{"id":73249,"date":"2025-08-16T18:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T18:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/73249\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T18:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T18:13:11","slug":"mitchell-johnson-cricket-australia-ceo-todd-greenberg-is-wrong-on-scaling-test-cricket-down-to-rich-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/73249\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitchell Johnson: Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg is wrong on scaling Test cricket down to rich nations"},"content":{"rendered":"

I read Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg\u2019s comments this week on the state of Test cricket \u2014 and look, I appreciate the honesty. He\u2019s not wrong when he says it\u2019s under threat. He\u2019s not wrong when he says we need to think smart.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a line in there that stuck with me: \u201cI don\u2019t think everyone in world cricket needs to aspire to play Test cricket, and that might be OK\u2026literally we\u2019re trying to send countries bankrupt if we force them to try to play Test cricket\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing \u2014 if that\u2019s the fear, then we\u2019ve already missed the point. The solution to saving Test cricket isn\u2019t to scale it down to three or four rich countries. It\u2019s to lift the rest up. Help them. Grow the game. Back them.<\/p>\n

This is where real leadership starts \u2014 not by pulling up the ladder, but by building a stronger base.<\/p>\n

Because let\u2019s be clear: these nations want to play Test cricket. The players want it. The fans want it. So why are we making it so hard?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been to countries where cricket isn\u2019t backed by billion-dollar TV deals \u2014 but the passion is still there. Kids in the streets. While stadiums aren\u2019t always packed, viewership is high when the big teams play these teams. There\u2019s national pride in every ball bowled.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t tell me that doesn\u2019t matter. What they lack isn\u2019t commitment \u2014 it\u2019s support. And if the ICC and the so-called \u2018big three\u2019 want to protect the future, they need to stop hoarding the privilege and start sharing the responsibility.<\/p>\n

\"CricketCamera IconCricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg. Credit: Josh Chadwick\/Getty Images for Cricket Austral<\/p>\n

We talk about \u201cmeaningful\u201d Test matches. Well, meaning doesn\u2019t come from a marketing department \u2014 it comes from what it represents. A Sri Lanka v Pakistan series might not break streaming records, but to the players, the fans and the groundsmen who spend months preparing that pitch \u2014 it means everything.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t preserve that by cutting it off. You preserve it by investing in it and teaching how to build on that with infrastructure and facilities and grassroots cricket.<\/p>\n

Greenberg says we need smarter scheduling, better planning, and long-term context. Again, true. But those words need action.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have all the answers, that\u2019s not in my pay grade, but I can say from an ex-player\u2019s point of view that we need as many countries playing Test cricket as possible. If it wasn\u2019t for Test cricket and its initial financial support, we don\u2019t see Twenty20 cricket like it is today.<\/p>\n

The big three \u2014 India, England and Australia \u2014 have the money, the reach, the leverage. So don\u2019t just dominate the schedule \u2014 shape it.<\/p>\n

Use that power to guide, not gatekeep. Help other boards build their infrastructure, improve training facilities, boost grassroots pathways, and get their players proper contracts. Help them turn one good series into long-term growth.<\/p>\n

I know they have tried financially, but maybe what\u2019s needed is physical support in showing other countries how to do it. That\u2019s how you protect Test cricket.<\/p>\n

Imagine the West Indies being backed properly to turn Trinidad or Guyana into a fortress again. Imagine Afghanistan, with their fearless young quicks and spinners, getting more than just the odd Test every year or two. We say it\u2019s too hard, too expensive \u2014 but are we actively trying or just happy to allow T20 cricket to be the boss?<\/p>\n

And while we\u2019re here \u2014 let\u2019s talk about the irony of cost. Everyone keeps saying Test cricket is too expensive to put on. But there\u2019s no shortage of money when it comes to building new T20 leagues.<\/p>\n

The money\u2019s there. It\u2019s just being pointed the wrong way. South Africa, the current world Test champions, have not fixtured a single Test match this home summer.<\/p>\n

If you really care about Test cricket, you don\u2019t start by telling the smaller boards to play less of it. You start by helping them play more \u2014 the right way, with the right structures. You treat them like partners, not liabilities.<\/p>\n

\"SmallerCamera IconSmaller teams are partners, not liabilities. Credit: PUNIT PARANJPE\/AFP<\/p>\n

And no, it\u2019s not about handing out blank cheques. It\u2019s about guidance. Strategy. Maybe even some hard truths. If you\u2019re going to host a big Test series, put a percentage of the revenue back into pathways, coaching, and local facilities.<\/p>\n

Use the moment to grow your game. That\u2019s what Australia and England have been doing for decades. Pass that knowledge on.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the reality: if we only leave Test cricket to the wealthy, it dies a slow death. Fans see through that. Players lose hope. And one by one, countries quietly drift towards the formats that pay quicker and hurt less. West Indies cricket has been an example of this.<\/p>\n

But Test cricket is supposed to hurt. It\u2019s supposed to demand more. That\u2019s the beauty of it. You don\u2019t earn a baggy green or a Test cap because you\u2019ve bowled four overs, including a couple in the powerplay.<\/p>\n

\"Australia'sCamera IconAustralia’s Mitchell Starc celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies’ Jayden Seales. Credit: Ricardo Mazalan\/AP<\/p>\n

You earn it over years \u2014 through bruises, setbacks, second-innings spells in 40C heat when your body says no and your heart says yes.<\/p>\n

And that feeling isn\u2019t exclusive to Australia or India or England. It lives in the soul of every young cricketer from all parts of the world. The only difference is opportunity.<\/p>\n

So when Greenberg says we need to protect Test cricket, I agree. But the best way to protect something isn\u2019t to shrink it or spin it. It\u2019s to believe in it. Back it. Invest in it. Help it grow.<\/p>\n

Players in all countries still dream of playing for five days in whites for their country. Don\u2019t leave them behind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I read Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg\u2019s comments this week on the state of Test cricket \u2014 and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,740,44,588],"class_list":{"0":"post-73249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cricket","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-sport"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}