I'm still a Test cricket man: Ian Bishop

13th May 2008

Cricketer-turned-commentator Ian Bishop talks about the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) and how its impact has attracted people from all quarters.

The former West Indian fast bowler was all praise for the event saying, "It's been a fantastic event which has been well supported. I think the most important thing about it is that the players have played as professionals. They've played with hunger and desire."

He cited that it was the quality of cricket being played over the past three weeks of the tournament which made the IPL enjoyable for him.

He was truthful by saying that a lot of people doubted the format before it started as nobody knew how successful it would be but also added that the presence of international players in the teams was what is making the IPL a raving success.

Speaking exclusively to our on-field reporter, Bishop was asked whether the worth of bowlers in the tournament is increasing as batting targets are increasing falling compared to the huge hitting that was witnessed in the first few matches of the IPL.

He said that it was great to have a good contest between bat and ball as at the end of the day "that's what cricket is all about". He added that you need a mix of these two elements of cricket in order to maintain the integrity of the game.

"I think the bowlers are playing pretty well. Success is obviously relative to the performance of the game. They're doing a fantastic job."

About the pitches slowing down, Bishop who has taken 161 wickets for the West Indies in Tests said that the problem of the wickets was something that all batsmen are commenting about.

He also cited another cause that could be the reason for the decline in team scores - the fact that the three top centurions of the tournament in Brendon McCullum, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey have all left the tournament for international duty.

Whether the IPL will affect the traditional form of the game - Test cricket, Bishop stated that, "Players need to compartmentalize. That's going to be a challenge. When you play a shorter high-intensity form of the game, then you need to make a mental adjustment when you get back to the longer version of the game. I don't know how it will impact Test cricket."

He was proud to call himself a "Test cricket man" and he dearly hopes that Test cricket will survive despite the shorter, more entertaining formats. But he added that as much as he liked Test cricket, one also has to keep in the mind the view of the younger generation.

The former bowler from the Caribbean signs off by saying that he hopes in the future, players and fans can have the best of both worlds, however hard it is.