On Thursday, John Buchanan, the former head coach of Australia, asked the International Cricket Council, which Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, will soon lead, to make “good decisions” for the long-term future of cricket.
When Shah, 35, assumes leadership on December 1, he will be the youngest person to hold the position of chairman of the worldwide governing body.
Coach Buchanan led Australia to two distinct sets of world records—16 straight Test victories and ODI World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007—and stated that the ICC should address the expanding number of T20 leagues.
“It’s an interesting question. With Jay Shah now being installed at the head of the ICC, it really is important that the ICC makes some very, very good long-term decisions for the game,” Buchanan told PTI when asked if India and Australia will continue to produce Test cricketers of the same caliber they have thus far.
“We see a proliferation of T20 leagues, T10 leagues, (The) Hundreds and so on… the reality is, that is the future of the game. The young children that we’re speaking here today will be inspired by and have a real love for playing that short form of the game,” he said at the launch of ‘Ready Steady Go Kids’ multi-sport program.
Buchanan did, however, emphasize the significance of Test cricket.
The foundation of the game is Test cricket. It is the actual essence of the game. In order for the ICC to make wise decisions, they must be extremely careful about the number of leagues they authorize and approve. This will, in the first instance, reduce the number of leagues to which players are attracted, he added.
According to Buchanan, as the ODI format facilitates the transition between Tests and T20s, the ICC will need to figure out how to maintain its relevance.
“Test cricket is really important. We’ve got the proliferation of the short-format game. We need to keep the transition game, which is the one-day game,” he said.
“It’s too difficult for players to be able to play quality cricket with only two formats, meaning a short format and a long format. We need that intervening, that transition format of 50-over cricket.”
According to Buchanan, it is not the players’ fault if they attempt to take advantage of the chances.
Since you’re at the top of your game, you want to be paid well. Who knows how long they have left in terms of selection, age, and injuries?” he subsequently said to reporters.
The leagues are currently providing it, therefore they must attempt to take advantage of it. I don’t hold that against them.
Buchanan stated that following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year, he expects the Australian Test team to go through a transitional phase.
Given that the majority of the Australian Test team is older than 30, he stated, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of changes in that side.”
