Melbourne, Dec.3 (ANI): This Australian summer's peak times for TV will be all about the Big Bash (Twenty20) League, and with most of Cricket Australia's marketing budget spent on the event, Tests may hardly get a mention, feels former cricketer Dean Jones.
In an article for The Age, Jones says that while Cricket Australia maintains that Test cricket is its premium brand, there has been a considerable lack of promotion for the two-Test series versus New Zealand and the four Tests versus India.
So, he says that Cricket Australia's disappointment over his remark that Test cricket will take a backseat to Twenty20 this summer and in the years ahead does not make sense.
"As far as I am concerned, if you just want the Test series versus India to be successful, then don't intersperse it with matches from the BBL. Surely it will take the gloss and attention off this iconic Test series and from anyone who plays well. The public will lose focus on the Tests and the people will want to just watch the BBL," says Jones.
He further reveals that Cricket Australia has gone into some serious debt to launch the Big Bash League.
"If it doesn't come off, it will cause serious repercussions throughout the sport in Australia. So, I fully understand that CA should devote most of its time to its new baby, but does it have to be at the expense of Test cricket?"
Jones says that with a major tour of India, the No. 2 in the world, and master bats Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid likely to play in Australia for the last time, the BBL could have been scheduled for the BBL later, when lesser-ranked teams West Indies or Sri Lanka visited Australia.
"Don't get me wrong, I love Twenty20 cricket. I was one of a few people who started it in India and helped create the Indian Cricket League. The IPL has copied all of the formulas we created and is a massive success. But I don't see the Indian cricket board playing a Test series right in the middle of the IPL. We need to find a balance in our cricket itinerary and give each format a chance to shine," Jones concludes. (ANI)
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