I just wish the ICC World Cup had taken place in my day.
I was captain of an Australian team that won 16 consecutive tests between 1999 and 2001.
It was a fantastic achievement by a group of men that I was very proud to call my teammates. I just wish the ICC World Cup had taken place in my day.
In 2001, when we were on the run, we simply assumed that we were number 1 in the world and everyone said we were, but there was no real evidence.
We would have wished for a final, a chance to raise a cup and receive this recognition. I think it’s great for the global game, which will be a test cricket world championship in two years.
We have it in T20 Cricket and 50 Over Cricket, so why not in Test Cricket? I think it’s overdue.
Test cricket is still the highlight for me. And I would assume that it also applies to almost every modern professional cricketer. I want it to stay at the top, and for that to be the case, it must remain relevant.
We keep saying that we want Test Cricket to be Game # 1 in the world, but until you realize that and give it some meaning, it does not come true.
Now we have officially launched it and I can not wait to get started. I’m excited, but, as I said, a bit jealous that I’ll never hold this trophy high.
Australia, India, England, really every team in the world will be desperate to win this trophy. It’s not about money or fame. It’s about recognition, about being able to say that you’re the # 1 test in the world.
This is something very few players could do or say. That would be a real feather in the CAP for the captain, the coach and the whole country.
I know the boys in Baggy Green in Australia, where Testcricket is still the absolute leader, will do their utmost to get that title.
But it’s not just for the established testers. This is also about expanding the game, making it accessible to a new audience, and clarifying what makes this game so great of us.
People from outside have looked at Test Cricket and made an effort to understand the context in which this happens. Are these just coincidental encounters between different countries, what is it about? Is there an endpoint?
Well, finally we have one. This will facilitate understanding and hopefully help us to gain new fans for the long form of the game.
It’s going to be something people look forward to and connect to, and I can not wait to get started.
