Ben Stokes vowed to maintain Test cricket’s status as the game’s most important format in an ever more crowded schedule.
England’s captain, who has transformed the Test side alongside coach Brendon McCullum, promised Ian Botham that he would continue with his mission to make every day of Test cricket full of entertainment.
England’s two greatest all-rounders were brought together on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme where Lord Botham, guest editor of the show, said: ‘If we lose Test cricket, we’ll lose the game as we know it.’
He found a like mind in Stokes, who has made it his mission not only to make England the No1 Test team in the world but also to revolutionise the grand old format worldwide to preserve its appeal for the next generation.
If you have people turn up and be really excited about the cricket they’re going to watch then I feel you’ve already won before you’ve bowled a ball. We know we have a special chance to do something bigger than ourselves.’
The problem Stokes has is with the ever-increasing volume of white-ball cricket that sees more and more franchise leagues competing with the international game, forcing first-class cricket into the margins and threatening the future of Tests.
Stokes wants schedules to be urgently reviewed and highlighted England’s three-match 50-over series against Australia, which rapidly followed Jos Buttler’s white-ball side’s triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup, as ‘a series which meant nothing’.
‘The scheduling doesn’t get the attention it should,’ said Stokes, who retired from one-day international cricket last year because it was ‘unsustainable’ to play in all formats. ‘Some people say, “You are playing for England, that should be enough”, but there is a lot more to factor in.
‘You want international cricket to be of the highest standard but we have seen a lot of different squads being picked and players being rested. That’s not the way international cricket should go.’
Stokes also reflected on the break he had from the game last year to protect his mental health. ‘I felt a certain way and I needed to take a break,’ he said. ‘I felt I needed some help to get me back to where I am today.’
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