By IANS,
London : England captain Paul Collingwood fears that players will not like to endure the ‘mental torture’ of Test cricket, if the financial rewards of playing for the country does not match the lucrative pay package of a Twenty20 tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“I gave up the (England) one-day captaincy (in July last year) because it was affecting my Test game and I wanted to keep my Test place. Maybe in the future today’s young players will prioritise one-day and Twenty20.
“We have to be careful. If you can get 10 times the money for playing a few weeks of Twenty20 than for months of mental torture in the Ashes, then I’m afraid to say some people would take the first option,” Collingwood was quoted as saying by The Age Wednesday.
Collingwood, who was bought by the IPL team Delhi Daredevils, for an annual fee of $250,000, has recently returned after a stint in the T20 tournament ahead of England’s first Test against the West Indies starting at Lord’s Wednesday.
“We have to make sure the pay and bonuses for Test cricket and Twenty20 are closer, otherwise players will concentrate on Twenty20 from an early age.
“If Test cricket is the ultimate, then we are going to have to do something about remuneration. Currently only a select few get mega-deals through Test cricket. If you do well, things come along, but playing in the IPL, your profile shoots up.
“To me the IPL is a bonus and I really hope young players coming into the game will think the same way,” he said.
The Durham all-rounder also said there had to be a greater financial incentive for County players to seek England contracts.
“At the moment some County cricketers have basic salaries not far off England contracts,” he said.