Cape Town (South Africa), Mar.13 (ANI): Australian captain Ricky Ponting is scared that the "glitz and glamour" of Twenty20 will overtake Test cricket in the popularity stakes.
"There's a really dangerous thing going on at the moment. I gave the Bradman Oration last year and I stated that what I want for the next generation of Australians is to do what I've done: play 150 Tests and represent their country for a long time. But something in the back of my head says that their focus could switch from that to being attracted by the glitz and glamour of Twenty20 and the money that might be around," Ponting told the Widen cricket magazine in an interview.
Cricket Australia's 25 contracted players believed playing Test cricket would be seen as the ultimate achievement in a decade.
Almost half the players rated "balancing playing for your country and competing in the new Twenty20 competitions" as the most urgent issue facing world cricket, while a third thought Test cricket, in its current form, would become obsolete in 20 years' time, reports Fox Sports.
In the interview, Ponting also warned about the hectic international scheduling as cricketing bosses failed to understand the impact of player burn-out.
He cited Mike Hussey's current lean trot as an example, as the left-handed batsman seems to have been worn down playing all forms of the game.
"Administrators just don't see burn-out. Players are the only ones who know when they can get themselves up to 100 per cent. As an international sportsman, you don't want to be playing when you're not at your absolute best," Ponting said. (ANI)
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