cnerd123
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I understand why people think T20 will be to blame, eventually, for the decline of Test cricket. You need to pay people in order to have Test match - not just players, but match officials, ground staff, TV crews, etc. If all these people now expect IPL-level salaries for their services, we can no longer afford to pay them to play Tests, and therefore we cannot afford to have Tests.
I think what people miss is that stuff like the IPL suddenly means a lot more people now want to become a professional cricketer/umpire/scorer/groundsman/coach/etc. Because there is a real living to be made doing it if you can crack it at that level. I expect the pool of talent to pick from to rise over time, which means that when it comes around to hosting a Test match, you may not get the best people working for you, but you'll still get pretty good people who aren't good enough for the IPL, and who are looking for income/experience/exposure. Plus we can trust that, when it comes to players and umpires, that the very best in the world will always hold Tests as the pinnacle. You'll get the odd Chris Gayle here and there, but by and large anyone who has dedicated their life to the sport will love and appreciate Tests. For sure we'll get the best in the world involved in Tests consistently, even for lower pay packets.
The reason why cricketers from WI, Sri Lanka, etc seem to be giving up Tests for a career in Franchise T20s isn't because they don't value Tests anymore, it's because they don't get treated well by the Board, and they are much better off pursuing a Franchise T20 career, occasionally playing ODIs/T20s to keep their reputation (and thus value) up. There isn't a single cricketer I can think of who has given up Tests purely for financial reasons - it's all driven by injuries/age/bad relationships with the cricket board.
So really, I don't think we have to fear T20. If anything, I think the T20 industry will be what keeps Test Cricket viable in the years to come. The biggest threat to Tests is incompetent administration.
I think what people miss is that stuff like the IPL suddenly means a lot more people now want to become a professional cricketer/umpire/scorer/groundsman/coach/etc. Because there is a real living to be made doing it if you can crack it at that level. I expect the pool of talent to pick from to rise over time, which means that when it comes around to hosting a Test match, you may not get the best people working for you, but you'll still get pretty good people who aren't good enough for the IPL, and who are looking for income/experience/exposure. Plus we can trust that, when it comes to players and umpires, that the very best in the world will always hold Tests as the pinnacle. You'll get the odd Chris Gayle here and there, but by and large anyone who has dedicated their life to the sport will love and appreciate Tests. For sure we'll get the best in the world involved in Tests consistently, even for lower pay packets.
The reason why cricketers from WI, Sri Lanka, etc seem to be giving up Tests for a career in Franchise T20s isn't because they don't value Tests anymore, it's because they don't get treated well by the Board, and they are much better off pursuing a Franchise T20 career, occasionally playing ODIs/T20s to keep their reputation (and thus value) up. There isn't a single cricketer I can think of who has given up Tests purely for financial reasons - it's all driven by injuries/age/bad relationships with the cricket board.
So really, I don't think we have to fear T20. If anything, I think the T20 industry will be what keeps Test Cricket viable in the years to come. The biggest threat to Tests is incompetent administration.