On 8 October, what may turn out to be a huge moment for the game of cricket hit the news: Australian Test captain Pat Cummins and all-format Australian player Travis Head were reported to have been offered nearly $10 million each a few months ago to join cricket’s international T20 circuit.
I mean, who says no to that.
There’s some value in having a baggy green but 8 figures is not it. I can’t blame or shame them for taking the money.
They didn’t take the money, they rejected the offers because they want to play international test cricket.
Older generations were brought up with Test Cricket regarded as the pinnacle and where all the legends came from.
I’m not sure it will hold for younger and future generations.
The problem isn’t so much about what’s happening in Australia. We have a very strong test cricketing culture steeped in history here, and I would expect that to continue to inspire young cricketers in the short-term. But the decline of test cricket in other areas, like the West Indies, is very troubling. If the top players from around the world start leaving test cricket, the money that currently exists in the game will drop rapidly and Australia’s top players, who want to compete at the highest level like any professional athlete, will have a much harder choice to make.