"Existential crisis" - Aakash Chopra says Test cricket is struggling for survival considering a plethora of player retirements
Aakash Chopra believes Test cricket is going through an existential crisis considering a spate of recent player retirements from the format.
Heinrich Klaasen, who played only four Tests for South Africa and is one of the most sought-after players in franchise leagues, is the latest to bid adieu to red-ball cricket. Even cricket boards have started prioritizing other formats over Test cricket, with South Africa sending a second-string side to New Zealand as the series is coinciding with the SA20 league.
Reflecting on the developments in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra wasn't too optimistic about Test cricket's future, elaborating (0:01):
"Heinrich Klaasen has taken retirement from Test cricket. He has played a handful of matches, he is not too old as well, but he said he is done. It has become a sort of trend that retirements are coming thick and fast."
The former India opener added:
"I feel Test cricket is slightly struggling for existence. It's a question of survival, which is called an existential crisis. Some people are declining central contracts, as they want to be a free bird, and some are taking retirement. They say they don't want to play the format at all."
Chopra highlighted that players retiring from Test cricket cannot be judged on moral grounds as they need to earn a living. He added that the South African board, too, can't be blamed for prioritizing the SA20 league as they claim that they won't be able to save their cricket at all without that.
"The truth is that only two teams in the world can afford to play Test cricket" - Aakash Chopra
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Aakash Chopra claimed that England and Australia, apart from India to an extent, are the only countries where Test cricket is financially viable. He explained (2:15):
"The truth is that only two teams in the world can afford to play Test cricket, who actually earn money from it - England and Australia, courtesy the Ashes, and there is a slight tradition as well. The third is India, who don't earn from it but can subsidize it because it does not make a difference as they have a lot of money."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concurs with Mark Butcher and Mohammad Hafeez's views that a minimum salary should be prescribed for Test cricket. He said:
"So others will either keep leaving or curtailing their Test series. For that, Mark Butcher and Mohammad Hafeez gave a good suggestion that the Test salaries should be standardized, that whichever player plays Test cricket for any country, gets a minimum salary."
Chopra added that countries like India, if they wish to do so, can pay their players more than the minimum amount. He concluded by saying that if a minimum pay is guaranteed, players might like to continue playing Tests, or else they would want to bid goodbye to the format.