What are your earliest memories of cricket in an Aussie summer? It's almost certainly of white clothes and red balls, isn't it?

Maybe it's Allan Border scrapping for days on end in an underperforming team. Maybe it's Shane Warne ripping leggies across batsmen on a worn-out day five pitch. Maybe it's Steve Waugh lashing Richard Dawson through the covers off the last ball of a day to almost bring the SCG crumbling down.

For the vast majority of cricket lovers in this country, it's Test cricket that has always captured the imagination and inspired youthful aspirations. But make no mistake, it won't be that way for long.

The Big Bash is creeping up on Test cricket, sneaking into the long-form's many blind spots and preparing to usurp it as the summer's main attraction. It has been dismissed for the duration of its existence by "real" cricket fans, but can be dismissed no longer.

One day we will look back at last summer's derby between the Melbourne Renegades and Stars, in which more than 80,000 people flocked to the MCG, as the modern-day equivalent of Kerry Packer throwing the SCG gates open as World Series Cricket finally clicked with its audience.

That was the moment things began to change, even if we didn't realise then and even if we don't fully comprehend it now. And it's pretty easy to see why.

Cricket fans need an attachment to their team. For generations, that was easily achievable with the Test team because you pretty much always knew what you were going to get. The concept of "the Australian cricket team" wasn't anywhere near as fluid as it is now.

Marcus Stoinus is a player tipped for Test cricket, but he will continue to make a name for himself in the Big Bash. ( AAP: Mal Fairclough )

This summer, two "Australian cricket teams" will be playing almost simultaneously in opposite corners of the world. In the first decade of this century, 29 players made Test debuts for Australia - we haven't finished 2016 yet, and we are already up to 34 this decade.

The disconnect is real. More players are playing cricket for more "Australian cricket teams" as resting policies, bizarre selections and bemusing scheduling conspire to make international cricket a muddled mess.

And as the results and performances get more and more dismal, Aussie cricket fans are losing patience. They aren't emotionally invested in the team, and as the losses become more hapless, they don't want to be either.

Enter the Big Bash.

Locally-based teams full of locally-based players have already fostered relationships with fans not unlike something you'd find in the winter codes. You've got a squad of players to stick with the duration of the tournament, which is compressed into summer's most euphoric month.

Fan engagement is always the priority. Tickets are affordable and the atmosphere is lively more often than not. Men, women and children can all find something to enjoy at any given match as the elitism of the long game is stripped back to make way for pure fun.

But above all, the cricket is madly entertaining. You'll get more good games than bad, more engaging storylines and surprise heroes than scapegoats and villains, and the common bug bears of flat pitches and big bats don't have the same negative influence on the shorter games.

The players seem to be agreeing. Very few Australian players are heading to England to play County cricket in the winter months, preferring the glitz, glamour and salary of the IPL.

The BBL and WBBL open cricket up as a game for all, stripping back the frustration and replacing it with fun. ( AAP: Mal Fairclough )

And then there's the WBBL, bringing the country's best female cricketers to our biggest stadiums and, more importantly, our TV sets. The likes of Meg Lanning, Elyse Perry and Alyssa Healy are already household names and as the women's game continues to get the attention it deserves, there will be dozens more to add to that list.

The Big Bash brings a month of cricket without the gnashing over selectors and administrators, without the endlessly frustrating top-order batting collapses, without worrying about fast bowlers breaking down on day three. Those who say there is no strategy to T20 cricket are misguided, the game has its own nuances for those who know where to look.

It's cricket without all the things that drive cricket fans crazy, and while none of this does anything to enhance Australia's Test prospects, there's every chance Cricket Australia doesn't really care.

Simon Katich told Grandstand as rain fell in Hobart the Big Bash was "hijacking the summer", but as the money flows in and people actually start enjoying the cricket again, CA I'm sure would be fine with that.

All this doesn't mean Test cricket is dead, or dying, or needs radical change. An Ashes series next summer will likely see the usual boost in crowds and public interest.

But if you're feeling frustrated or fatigued or flummoxed with the Australian Test side — which I know you are — never fear. The main event is still to come.