What future for Test cricket?

The impact that the IPL will have on the game is being debated in depth since last week's player auction. Opinions vary from mild concern to a complete breakdown of cricket as we know it. In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins says there is a threat to Test cricket if the Twenty20 machine isn't carefully managed but it should be possible to strike a balance.

There are exciting aspects to the IPL, of course, especially for the lucky few players involved. Twenty20 is still cricket, after all, and the game has always had to keep up with social trends to remain vibrant. But too much will breed contempt. The new beast can still be controlled. The primacy of international cricket, and especially of Test cricket (albeit probably played over four days rather than five), is worth fighting for.