ENJOY TESTS WHILE YOU CAN
De Villiers warns of global exodus to chase Twenty20 millions England bid for series victory over ailing South Africans
It IS the match where england could seal a rare and notable series victory to confirm they are very much a test team on the up again, while knocking South Africa off their perch at the top of the world rankings.
Yet the build-up to the pivotal third test at the Wanderers today was dominated by the threat to the greatest form of the game from the dramatic rise of domestic twenty20.
AB de Villiers should have spent his first press conference as South Africa’s new test captain talking exclusively about his side’s chances of coming from 1-0 behind to avert what would be a hugely damaging series defeat.
Instead of just discussing whether he wants to continue as hashim Amla’s successor beyond these last two matches, he raised the possibility that he and others among the world’s leading players are about to turn away from test cricket.
It was astonishing to hear one of the world’s best batsmen talking so openly about the increasing probability of leading players giving up all or some international cricket to cash in on the likes of the IPL and the Big Bash.
De Villiers made sure he registered his respect for test cricket and insisted he still has aspirations in it but the bottom line was clear — let him play less or he’s packing his bags to make a fortune around the world from twenty20.
‘For the last two or three years I’ve been searching for the right answers to play a bit less cricket to keep myself fresh and keep enjoying the game,’ said De Villiers, still only 31.
‘I’m still very committed but as to the captaincy I’m not sure. I’m just focusing on these two tests, then we have a six-month break before we play test cricket again. A lot can happen in that time.
‘I think this is an ongoing concern for the ICC. there are huge traditions in test cricket and we all want to be part of that but there are big tournaments going on in the world now and some of them you can’t ignore. Financially they make a huge difference in our lives and you have to think of that, too.’
the problem is not as acute in england because test cricket is still thriving, attendances are good both at home and when thousands of english supporters boost gates overseas, and because english players are paid far more by the prosperous ECB than their South African counterparts.
De Villiers, for instance, earns a salary of around £100,000, compared to leading england players on basic contracts of around five times that. to put that into context, De Villiers’ IPL deal with Bangalore is worth around £1million each year for just six weeks.
Clearly something has to give and, with greedy administrators around the world squeezing more and more international cricket into the future tours programme over the past few years, the game has reached a tipping point.
For a while it looked as though 50- over cricket would be the victim of the twenty20 phenomenon but as it is enjoying something of a revival, the danger is clear — test cricket is going to be the format to suffer, as it already is with leading West Indian players turning away to play twenty20.
Alastair Cook, hardly the type to top any list of Indian or Australian franchise twenty20 targets, was more optimistic about the only form of the international game he now plays but did accept there would have to be change.
‘I don’t think we’re reaching the end game,’ said Cook.
‘everyone has really enjoyed this series but we do know we have to protect test cricket because it is the ultimate test of a cricketer.
‘I don’t think test cricket is going to die but there are elements of it we can improve and the game can never stand still. the people who run the game have got to know that the responsibility is on their shoulders to look after it.’
Where england and South Africa can help in the short term is to provide another fascinating test in what has become a compelling series.
It is hard to see South Africa not being disrupted by their change of captain mid- series and uncertainly over De Villiers’ future, but he promised to be more aggressive than Amla.
‘I’ve never been the type to throw a lot of words around but I do like to have good body language and to be in the opposition’s face that way,’ said De Villiers, already South Africa’s one-day captain.
‘We want to make england
feel uncomfortable, remind them they are away from home and make sure they are not enjoying the pound’s value against the rand too much.
‘ That is how Test cricket should be played and how I will try to lead here.’
That’s much more like a battle cry worthy of a really important Test match.
England trying to maintain their superiority here against a wounded home side will provide great sporting theatre.
We had just better enjoy it before everyone goes off to play for Mumbai or Melbourne instead.