David Warner's fear for Test cricket amid allure of whopping T20 riches
The cricket veteran believes red-ball cricket is still the pinnacle of the game.
National team veteran David Warner has revealed his concerns for red-ball cricket in the coming decade after looking at the allure of white-ball cricket around the world. Warner attended the Cricket Australia Awards on Monday night, which saw him win the One Day International player of the year.
The opener scored a century and four half-centuries throughout the voting period with 552 runs at an average 42.46, making the most runs amongst all Australian players in ODIs. Warner started off as a white-ball specialist, before developing his game to take on the Test arena.
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He has since become Australia's premier opener. However, Warner does not feel this is the traditional path for players in the modern game.
Tim David's $1.53 million contract at last year's IPL auction was the richest by an Australian that year and proved once-and-for-all that overseas players need not have made a name for themselves at Test level to score big bucks in white-ball competitions. Dan Christian, Chris Lynn and Marcus Stoinis are among the other active Australians to have become household names, toured the world and earned significant money all without playing Test cricket.
Warner currently plays with a string of talented youngsters at the Thunger, which include Ollie Davies, Tanveer Sangha and Jason Sangha. But, Warner isn't sure if the younger generation have the same ambition to go on and play red-ball cricket.
"I was speaking to (Davies) the other day. He likes playing white-ball cricket, I can't see him playing red-ball cricket any time soon," Warner told reporters. "If he wants to put his mind to it, he can definitely play.
"But I've got a little bit of scaredness about what's going to happen in the next five to 10 years, where cricket is actually heading. I'd love for guys coming through to play red-ball cricket and play Test cricket because that's the legacy that you should want to leave behind.
"Playing in the Test arena is amazing. Pardon the pun but it's a true test of cricket and how well you measure up to the greats of the game."
David Warner's red-ball legacy
Warner made history when earning his baggy green after becoming the first man since 1877 to debut for Australia without playing a first-class game. This is after some white-ball brilliance, which started when he was picked for the T20I side in 2009. He has gone on to play a century of Tests.
Warner has recently spoken about his pending retirement - which could come in Test cricket after the Ashes - but is calling on the next generation of T20 guns not to give up their chance to forge an international career in all three formats.
And Warner sees Test cricket as the foundation of extending your career. "Guys see the short-term at the moment with all the leagues and stuff around," he said.
"The best way to get value for your currency is actually making a name for yourself. There's only been a small minority of people who have been able to do that and have a long career (without playing Test cricket)."
with AAP
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