Sport - Cricket

‘IPL could kill Test cricket’

Melbourne: Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he could not imagine giving up international cricket to play IPL but doubted that would be the case with everyone.

“If the IPL keeps growing ... the next generation might opt for franchise over country. Everyone in the game should work towards ensuring that never happens,” he wrote in his ‘2008 Captain’s Diary’.

Ponting said if the IPL was extended, players will be under pressure to choose one form of the game over another.

“It will be tougher to retain the public’s interest (in Tests) and eventually the golden goose will be no more,” he said.

Ponting said the money on offer from the officially-sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL), made it difficult for some players to continue representing their countries.

“We cannot afford to lose teams such as New Zealand and the West Indies from international cricket, but my fear is that this could happen if the game cannot strike a balance between Tests and ODIs and the IPL’s riches,” he said.

“Unless such a balance can be achieved, I could see some countries’ cricket teams declining in the way Zimbabwe’s sides have struggled over the past few years.”

West Indies players also have an option of playing in the T20 league launched by billionaire Allen Stanford, who recently put up $20 million for a single Twenty20 match between England and his All Stars.

“The best cricketers in the game want to keep representing their country, but if it’s going to be costing them (a lot of) money then there are tough decisions ahead — for players and also for administrators,” he said. — PTI

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