AB de Villiers' absence from the South African test team at Lord's this week has been called a "red flag" for test cricket by Mike Brearley, chairman of the MCC World Cricket Committee. De Villiers is taking a sabbatical from test cricket to focus on limited overs cricket and domestic Twenty20 leagues, which Brearley sees as symbolic of the problems facing test cricket with the rise of lucrative short form leagues. The committee is worried that more players from countries without funding to pay large salaries will choose domestic Twenty20 tournaments over representing their countries. Stuart Broad said England's first test under new captain Joe Root feels like a fresh start and debut despite having played over 100 tests previously.

1. AB’s absence spells danger for Test cricket: Brearley
London:AB de Villiers’absencefromthe SouthAfricateamat Lord’sthisweekhasbeencalleda‘red
flag’forTest cricketina warningfromthe MCC World CricketCommittee aboutaloomingcrisisfor the
longestformatamidthe rise of domesticTwenty20leagues.
De Villiers,the leadingSouthAfricanbatsmanof hisgeneration,willnotbe a headache forEngland’s
newcaptain,Joe Root,thisThursdayas he istakinga sabbatical fromfacingthe red ball.Itbeganlast
yearin a bidto manage hisworkload,andhas recentlybeentippedtoretire fromTestsbythe endof
2017.
The 33-year-oldplayslimited-oversinternational cricketandonthe domesticTwenty20circuit,leading
the MCC WorldCricketCommittee chairmanandformerEnglandcaptain,Mike Brearley,todescribehis
careerchoicesas “symbolicof the problems”facingthe sport.
Brearley,whohaschairedthe thinktanksince 2011 and now stepsdownfromthe role,alsocalledon
the International CricketCouncil (ICC) topressaheadwithmootedplansforaworldTestleague,along
withan “admittedlyidealistic”pleaforcricketboardsto rethinkthe distributionof central fundsinthe
worldgame.
“The game isfacing— if not a crisis — a loomingpotential crisis,”saidBrearley.“Thiscrisisneedstobe
noticedandtakenseriously.Forinternationalcrickettoflourish,competitive levelsneedtobe close and
teamsneedtobe able tofieldtheirbestplayers.
“The committee isworriedthatwiththe spreadof privatelyownedTwenty20leaguesandthe rapid
increase inremuneration,more playersfromcountrieslackingthe fundstopaythemwell will choose
these tournamentsaheadof makingthemselvesavailable fortheircountries.”
The formerNewZealandcaptainBrendonMcCullumwasalsoonthe committee andsaidDe Villiers’s
decisionwas“anotherredflagmoment”.He addedthe caveatthat, like hisownchoice toplayon in
Twenty20after retirement,lifestyle issuescouldbe atplaytoo.
As the MCC panel voicedtheirconcernsinthe Lord’smediacentre,the Rootera beganinearnestonthe
NurseryGroundas the bat-and-ball fleacircusthatis England’spre-matchtrainingwhirredintolife
undersunnyLondonskiesinpreparationforthe firstInvestec Test.
Stuart Broad,who washere on Saturdayas part of Nottinghamshire’svictoriousRoyal LondonCupside
and appearsfitto playafterrecentheel trouble,saidthere wasadifferentfeel toproceedings,inpart
downto the newleadershipbutalsodue to the six-monthbreaksince the tourof Indiathatendedina
4-0 defeatandprecededAlastairCooksteppingdown.
“It doesfeel like anewerawithJoe as captain,”saidBroad.“With the change of leadershipit’san
obviousfreshstart.Idon’tthinkI’ve hada gap like thisplayingforEngland,whichisnice aswell because
it remindsyouhowspecial itisandhowluckyyou are to be a part of it.I’mluckyenoughto have played
overa hundredTestsbut thisfeelslikeadebut.”
— GuardianNews&Media Limited,London2017
Courtesy:Gulf News