Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith spoke about Test cricket while stating how the Indian cricket team started to take the longest format of the game seriously. He spoke how the Men Blue became a supreme Test cricket playing nation under the leadership of former skipper Virat Kohli.
The former SA star revealed how India played everywhere they played apart from except in South Africa. However, the 41-year-old goes on to claim that there might have only be down to five or six teams and not 13, or 14 competitive sides that play Test cricket at a big level.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Smith revealed how he feels that only five or six nations will continue to play Test cricket at this rate. The 41-year-old does not see the purest format of the game growing if changes are not made in the future. He said. “With Test cricket, it’s just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment. I think it’s fantastic especially under Virat Kohli that India took Test cricket seriously.”
“They lead the way with that. But as long as we’ve got competitive teams, you’re not going to have 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 competitive teams. You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level,” Graeme Smith added.
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Later, the former Proteas’ skipper also provided clarity on South Africa’s decision to forfeit the three-match ODI series against Australia. Speaking on it, Graeme Smith clarified that the country’s primary focus for that time of the year will be the new upcoming CSA T20 League.
“People also look at those three ODIs wrong. Yes, South Africa hasn’t handled ODI cricket as well and it should never be in this position. But for South Africa to be in Australia out of their key part of the summer financially is a huge stress for them. It’s like asking England not to play during your summer,” Graeme Smith said.
He added, “The commitment that South African cricket made to go for the three Test matches is good for the game. It’s something that won’t happen often. For four weeks of an entire year, the priority will be the league. I feel that if we hadn’t done this South African cricket could have probably lost eight to ten players to this UAE league.”
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Smit is a sports writer at Gutshot Magazine. After completing his Bachelor’s in Mass Media, and a Master’s degree in Sports Management, this sports fanatic uses articles as a tool to express his opinions. Bring up cricket or football and you will find this usually quiet guy speak for hours! He also co-heads the official supporters club of Chelsea FC in Mumbai, wherein he hosts screenings, football meets and other such events.
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