"Indians put the IPL before Test cricket"- Ex-English pacer accuses the Indian team of preferring IPL over Test
The Indian Premier League has marked itself as one of the biggest sporting leagues on the planet. Every year it is taking giant strides. However, it has faced much criticism since it came into recognition. But it has now become one of the biggest sports leagues.
Over the years, we have seen many former cricketers try to degrade this cash-rich league, and another former English pacer has a point figure in the IPL now. Notably, India are in England for a multiformat series that will start with the fifth and final rescheduled test on Friday, July 1.
The first four matches were played last year, but the final game was postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID virus. In a discussion on the rescheduled test, Paul Newman accused the Men in Blue of giving priority to the Indian Premier League over Test cricket.
He also termed it a "laughable event" when the Indians left the series midway to play in the IPL last year. Newman said that the Indian test side that has come to England to compete in the test series should have been done last year.
He also added that India let down everyone who came to enjoy the match on the morning of the first day of the match. The former pacer said that it was laughable that the Indians accused the IPL of the cancellation of the series.
Newman wrote in his column in the Daily Mail UK, "It was laughable when the cancellation was blamed on Covid concerns and a game India never wanted to play was abandoned when they put the IPL before Test cricket and set a dangerous precedent."
"Joe Root finds himself with people unavailable, because where are they? The IPL. What good is that for English Test cricket?!
— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 16, 2022
This is the oldest, more important form of the game, we need to defend it."
Four minutes of David Gower in full flow. Well said, Sir 👏 pic.twitter.com/6eQnYAqra0
Notably, Newman is not the only player from England who has accused the IPL of destroying test cricket. Earlier, the former English captain, Michael Vaughan, also blamed the IPL for the cancellation of the fifth match.
After the match was postponed last year, Vaughan tweeted on September 11, "IPL teams chartering planes .. 6 days quarantining required in the UAE .. 7 days till the tournament starts !!!! Don’t tell me the Test was canceled for any other reason but the IPL .."
India will lock horns with the new-look English team on Friday, June 1. The match will kick off at 3 pm local time at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The home team is trailing by 2-1 and will look to win this game.