Gavaskar, ex-Test skippers 'worried' over Test cricket's 'long-term' future

A group of legendary Test captains, including former Indian stalwart Sunil Gavaskar, has expressed their concerns over the future of Test cricket, which is the longest form of the game.

The group, which also included Sir Garfield Sobers, were brought together by the Lord's Taverners, a UK-based charity which raises money to support disadvantaged and disabled youth, using cricket and other forms of sport and recreation to engage with them.

According to Sport24, former South African Test captain Ali Bacher said that all the former skippers shared a common concern about the long-term future of Test cricket.

Bacher also said that even current international stars like Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara felt strongly that the lure of the dollar in Twenty20 cricket should not override the future of Test cricket.

The report mentioned that only four Tests are scheduled for Sri Lanka this year, including one which begins on December 31.

The list of former Test captains present included Bacher and Shaun Pollock (South Africa), Sanath Jayasuriya, Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka), Sobers, Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd (West Indies), Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly (India).

Also present were Ted Dexter, Mike Brearley, Mike Gatting, David Gower and Andrew Strauss (England), Andy Flower (Zimbabwe), Richard Benaud and Ian Chappell (Australia), Jeremy Coney (New Zealand) and Mushtaq Mohammad (Pakistan), the report added.