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Graeme Smith predicts Test Cricket to be confined to big cricketing nations

image-l70v18x6South Africa will play fewer red-matches in next FTP cycle (Twitter)

The former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has reckoned that only five-six cricketing nations will take Test Cricket forward in the coming years. 

The newly appointed Cricket South Africa's T20 league commissioner thinks gone are the days, which witnessed 10-12 teams taking an active interest in the red-ball format. 

Further, Smith complimented Virat Kohli for providing fuel to the Indian team to excel in the purest format. 

He also added that Proteas doesn't have any intention to play enough Test cricket, which hinted at the team slated to play fewer Test matches in the next FTP cycle (2023-27) as compared to the current one (2019-23). 

"With Test cricket, it's just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment," said Smith on Sky Sports. 

"You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level."

Smith opines on CSA T20 League's importance

image-l70uyktwAll top Proteas players will participate in CSA T20 League (Twitter)

The 41-year-old reckoned that the CSA T20 League will infuse much-needed investment into South Africa Cricket, which can keep them afloat in international cricket. 

In this regard, South Africa also cancelled the ODI series against Australia in favour of the T20 League as well. He further thinks the organization of the home-grown T20 League, is being done to save their players to participate in the rival leagues. 

"It's certainly going to be an investment into our game that South African cricket desperately needed. I don't think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away," said Smith. 

"For four weeks of an entire year, the priority will be the league. I feel that if we hadn't done this South African cricket could have probably lost eight to ten players to this UAE league."

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