Aakash Chopra thinks that with the recent wave of players’ retirements from Test cricket, the sport is experiencing an existential crisis. The most recent player to say goodbye to red-ball cricket is Heinrich Klaasen, who only made four Test appearances for South Africa but is much sought-after in franchise leagues.
Since the series is taking place during the SA20 league, South Africa is sending a depleted squad, including seven uncapped players, to New Zealand, demonstrating how even cricket boards have begun to favor other formats over Test cricket.
Aakash Chopra on Cricket South Africa (CSA) prioritizing SA20 league over test cricket
Aakash Chopra emphasized that since players must make a living, it is impossible to evaluate their decision to retire from Test cricket on a moral basis.
He continued by saying that the South African board, which maintains that they cannot be held accountable for giving the SA20 league first priority since they cannot salvage their cricket in any way without it.
Test cricket is going through an existential crisis – Aakash Chopra
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Chopra discussed the developments and expressed pessimism about the future of Test cricket. He added that now it has become a sort of trend that retirements are coming thick and fast.
“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,” Aakash Chopra highlighted (0:01).
The former Indian opener said that test cricket is currently struggling to survive, as some are declining central contracts while others don’t want to play the format at all.
“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,” he stated.
Only two teams in the world can afford to play Test cricket- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra asserted that the only nations where Test cricket is commercially successful are England and Australia, with the exception of India to some extent.
“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,” he reflected (2:15).
The former cricket player who is now a commentator agrees with Mark Butcher and Mohammad Hafeez that Test cricket should have a minimum salary.
“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,” he added.
Chopra continued by saying that nations like India have the option to pay their players more than the minimum wage if they so choose. He said, “Players might like to continue playing tests if a minimum pay is guaranteed, or else they would want to bid adieu to the format.”