Steve Waugh Believes That Champions West Indies Have Become an Example of Twenty20 Chaos
Steve Waugh, former Australia captain, said the lucrative Twenty20 leagues across the globe had created a "loyalty to money" among players instead of "loyalty to the team".
Highlights
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Steve Waugh is in Berlin for the Laureus World Sports Awards
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Waugh is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy
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He led Australia to the 1999 World Cup title.
Former Australia Test captain Steve Waugh believes the turmoil in West Indies cricket is a perfect example of the disruption the Twenty20 format has caused in the sport internationally. (Steve Waugh Feels Players' Loyalty Lies With Money And Not With Teams in Modern Day Cricket)
Speaking to media at the Laureus Sports Awards in Berlin on Monday, Waugh said the lucrative T20 leagues across the globe had created a "loyalty to money" among players instead of "loyalty to the team", reports CMC. (Steve Waugh Hits Back in Shane Warne Row)
"There is a danger and we all know that. Look at the West Indies. The incentive to play T20 cricket is so much more than Test cricket," said the Australian stalwart, who played 168 Tests and 325 One-Day Internationals (ODI). (Shane Warne Blasts Steve Waugh, Dubs Him 'Most Selfish Cricketer')
The West Indies crowned themselves World Twenty-0 champions earlier this month in India. With the triumph, the side became the first to win the tournament twice, following on from their maiden triumph in 2012 in Sri Lanka.
However, they continue to struggle in Tests where they lie eighth in the rankings. Most of their leading players now opt to play T20s instead of the longer format.
Waugh also singled out New Zealander stroke-maker Brendon McCullum as a player who cut short his career to focus on T20s.
"Somebody like Brendon McCullum retired from Test cricket even though I feel he still had 3-4 years in him. He is just working for superannuation right now, for his family, which is alright. Overall, I feel there is no loyalty to the team, there is loyalty to money now. I don't blame the players but it's tough on the fans," Waugh said.
Waugh, who scored 10,927 Test runs with 32 hundreds, said Australia, England and India were closest to finding balance among all three formats.
"Australia is the closest when it comes to striking a balance, India has the potential and England is also coming up nicely. It's impossible to strike a perfect balance given that there are three different teams. It's not realistic. I don't think there would ever be one World No.1 in all three formats of the game," Waugh concluded.