AB de Villiers blames T20 cricket for shorter Test series, defends Cape Town's pitch

Image Source : GETTY Rohit Sharma and Dean Elgar at Cape Town after the second Test match on January 4, 2024

The legendary cricketer AB de Villiers revealed his disappointment at only a tow-match Test series between South Africa and India on Sunday. The former Proteas batter said that a rise in T20 cricket is to blame for shorter Test series and added that the whole system is turning around the shortest form of the sport.

India pulled off a seven-wicket win in the second Test match against South Africa emerged as the shortest match in red-ball cricket history. South Africa are next scheduled to face New Zealand in another two-match Test series and fans and former cricketers are not happy with red-ball cricket getting shorter and shorter.

"I am not happy that there is not a third Test," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel. "You have to blame the T20 cricket going around the world for that. I do not know whom to blame, but I sense something is wrong. If you want to see all the teams compete and see who is the best Test team in the world, something has to change.

"It (South Africa's Test squad for New Zealand) has sent shockwaves around the cricketing world and has made it clear that Test cricket is under pressure, for that matter even ODI cricket and the whole system is turning around T20 cricket. The players, the board and coaches will turn towards where there is more money. You cannot blame them for thinking about their future with their family."

Meanwhile, de Villiers also shared his thoughts on Newlands, Cape Town's surface. He termed the pitch as a stock-standard wicket and highlighted previous big scores at the venue in red-ball cricket.

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"It was a pretty stock-standard wicket, in my opinion. I remember jumping around there on day one. If you can just get through the first session on day one, it gets easier. If you see the players playing their shots and not hanging around, they were doing well. I remember Ben Stokes scoring a double-hundred there. I scored some hundreds there. You cannot allow bowlers like Vernon Philander, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada to keep bowling on off stump, " de Villiers added.