Matthew Hayden: The future of Test cricket is 'grim'
Very few Australians have worn the
Baggy Green cap with as much pride as Matthew Hayden so when he
paints a "grim" future for Test cricket it probably says more for
the state of the game than the grumblings of reluctant West Indian
tourists.
When Chris Gayle warmed up for a series-deciding Test last week by
admitting he could not wait for the day he swaps forever his cricket
whites for the colours of
the Kolkata
Knight Riders, it led to a collective gulp across the Test-playing world.
Was Gayle merely giving voice in public to what the players have whispered
in private? Hayden, with the perspective of the freshly retired, is clear.
Test cricket has to change to survive the Twenty20 revolution?
"The IPL is already a global brand and the footprint of this game is
like a tsunami spreading rapidly across the world," he said. "We have seen
it in India, in South Africa and we will see it in England after the
Twenty20 World Cup. The English will embrace it and we are looking at a
game that will grow and grow.
"Times are changing and players will indicate to us what they want to
play. There is no doubt that someone needs to take control of the longer
form of the game because you can't fight the tide for ever. To me, people
have to love watching the game. The cricket has to have a point.
"They have to introduce two divisions to make Test cricket more exciting
outside of the iconic events, but what saddens me is that there were half
as many people in the grounds to watch a great series between India and
Australia and yet the Deccan Chargers lost every game of the last IPL but
you could not find a seat in the house. That is a clear message.
"It is all about how the game is consumed and there
is no question it is looking grim for Test cricket."
Hayden, 37, is a Twenty20 convert. And it must be remembered he is
handsomely rewarded by the IPL. But he was also a proud defender of
Test cricket and retired with tears in his eyes only four months
ago. Now, the emotion has gone but not the runs. He is comfortably
the leading scorer
in this year's IPL and his team, the
Chennai Super Kings, have reached the semi-final.
"I agreed with Chris to a degree and I
think there is frustration in the athletes playing all forms of the
game," he said. "We don't ask a prize fighter to go into the ring
every day and that is what the Future Tours Programme is asking of
players. They have an excessive workload at international level and
I think that makes up a large part of what Chris was saying.
"Also he sees a new and exciting form of the game with the potential
to be a global sport, with franchises spreading across the world. It
is a true phenomenon."
The one area where Hayden is surprisingly reticent is predicting an
Ashes victory. This touring team are the first for 16 years not to
feature Hayden and you feel patriotism, rather than real faith, is
behind the reasoning. "Australia will win the Ashes but it is going
to be a very hard-fought series," he said. "I enjoyed the way
Australia played South Africa away from home. That consolidated the
Test side. But England have found form by beating the West Indies
and home conditions make a big difference for England."
