According to star England all-rounder, Ben Stokes, Test is the pinnacle and the purest form of cricket.
“For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle. There’s been a lot of talk recently about Test cricket dying, but I don’t know where that comes from,” Stokes said during a chat with Rajasthan Royals spin consultant and New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi at the The Royals Podcast Episode 5 as quoted by IANS.
“You ask all the players who, or maybe not all the players, but I know the likes of Virat (Kohli) and (Joe) Root have spoken about how Test cricket is where you really get tested,” he added.
Stokes wants the longest format of the game to remain as it is and said if the rules of Test cricket get changed in future, it should be termed as ‘easy cricket’ as opposed to the traditional grind.
“It’s where you find out what you’re really about as a cricketer and for me it is the purest form of the sport. It has to stay around, it would be a sad, sad day if Test cricket was changed. If they are going to change the rules, I think they should call it ‘easy cricket!’,” said the 28-year old who has been named the Leading Cricketer of 2019 by Wisden Almanack.