Brendon McCullum predicts end of Test cricket

What's the story?

Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has predicted that Test cricket will see its death soon as not many teams would be able to afford to play it.

"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. 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 said, while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.

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Cricketers like Adil Rashid and Alex Hales are part of a chunk of players who are moving from red-ball cricket to white-ball and have stalled their first-class careers in pursuit of the same.

McCullum, who himself played 101 Tests for New Zealand, is currently playing in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, as well as other T20 teams around the world, after having retired from international cricket in 2016.

The heart of the matter

While himself advocating the longest form of the game and admitting that he is loyal to Tests, the Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman said that there might come a time in the future when T20 franchises will be owning players and not letting go of them to play Tests.

"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 added.

Author's take

The future is uncertain for the game's purest format, and the divide between Tests and limited-overs is becoming deeper with every successful T20 tournament. With England Cricket's 100-ball brainchild next in the pipeline, and Ireland and Afghanistan having been granted Test status, it remains to be seen which way the game goes.