‘Knife’s edge’: Glenn McGrath fears cricket’s longest format could disappear amid the rise of T20

Glenn McGrath is worried Test cricket could fade into obscurity then oblivion. The iconic fast bowler great chats to DANIEL CHERNY about the future of the sport and what needs to be done.

Glenn McGrath wonders what the future holds for Test cricket. Picture: Phil/Hillyard - sport cricket action successfully appeals

Cricket legend Glenn McGrath fears the Test format won’t exist in 15 years as franchise tournaments consume increasing chunks of the game’s calendar.

A recent survey from the global player union FICA revealed that more than 60 per cent of surveyed players would be willing to turn their back on international cricket to play solely in domestic short-form competitions, and that more than 80 per cent want designated windows for internationals to deal with the congested landscape.

Of Australia’s 15-man squad at this month’s Twenty20 World Cup, Ashton Agar, Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade have all turned down state contracts to become full-time freelancers, while David Warner will also continue to play on the T20 circuit following his international swan song at tournament’s end.

The drain on international cricket from franchise events was laid bare earlier this year when South Africa sent what was akin to a third-string side to New Zealand for a Test series as Cricket South Africa preferred to keep its top stars at home to play in its Indian-backed T20 league.

Marcus Stoinis is a T20 gun for hire. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The West Indies and New Zealand have faced similar challenges, while England white-ball captain said no internationals should clash with the Indian Premier League after several of his side’s top players had to leave this year’s IPL early to feature in a T20 series against Pakistan that served as preparation for the World Cup.

Speaking to this masthead to mark being upgraded to AO status on the King’s Birthday holiday, McGrath, one of the world’s greatest ever quicks, said cricket was precariously poised.

“I think it’s on a bit of a knife’s edge at the moment, what the future of cricket is going to be,” McGrath said.

“I’m very much a traditionalist. I love Test cricket, it’s still the ultimate, as the name suggests, it’s a true test. So with T20 cricket and T20 franchises starting around the world, it’s going to be interesting to see where it goes.

“As long as the players themselves and the administrators and officials hold Test cricket in high regard, I think it’ll be safe for a while but I guess my fear is that, you know, in 10 to 15 years, what’s the international cricket sort of landscape going to look like? Or is it just going to be all these T20 franchises played around the world?”

Glenn McGrath had a brief taste of the IPL at the end of his career. Picture: News Corp Australia

McGrath said that T20 had brought plenty of positives to the sport and was a legitimate mechanism to expand the sport’s footprint, as evidenced by the World Cup being co-hosted by the US and where the Americans, Canada, Uganda, Scotland and Afghanistan were among the sides having varying degrees of success.

But McGrath, 54, said it was ultimately up to the sport’s powerbrokers to protect the Test arena, in which he took 563 wickets across 124 matches.

“So I think there’s pros and cons. I love cricket. And the T20 format is a great way to take cricket to countries, to people that don’t watch it at the moment. It’s quick, it’s exciting. And if you get them interested at that level, maybe that’ll filter up to the Test cricket level as well. So there’s a lot of positives without a doubt. But yeah, my only fear is or hope is that Test cricket is still held in high regard.”

FICA chief Tom Moffat said in April that the body would hold a global player scheduling symposium in a bid to find solutions to overload on the cricket calendar.

Originally published as ‘Knife’s edge’: Glenn McGrath fears cricket’s longest format could disappear amid the rise of T20