Preferring T20 leagues over Test cricket

Mohammad Amir’s decision to quit the longest format of the game has been rightly criticised. Quitting Tests at such a young age is disappointing for Pak cricket fans

During the past few years, many international players have left Test cricket to focus on ODIs and T20 Internationals and T20 leagues across the world to earn maximum income in shortest time.

Former Australian captains Greg Chappell and Ricky Ponting have criticised Twenty20 matches, saying it is damaging Test cricket and affecting batsmen’s patience and concentration levels. They fear that young players will play too much T20 and thus not develop their batting skills fully.

Former West Indies greats Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding and Garfield Sobers also say that Twenty20 cricket is discouraging players from representing their national side in Test cricket.

But former South African fielding legend Jonty Rhodes feels T20 cricket is not just entertainment. He says T20 cricket has produced some star cricketers like India captain Virat Kohli. The skill levels of players have improved tremendously. Players are playing shots all around the ground, Rhodes says.

In May 2018, former South Africa Test captain AB de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket.

South African cricket board convener of selectors Linda Zondi said that AB de Villiers preferred T20 leagues over representing South Africa. Instead of playing for South Africa he signed to play in the Pakistan and Bangladesh leagues, Zondi alleged.

West Indian cricketers Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo also prefer T20 leagues over playing for West Indies to make more money.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) imposed a lifetime ban on those cricketers who joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2007. They included Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and Shabbir Ahmed.

Most recently fast bowler Mohammad Amir announced retirement from Test cricket to ensure his maximum participation in T20 leagues.

He said that it has been an honour to represent Pakistan in the traditional format of the game “but I have decided to move away from the longest version so I can concentrate on white-ball cricket”.

Amir’s decision to leave Test cricket at the age of just 27 has been widely criticised by former cricketers.

Former captain Wasim Akram tweeted: “To me Mohammad Amir retiring from Test cricket is a bit surprising because you peak at 27-28 and Test cricket is where you are judged against the best, it’s the ultimate format.”

Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said on his Youtube channel: “It was Amir’s time to pay back to Pakistan cricket. If I was 27, I would love to play Test cricket. It is the ultimate test for a cricketer. Amir should have carried on and helped Pakistan win Tests, a format in which the team is struggling.”

Former captain Ramiz Raja also showed his disappointment. “Besides being dismissive of the greatest format that makes stars & legends his decision is clearly not in line with the needs of Pak cricket which is desperately looking to reboot test cricket. Was time to repay & not eject.”

Coach Mickey Arthur, however, has supported Amir’s decision. He said that he would have “loved for Amir to stay on”, but conceded the fast bowler’s “mind and body weren’t in the format anymore.

“He had five years out of the game, we mustn’t forget that. In those five years, he didn’t do anything. His body was not up to the rigours of day in, day out Test cricket. We pushed him as much as we could during the England and South Africa series.”

Why do the Pakistani players want to appear in every Twenty20 league while they complain about too many international assignments? Of course, money is the most important factor. If the money on offer is good they will be willing to go wherever and whenever their sponsors want them to go. So there’s no point in complaining about too much cricket.

Players are getting handsome amounts from the board after signing central contracts, receiving millions as match fees, daily allowance and winning bonus.

The PCB should take notice of the players’ excessive cricket for counties and their Twenty20 commitments. They are our national assets and the board is paying them salary and other benefits. It also incurs heavy expenditure for their treatment when they are injured. But when the team needs a 100 percent fit player he is not available for the national side.

Many Pakistani players don’t take part in domestic cricket for “personal reasons” but always remain available for money-making matches abroad, even in non-Test playing countries.

According to PCB policy, centrally contracted players are allowed to participate in two leagues in a cricket season while the non-contracted players are bound to play at least three domestic first-class matches for them to be entitled to receive the NOC. Retired players do not need any NOC from PCB. But as per ICC’s rule they are bound to obtain an NOC from PCB for two years from the date of their retirement.

Currently, Babar Azam is playing for Somerset, Amir for Essex, Fakhar Zaman for Glamorgan, Faheem Ashraf for Northamptonshire and Imad Wasim for Nottinghamshire.

If any Indian player wants to play in a foreign tournament anywhere in the world, he must get an NOC from the Indian board. The BCCI has refused all NOC applications for Indian players as BCCI does not want players to play in other leagues