Players should strive to compete in the longest format says Kevin Pietersen

With the advent of T20 cricket, the way cricket is seen is now completely changed. Test cricket, which had a lot of admiration earlier is losing its value by the day. Both fans and cricketers fancy shorter formats of the game as it brings in a lot of entertainment and money. People who watch Test cricket is drastically less compared to T20 or 50-over cricket.

Cricketers nowadays are showing a lot of interest towards franchise cricket. It helps them become stars overnight and showers them with a lot of wealth. In the process, players tend to show less interest towards Tests as franchisees look for the T20 performances of the players rather than the Test performances. Seeing the current situation, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen sends in a warning to all the cricketers.

Kevin Pietersen fires warning to Test defectors

Kevin Pietersen has warned any player planning on turning their back on Test cricket that they risk decreasing their value in lucrative shorter formats. England internationals Adil Rashid, Alex Hales and Reece Topley have all announced that they will not play red-ball cricket this season, choosing instead to sign limited-overs deals. This is a matter of serious concern as this kind of acts kills Test cricket.

Test cricket gets the best out of any cricketer and challenges his mental and physical strength. It has its own sweet flavor associated with it and it is high time that the players respect the format.England’s leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson too expressed his fear that up-and-coming players will shun the five-day game due to the riches on offer in big-money Twenty20 events like the Big Bash League and the IPL.

Pietersen tweeted that the value of a cricketer decreases significantly when they take their whites off. “Cricketers, just remember that when you take your whites off, your value decreases significantly,” he wrote.  “Owners still value Test cricket. The longer form shows true character! So if you have the chance to still play in whites, DO IT!,” he added.