Brendon McCullum fears for Test cricket. Credit: Getty Images
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Former New Zealand skipper, Brendon McCullum, who is currently in India playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has expressed his fear over the future of Test cricket.
Meanwhile, McCullum had plied his trade in various T20 league post his retirement in 2016.
Talking about the future of Test cricket, the Kiwi legend admitted Test cricket would succumb to the powers of T20 cricket.
“I firmly believe that Test cricket won’t be around in time, because there’s only so many teams that can afford to play it,” he said to Cricket Monthly.
Expressing his love for the longest format, McCullum admitted people need to be realistic about it.
Fear over future of Test cricket
McCullum also revealed people these days won’t commit to Test cricket. He also added they would only watch one or two sessions or day five if the match is close.
“I’m also a realist that people are turning up and watching T20 not just at games but also on TV – society’s changing, isn’t it? People don’t have four or five days to commit to Test cricket. They might watch the first session, and the last session on day five if it’s tight. If you strip it back a level as well, and you think domestically, how can teams around the world afford to even exist?” he added.
Photo by Faheem Hussain /SPORTZPICS for BCCI
McCullum is second on the all-time run-scorers’ list in T20s, with over 9,000 runs, behind Chris Gayle.
“Long long-term, I see a T20 franchise as owning players, and I don’t see them releasing those players to play for their nation in a Test match,” said McCullum.
Meanwhile, McCullum is having a tough time in India, as his team Royal Challengers Bangalore. So far, he has amassed 127 runs in six games at a strike rate of 144.31.
