Pay gap needs to be bridged for Test cricket’s growth: Ponting

Legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting believes that the International Cricket Council should ensure that players from smaller Test nations are also paid well for playing Tests. Ponting cited the example of West Indies cricketers who prefer franchise cricket over international cricket for financial reasons. At an event organized by the ICC ahead of the World Test Championship final between India and Australia at The Oval from June 7, Ponting was asked whether youngsters would like to play Test cricket in the T20 league era.

The former Australia captain said, “There are different answers to this question in different countries. It is becoming very difficult to groom youngsters who dream of playing Test cricket in the West Indies. Same is the case with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Not so in India, England and Australia where playing test cricket pays well and most of the cricketers want to play test. ICC will have to play an important role here. “He said,” The payment for playing Test in international Test countries should be almost the same. It has been discussed at the highest level in the ICC. In India I believe most youngsters want to wear ‘baggy blue caps’ and in Australia ‘baggy green’.