Hyderabad: Caribbean all-rounder Andre Russell has shared his views around the waning popularity of Test cricket saying young cricketers are not interested in playing Test cricket anymore and money is not the issue.
Players choosing limited formats over Test cricket has been a big issue for West Indies for many years. Cricketers like Russell who are popular with various T20 leagues have often chosen to stay away from Test cricket. Most recently in December 2023, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers turned down the central contracts offered by Cricket West Indies. However, they made themselves available for the T20s.
Reflecting on the players staying away from Test cricket, Russell said that money is not an issue but youngsters are not interested in playing Test cricket due to the number of T20 leagues played worldwide.
"I don't think it's the money, I don't think money is the issue. Based on the amount of T20 and leagues around the world, I think a lot of players are just not interested in playing Tests," he told Press Association in a recent interview.