Former Australia cricket coach and opener Justin Langer has urged decision-makers to protect international cricket at all costs with the match calendar being condensed further than ever before.
Despite coaching in the Indian Premier League, Langer emphasises the value of international cricket at a time when pressure is growing due to the rise of franchises. Langer was speaking at World Cricket Connect, an event organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s, designed to bring together some of the biggest names in cricket to discuss the health of the game and consider the path forward for future success.
One of the topics on the agenda was Test cricket’s place in the sporting world, with Langer arguing that it must not be at the expense of Test cricket.
He said: “I love domestic cricket but I also love international cricket and we have to keep protecting that. International cricket either invigorates the whole country or breaks the heart of the whole country. It’s like football at the Euros now: if England wins, the whole country rejoices. That doesn’t happen at club.”
“Two things have happened in the last 12 months. This time last year I was at Totteridge Cricket Club. I was there with probably 50 or so kids and I was watching them play cricket and at the same time Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins were putting together a fantastic partnership at Edgbaston (Ashes).
“When I was there there were 50 nine-year-olds in white uniforms in the changing room, all watching a Test match whilst T20 cricket was being played outside. They were devastated when the winning run was scored but for 20 minutes they sat and watched this amazing game. That’s Test cricket.”
“I was commentating on Channel 7 last summer and nobody expected the West Indies to beat Australia at the Gabba.
“But in Test cricket, Shamar Joseph enthralled Australia and inspired the Caribbean. I took him out to the IPL, he bought me a house and a car in Guyana. He’s a national hero. Last week a million people came together to celebrate India winning the World Cup. This is bilateral cricket, this is international cricket.”
The event brought together some of cricket’s leading thinkers at Lord’s, with players, coaches, announcers, franchise owners and administrators all in attendance.
Langer is joined by Lisa Sthalekar, a former Australian women’s national team captain who is now president of the World Cricketers’ Association, the country’s players’ body.
Speaking on the broader topic of discussion, Sthalekar emphasised the importance of players having a say in shaping the future of the game, as issues such as scheduling and development impact on players’ careers.
She said: “I think there were some people in the room who understood the value and importance of the players. They’re big stakeholders in the game but they’ve never been asked for their opinion before and I feel like they’re open to sharing their opinion.”
“You can’t reduce the number of full members on the ICC Board, but you can provide more independent thinking on that, by adding more independent thinking to challenge them. I would like to see the players have a seat at that table because they are a big driving force and there is value in having someone represent the fans. Why are we only talking about the players?
“We hear that fans decide what cricket should be, but they have no seat at the table. If the ICC could be a little more open-minded, we have a great chance.”