T20 leagues are popping faster than weed: Ian Chappell expresses concern over crammed schedules and its effect on Test cricket

Cricket has evolved a lot from when it was first played. While it was mostly red-ball cricket in its early days, the game has more become white-ball in the modern era. Every cricket board now has its own T20 league and cricket has now become a sport of power and money. But international cricket also has to survive for the longevity of the game and so players are now left in a dilemma on what to choose. 

While many have opined that the days are near when cricket will go the football way and international matches will only be played during ICC tournaments, a few have also expressed their reservations about the reckless scheduling and non-stop cricket. Steve Waugh said a few days ago that the public has overdosed on cricket and the interest levels are slowly fading away. 

Now, Ian Chappell has expressed concerns over the growing influence of T20 cricket and its effect on Test cricket. The former Australian captain has said that T20 leagues are popping up faster than weeds and an implosion is around the corner. 

“T20 leagues now clash with each other and star players are signing longer-term contracts with expanding IPL clubs. These contradictions mean there will be a growing problem of how to produce greater numbers of marketable cricketers. In the current environment, some leagues won’t be able to sign the limited number of star players available and this could eventually damage the ability to remain financially viable,” wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNCrincinfo. 

“These are all matters that need urgent attention but the big one is to ensure the players have a voice in the game’s future.”

Chappell also pointed out the lack of partnership between the players and administrative boards. “There is also the glaring matter of the lack of partnership between players and administrators. Surely it shouldn’t be – as it is currently – a matter of the administrators deciding the programme without any input from international players,” he wrote.

Notably, many players like Ben Stokes have cited “unsustainable” scheduling as their decision to give up one of the formats. A few have also talked about the effect of non-stop cricket on the mental health of players.