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Even as West Indies and England scripted unexpected wins against Australia and India respectively on Sunday to reiterate that Test cricket is alive and kicking, there are challenges that the longest format faces. One of them will be apparent later this week when South Africa field a second-string team for the first of two Tests against New Zealand.
The reason? South Africa’s top players are unavailable due to their commitments in SA20, the country’s T20 franchise league that is meant to help Cricket South Africa (CSA) boost its financial status. Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener, who’s coaching Durban’s Super Giants in SA20, was known for his white-ball exploits but also played 49 Tests in a distinguished career. In an interview, he spoke about the Test versus T20 conundrum, what he thinks of Bazball and more. Excerpts…
Durban’s Super Giants have had a superb run in the second edition of SA20 and currently top the standings. How difficult is it to achieve consistency in the T20 format?
It’s tough. The start has been good for us. We had players moving (after the first season). We have been able to replace quite well. We are going to face that challenge again as we go forward I guess. It’s nice to get on a bit of a roll.
What have you made of the standards in the SA20 and how does it rank in comparison to other T20 leagues?
It’s right up there. It’s just as competitive as any other T20 league in the world. The good thing is people have come out in big numbers to support. That’s been great…it adds a whole different dimension for the players as well. It’s been really well received.
South Africa sending a second-string Test team to New Zealand has attracted a lot of criticism. What do you feel about it?
I guess it’s unfortunate. They could have possibly fitted it in at another time. On the other hand, if one or two players can emerge from that (Test) series, it may not be a bad result. It’s a little bit of a double-edged sword. You have got people missing out on Test cricket, but you have possibly got an opportunity for youngsters to put up their hand and make a claim for selection when everybody is back. It seems to be only a South African problem. I don’t see other countries sending second-string teams to play Test cricket really. It is a scheduling problem which could have been handled better.
You were a top seam-bowling all-rounder who played 49 Tests and 170-odd ODIs. How difficult do you think it currently is for seam-bowling all-rounders to commit to playing Tests when T20 leagues are becoming more prominent?
It’s all about money. If you pay your seam-bowling all-rounder enough money, he will commit to Test cricket. I am not sure whether the money is there in Test cricket anymore and that’s why we see them all leaning towards T20 cricket. That’s unfortunately the way the world is moving. Fast-bowling all-rounders are such a high price in the marketplace. It will always be difficult to hang onto them consistently in Test cricket.
If all-rounders don’t commit to playing Tests, will it affect the format?
I don’t think so. I still think the quality will be there. Test cricket is the ultimate test of one’s ability. If there are all-rounders out there who want to match their numbers with the best that have ever played the game, it will be in Tests. It’s the ultimate test. Do the modern-day all-rounders want to compare their stats with the greatest in the game? I am not sure. Let’s see how it pans out but I don’t think it will have a negative effect.
Heinrich Klaasen is part of the Durban franchise. He has retired from Tests after playing just four matches. Do you see more and more players taking this decision and how worrying is that?
Klaasen wasn’t getting selected for some bizarre reason. And then you need to make that decision whether to hang around and hopefully be selected for Tests or go and play franchise cricket where you have a small window to make money. His decision was totally the right decision. At the end of the day, you have to look after your family. It’s a business.
South Africa were very aggressive as a batting unit at the ODI World Cup. With the T20 World Cup coming up, how excited are you by the attacking brand of cricket that the South African batters are displaying?
I don’t think you have an option but to play an attacking brand of cricket in T20s. Otherwise, you aren’t going to compete. We have got some good young talent. Maybe the Test tour to New Zealand will unearth a few more that haven’t been involved in the SA20 competition.
What do you make of Bazball and the way England are playing Tests under Brendon McCullum?
Each team needs to find a style of play that suits conditions and the way that their players set up. It’s great England are playing that style of cricket. Maybe it does suit them. But I am not sure it works for other teams out there. They will need to find out what’s best for them. It will be foolish for every team to adopt a style of play like that. It’s attractive to watch but I don’t think it’s necessarily the right style for every team.
You were a master at batting in the slog overs of white-ball games. How has the role of a finisher evolved?
I don’t think the role has really changed. The challenges are still there. T20 cricket has allowed people to make sure that their skills are better. The quality of finishing and death bowling is a lot better than when we used to play. The standards are a lot higher compared to back in the day when we used to hit a white ball.
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