IPL not a conspiracy against Test cricket

By Matthew Browns, United Kingdom

As an Englishman my initial reaction is to lambast the IPL for making a mockery of the sport played by such esteemed gentlemen as Denis Compton and Jack Hobbs. Yet the more I watch it (in place of studying, I might add), the more necessary it seems to the international game. It is beneficial for all the players who can hone their games against the best the world has to offer. The subcontinent and coloured kit cricket are two of England's perpetual minefields. Yet the overwhelming reaction from many "purists" is that the IPL is a voracious beast that seeks to consume Test cricket. By vociferously voicing complaints about the IPL these pundits and journalists aren't helping anything. The IPL won't be stopped just because The Times runs a piece on how wearing many advertising logos on a shirt will end the art of five-day matches. All this does is sour relations and narrows the doorway for English players trying to pass through into a highly competitive league that will doubtlessly ensure a more well-rounded game for the very players that represent England in all formats. The IPL isn't a ghastly conspiracy against Test cricket and should not be painted as such, just as county cricket isn't the only competition that can improve players. Both are needed to produce complete players and the sooner the cricketing puritans realise this, the better.