The IPL Auction held at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai on December 19th raised eyebrows and became the talking point of the cricket lovers and media as well as cricket experts soon after it ended. The toast of this season were the Australians who got whooping prices for their performances shown in the recently concluded ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup which was won for 6th time by the Australians this time in the subcontinent defeating India in their own backyard.
Amongst the Australians who raked high prices in the auction, notable players were Captain Pat Cummins who went for a record 20.50 crores INR to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) followed by his teammate lanky fast bowler Mitchell Starc who made himself available for the IPL 2023 as a practice for upcoming T20I World cup in the West Indies and The United States of America captured a whopping 24.75 crores INR deal with the Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR)
With many feeling amused by this whopping deal, former Australian batter and now Commentator Mark Taylor feels fearful that the rise of such leagues would make cricket a money minting machine and the beauty of the game would diminish if players would start giving importance to leagues rather than honing their skills by playing the purest form of cricket ie: Test cricket.
There’s an ongoing threat to Test cricket – Australian Legend Mark Taylor
Former Australian left hander opener Captain now Commentator and cricket expert Mark Taylor reckons that there’s an immediate threat to Test cricket following Mitchell Starc’s million-dollar signing by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).The former Australian cricketer, however, wants youngsters to follow in the footsteps of Starc, who put the country first ahead of IPL or T20 leagues in his career.
The reaction comes a day after the Knight Riders signed Starc for ₹24.75 crore, making him the costliest player in the history of IPL.
Starc last played in IPL during the 2015 season with Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) but then left the T20 league to prioritize his fitness and commitments for the national team. The 33-year-old was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) in 2018 but failed to play a game due to injury. He even pulled out during 2022 citing bubble fatigue.
Mark Taylor told speaking to 9News:
“I think Australia have got it right but that pressure is going to be even greater in years to come – there’s already talks about a second IPL, there’s Dubai leagues, there’s American leagues popping up everywhere. There’s an ongoing threat to Test cricket, getting that balance right and maintaining and prioritizing Test cricket is going to get tougher,”
The cricketer-turned-commentator further added:
“I hope the players follow in that Mitchell Starc mold. Work on getting your baggy green, work on becoming a great Test cricketer, knowing full well the IPL will always be there,”
This statements really made sense in the rising age of leagues all round the world and many players giving up their National duty only to make money by playing in these leagues. With the Pakistan Test Series going on followed by the West Indies and New Zealand series before the IPL, it would be rather interesting to see how will the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc manage their workloads alongside fulfilling their national duty to be available for the upcoming IPL season.