Jason Holder cries Crocodile Tears for Test Cricket after opting out of West Indies central contract to play League Cricket

Former West Indies skipper Jason Holder who is not a part of the Test squad that’s currently playing against West Indies has given warning signals in the format’s future in the Caribbean. Australia won the first Test by 10 wickets in the first Test in Adelaide.

West Indies were bowled out for 188 and 120 in the two innings of the Test match. The Caribbean side is currently placed seventh in the WTC points table. In the ICC rankings, they are currently placed eighth.

Jason Holder, currently playing for the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 league, spoke to Hindustan Times on the format’s future. He said given how the structure is in Cricket West Indies, Test cricket will die shortly.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

“Honestly, if we continue in this manner, Test cricket will die. It’s sad, but it’s true, based on the current structure. You’ve got the Big Three [India, England, Australia] who practically command all the revenue regarding the disbursement of ICC funds. And it’s difficult for smaller territories such as the West Indies to compete” said Holder.

He further highlighted the major problems the West Indies Cricket Board is facing to keep Test cricket alive in the country.

“We just don’t have the financial resources that they do. We’re struggling to even stay afloat in terms of cash flow. And it’s hard to develop our facilities and structures the way they’re meant to be. And with the little finances that we have, pretty much all the money we get goes straight back up into covering expenses and debt” he further added.

Have A Separate Window For Test Cricket: Jason Holder

The former West Indian skipper suggested that with the influx of T20 cricket leagues all over the world, there should be a separate window for Test cricket. He also highlighted the importance of paying decent money to Test cricketers to incentivize them to play the format.

“The only way you can honestly see Test cricket being saved is if you have a window for Test cricket in a year so that you can have your best players available to play there. And on top of that, you need to compensate players fairly. It can’t be a situation where Australia and India are up there, and all the other teams are way, way down below. So, when you’ve got a situation – a dilemma – similar to mine, where you can play a Test series for X amount and a franchise for three times the amount, you will constantly have players going toward more money”

Holder suggested that cricket can follow a football structure in terms of paying a minimum wage for the players playing Test cricket rather than only the big teams playing the format. He also said that a minimum wage along with incentive policies can keep the format going.

“If we could come up with a model where you can have a minimum wage where you can’t fall below a particular threshold, it would actually incentivise players to say, ‘Well, look, this is the benefit of me playing Test cricket’. I think, maybe, cricket may go in the football model where you have an international window, and you’ve got the franchise window” he concluded saying.

Also Read: PCB breaks its own rule, issues 3rd NOC to Azam Khan and Shadab Khan for ILT20, Pakistan players extremely unhappy