Jayawardene wants the brakes applied to Twenty20's growth

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene wants to see just one big Twenty20 tournament a year to safeguard Test and one-day international cricket.

"I've said this from the beginning - international Twenty20 is not the way forward," he told The Wisden Cricketer.

"The way forward would be to have one big tournament (which) will accommodate everyone's interests.

"The best players will play over a short period, and the income generated can be shared."

With big money on offer in the Indian Premier League (IPL), English Premier League (EPL), Indian Cricket League (ICL) and Stanford Super Series, Jayawardene added players could not be blamed for wanting a slice of the action.

We can't be playing four Twenty20 tournaments in a year - what happens to other cricket around the world? Mahela Jayawardene

"Everyone's being driven by the money but you have to compromise and start sharing the pot," he said.

Jayawardene and his international team-mates remain in dispute with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board over next year's tour of England, which clashes with the IPL.

The 31-year-old, who is contracted to Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, claims there would be no conflict if the Sri Lankans were paid on a par with the other top nations in international cricket.

"We put everything on the line for our country but, regardless of how well we play against England or Australia, we'll still get paid what we get right now (about �2,500 per Test and �1,500 per one-day game).

606: DEBATE Jayawardene is a fine leader - Captain Cool indeed medium-pacer

"But when we're given an opportunity like the IPL, it's a chance to play six weeks of cricket and make the sort of money that the rest of the world makes just by playing for their countries.

"That's what the dialogue with the authorities is about. If we were paid what other international players are, there would be no issue."