The ends of Test cricket, Brendon McCullum predicts.

he ends of Test cricket, Brendon McCullum predicts.

NEW DELHI: When England cricketers Alex Hales and Adil Rashid made it clear they are focussing on white-ball cricket and putting a break to their respective first-class careers earlier in March, eyebrows were raised regarding their decision and what it meant, in general, for the overall future of Test cricket.

England's limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan came out in their support, worrying for the future of the five-day cricket adding, "If something was going to be done about it [Test cricket], it probably should have been done already."

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum echoes their views and has predicted that Test cricket probably won't survive after the emergence of T20 cricket.

Speaking to The Cricket Monthly, McCullum, who is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore [RCB] in the ongoing Indian Premier League [IPL], said the reason behind his gloomy outlook is the fact that not many teams have the resources to support Test 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 was quoted as saying. "And whilst we all adore Test cricket, and for me it is the purest form of the game - I'm loyal to it - I'm also a realist that people are turning up and watching T20."

He even went on to say that cricket will mirror football in terms of the club culture where the players' first commitments will rest with their respective franchisees who might be unwilling to share their services. "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," he said.

Ireland has just made their Test debut while Afghanistan will soon join the elite club when they face top-ranked India next month in Bangalore. The International Cricket Council [ICC] granted the status of Full Members to the two teams last year in June taking the total number of Test playing nations to 12.

However, despite the efforts to keep the format relevant by bringing into its fold more teams, several former and current cricketers have been unsure whether Test cricket holds a future.

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