England white-ball captain Jos Buttler believes the longest format of the game is not the type of cricket capturing the attention of the next generation.
Bazball might have tried to reinvent the format and present the current England team as the “saviours of Test cricket” but it is the T20 format that is rapidly growing around the world with the number of franchise tournaments seemingly exponentially increasing.
Attracting the next generation of fans and players has been a key focus of the England and Wales Cricket Board, firstly with the launch of All Stars and Dynamos, and then with the inaugural Hundred event in 2021, while Test cricket has traditionally been seen as one for the purists.
The Indian Premier League, the largest and most successful franchise league in the world, holds its opening game on 22 March, and has at least captivated the young native population, while its influence has spread much further.
Speaking at an event designed to be a cross-over between cricket and baseball, Buttler was explaining the differences between red-ball and white-ball cricket to former MLB player Chase Utley, and said: “T20 cricket, which is the short format, only started in 2003.
“So people who love all the history and records [in Test cricket] – I’ll tell you what the kids on TikTok and Instagram aren’t watching Test cricket.”
Buttler will be travelling to India soon to represent the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, as will the majority of the players expected to feature in the T20 Cricket World Cup in June.
In a bid to reach a new audience the tournament itself will be hosted in the United States and the Caribbean, the first time cricket has come to America, before it returns to the Olympics for the Los Angeles games in 2028.
England will go into the tournament in the summer as title-holders having won it in Australia in 2022. However, they will have to recover from their disappointment at the 50-over edition in autumn, when Buttler was forced to admit that the side had “let people down” with their dire performances.
Despite criticisms over an ageing squad, there were two glaring absences, Ben Stokes, the all-rounder, and fast bowler Jofra Archer.
Buttler admitted he was hopeful that Jofra Archer could be fit enough to feature in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The fast bowler is notoriously capable of bowling up to 95mph but has not featured since a brief return to playing came to a premature end with the recurrence of an injury in March 2023.
“I think for Jofra, we all know just what a special cricketer he is and it’s been a tough few years for him not being able to get on the park and perform, but with someone like him who is such a superstar, you’re always optimistic that with the physios and the doctors working and his body will just allow him to get back where he was,” Buttler said.
“I know how hard he’s been working at it and of course how desperate he is to come back.”
When asked if he had spoken to him, Buttler added: “Yeah a couple of times, it’s really exciting for him that hopefully he’s going to get back to performing because as a captain he’s someone you want to throw the ball to and I think as a player he brings so much to the game – not just for us obviously but for the cricket world when he’s performing.”
Stokes’ ability to bowl could bring a balance to the side that was conspicuously absent during the 50-over tournament. Since having a knee operation in June, the Test captain worked exceptionally hard to recover in time for the first Test match in India, and surpassed expectations by bowling in the final match and taking a wicket with his first ball.
“I think first and foremost for Ben I think it’s a great effort to get back to where he is, just watching the games on TV, you can see the way he’s moving with the bat, the way he’s moving in the field,” Buttler said.
“Obviously it’s very Ben Stokes to come on and take a wicket with your first ball… So great signs for England in all formats if he can get back to being the genuine all-rounder that he’s been for such a long period. I think that’s really exciting, not only for him but for the whole country.”
The New York Mets will play the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on 8-9 June at the London Stadium. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.co.uk/MLB
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