, which he did when he had not yet become the Test skipper. There is already a sign there that players may begin to pick and choose events.

The Indian cricketer’s brand equity is rated on his constant appearances on TV. But surely a time will come when the seniors will follow Anil Kumble’s footsteps to call it a day and then enjoy the game’s T20 avatar, which is a fine enough way to keep the cake as well as eat it. The era of the cricket galacticos is already upon us.