Australia’s cricketing great Ian Chappel admits he will never see the end of Test cricket in his life, but also says that amid so much encouragement being given to T20 leagues, good players would hardly like it. play test cricket. The former Australian captain feels that international cricket will also face the challenge of retaining players in the national team due to the rapid growth of T20 leagues around the world.
During a conversation with ‘Wide World of Sports’, Chappell says: ‘Test cricket will not end in my lifetime. But who will play it? This is the biggest question. Is it worth watching Test Cricket if your best players aren’t playing? The answer would probably be ‘no’. Test cricket is a good game, but it must be played well.
Says Chappell: ‘Actually, if you look at it, so far you can only play Test cricket between eight teams. There is also a problem with the West Indies in this as they cannot pay their players. Sri Lanka has a good infrastructure but the political problems are huge there. The situation in South Africa is also similar.
Chappell says: ‘I think a lot of old players will get offers from there (UAE T20 League), and it will be a big challenge for countries like Australia. It will also be a problem for those countries that cannot pay their players well. This issue becomes even bigger with ownership of teams from T20 leagues around the world passing into the hands of IPL franchises. In such a situation, if you have a good IPL contract, you have to choose between the option to play for Australia or any IPL franchise team. So will he be able to jeopardize his IPL contract?