‘If we leave Tests to rich, it dies a slow dying’: Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson | Cricket News

Mitchell Johnson (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Former Australian quick bowler Mitchell Johnson has criticised Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg’s latest statements about Test cricket’s future. Johnson disagrees with Greenberg’s view that not all international locations want to aspire to play Test cricket or bear its monetary losses.Test cricket, the normal five-day format of the game, faces challenges due to its excessive prices. With declining attendance and shorter consideration spans, cricket boards with restricted assets are struggling to keep the format.A proposed resolution, supported by Johnson, suggests dividing Test cricket into two tiers. The prime tier would come with rich nations like India, England, and Australia, whereas different international locations would compete within the second tier. This system would come with promotion and relegation between tiers.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Here’s the thing — if that’s the fear, then we’ve already missed the point. The solution to saving Test cricket isn’t to scale it down to three or four rich countries. It’s to lift the rest up. Help them. Grow the game. Back them,” Johnson wrote in his column for The West Australian.“This is where real leadership starts — not by pulling up the ladder, but by building a stronger base. Because let’s be clear: these nations want to play Test cricket. The players want it. The fans want it. So why are we making it so hard? I’ve been to countries where cricket isn’t backed by billion-dollar TV deals — but the passion is still there.”Johnson means that as an alternative of monetary help alone, the Big Three nations ought to present steerage and bodily presence to smaller cricket boards. This help would assist develop the sport from grassroots degree and interact audiences successfully.“Because here’s the reality: if we only leave Test cricket to the wealthy, it dies a slow death. Fans see through that. Players lose hope. And one by one, countries quietly drift towards the formats that pay quicker and hurt less. West Indies cricket has been an example of this. But Test cricket is supposed to hurt. It’s supposed to demand more. That’s the beauty of it. You don’t earn a baggy green or a Test cap because you’ve bowled four overs, including a couple in the powerplay.““You earn it over years — through bruises, setbacks, second-innings spells in 40C heat when your body says no and your heart says yes. And that feeling isn’t exclusive to Australia or India or England. It lives in the soul of every young cricketer from all parts of the world. The only difference is opportunity.”