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Test format will survive, says Ganguly
LONDON: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, refusing to paint a gloomy picture of Test cricket, said the five-day game faces no serious threat from other formats and will always be the ultimate form of cricket for a player.
With the ever-growing popularity of T20 cricket, there is growing fear that the traditional format is in danger of dying a slow death, but Ganguly had a different view.
"Test cricket will survive and so will the other formats," said Ganguly at Oxford where he is attending the ICC’s History Conference. "Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game and I know for sure that the players will be remembered by what they do in Tests."
Fantastic side
Ganguly praised the current Indian team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and said the side has what it takes to be at the top of world cricket.
"India is a fantastic team at present. If they keep performing as well as they have in the last few years, they will definitely be the number one in the world in the future," said India’s most successful skipper.
KDangerous precedent
Meanwhile, West Indies legend Clive Lloyd feels Andrew Flintoff has set a dangerous precedent by quitting Test cricket for the lure of Twenty20 and the money it offers.
"Would some of these guys have retired if there was no Twenty20? It is obvious if I’m being paid $1.5 million and I don’t have to put in too much work then, yes, I’ll go the other way," Lloyd said at the History Conference.
"It is a bit unfortunate Flintoff decided to leave Test cricket. He knows his body and knows how bad his ankle is. He is a tremendous cricketer. The point is, he might not be playing for Lancashire but will play for England in the ODIs and Twenty20. This is destroying the fabric of the game," said the former West Indies captain.
Worried that more players may tread Flintoff’s path, Lloyd said he would be happy if the international cricketers retired late in their careers.
Too much money
Citing the example of the current West Indies side which is good in Twenty20 but has been struggling in Tests, Lloyd said the huge amount of money being paid in lucrative T20 tournaments is affecting the traditional format.
(PTI)
