(Sportzpics)
On Thursday, former Australia head coach John Buchanan called on the International Cricket Council, soon to be headed by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, to make ‘wise decisions’ for the long-term future of cricket.
At 35, Shah is set to become the youngest chairman of the global governing body when he assumes the role on December 1.
Buchanan, who led Australia to two record-setting streaks of 16 consecutive Test wins and ODI World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007, emphasized the need for the ICC to address concerns related to the increasing number of T20 leagues.
“It’s an interesting question. With Jay Shah now being installed at the head of the ICC, it really is important that the ICC makes some very, very good long-term decisions for the game,” Buchanan told PTI when asked if India and Australia will continue to produce Test cricketers of the same caliber they have thus far.
“We see a proliferation of T20 leagues, T10 leagues, (The) Hundreds and so on… the reality is, that is the future of the game. The young children that we’re speaking here today will be inspired by and have a real love for playing that short form of the game,” he said at the launch of ‘Ready Steady Go Kids’ multi-sport program.
Nevertheless, Buchanan highlighted the crucial significance of Test cricket.
“The game is built on Test cricket. That’s the true fabric of the game. For the ICC to make some good decisions, they have to be very, very mindful of how many leagues they approve and sanction, which means by doing that, it will limit the number of leagues that players are drawn to, for a start,” he said.
Buchanan stated that the ICC must devise a strategy to ensure the ODI format remains significant, as it plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between Test matches and T20s.
“Test cricket is really important. We’ve got the proliferation of the short-format game. We need to keep the transition game, which is the one-day game,” he said.
“It’s too difficult for players to be able to play quality cricket with only two formats, meaning a short format and a long format. We need that intervening, that transition format of 50-over cricket.”
Buchanan remarked that it’s unfair to fault players for seizing the opportunities available to them.
“You want to be well paid for because you’re at the top of your game. Who knows how long they’ve got injury-wise, selection-wise, age-wise…” he later told reporters.
“They’ve got to try and exploit that and that’s what the leagues are offering at the moment. I don’t blame them for that.”
Buchanan predicted that the Australian Test team will enter a period of transition following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of changes in that Australian Test side because most of them are over 30,” he said.
