Greg Chappell has expressed concern for cricket’s future in the West Indies, and fears the number of Test-playing nations may shrink to as few as four in coming years.
Former Australian captain Chappell, who on Tuesday night will present the seventh annual Sir Donald Bradman Oration, said the West Indies faced an uncertain Test future given the troubling influences of declining interest in the sport, regional politics, pay disputes and infrastructure.
While he warned against writing the Windies off in their upcoming three-Test series against Australia, he was concerned about the chances of the Caribbean re-establishing itself as a major cricketing force.
“The region of the West Indies has been one of the great cricket-playing regions and it would be an absolute tragedy in my view if we lost the West Indian region to cricket,” said Chappell, who played against the West Indies at their peak, in the 1970s and early 1980s.
“I’m hopeful that some of the work that’s being done to help West Indian cricket become strong again is successful, because I think they’re a very important member of the cricket family.
“It’s not going to be easy but I think if the will is there hopefully we can help it.”
The West Indies, ranked eight of the nine Test teams, have had a difficult lead-up to the first Test at the Gabba next week, as they have struggled in their lead-up match against Queensland and could be without skipper Chris Gayle, who flew home on Wednesday to be with his ill mother.
Speaking outside the MCG before his public address, Chappell said Australia and England were two countries where Tests remained popular, but feared there would come a day when their opponents would dwindle, as only the strong would survive as interest dwindled elsewhere.
“I have a feeling that Test cricket is going to reduce in size rather than grow in size,” he said.
“I can see a time where there will be four or five major countries playing Test match cricket.
“It’s another reason why 50-over cricket needs to be supported and given a re-think because 50-over cricket could well become the Test cricket of the future for a lot of cricket-playing countries.”
To address the decline of Test cricket’s popularity, Chappell said administrators had to make internationals more relevant and provide context through a Test championship, and consider staging matches under lights to attract more fans.
He supported the retention of 50-over cricket and warned conservatives that Twenty20 was here to stay, as it had caught the wider public’s imagination and was the best vehicle to take cricket to new frontiers.
“I can see the day when IPL (the Twenty20 Indian Premier League) becomes a world format and we’ll have New York playing Bombay playing Beijing playing Sydney playing London,” he said.
Chappell said it would be an honour to present a lecture in Sir Donald’s name.
He is the latest distinguished figure to do so, after then-prime minister John Howard, Michael Parkinson, Richie Benaud, Alan Jones, General Peter Cosgrove and Ricky Ponting.
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