Former Australian speedster Mitchell Johnson has hit out at Cricket Australia’s CEO Todd Greenberg over his recent comments suggesting that playing Test cricket could become a “financial burden” for smaller nations.
Johnson strongly disagreed with Greenberg’s stance, stressing that instead of reducing fixtures, the focus should be on increasing the number of Test matches to secure the future of the longest format. He also urged the ICC and the major cricketing nations to take more responsibility in supporting smaller boards.
In his column for The West Australian, Johnson wrote: “The solution isn’t to scale Test cricket down to three or four rich countries, it’s to help the rest grow. Players want it, fans want it — so why are we making it so hard? What these nations lack isn’t passion, it’s support. And if the ICC and the so-called big three want to protect the future, they need to stop hoarding the privilege and start sharing the responsibility.”
A few days earlier, Greenberg had claimed that smaller nations could be bankrupted by hosting or playing the five-day format. He argued that Test cricket is at its best “where it means something”, adding that it is “quality, not quantity” that will keep the format alive. According to him, playing Test matches may prove to be an unsustainable financial burden for boards with limited resources.
Johnson, however, took a completely different view. He insisted that instead of scaling back, smaller boards must be given more financial assistance and encouragement to continue playing red-ball cricket.
He further explained: “A Sri Lanka v Pakistan series might not break streaming records, but to the players and fans it means everything. You don’t protect that by cutting it off. You protect it by investing in it.”
For the latest sports news follow- Revsportz