Legendary Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara has called for Test cricket to introduce a minimum match fee for all nations in order to stop youngsters players ditching the Test cricket for lucrative Twenty20 leagues. Sangakkara retired from the first-class cricket last year but has continued playing for domestic T20 franchises around the world, including in this week’s Hong Kong T20 Blitz.

The Sri Lankan veteran praised the shorter format for spreading the game’s popularity to new markets but warned that without change Test cricket could face a battle to remain relevant for young players and fans.

As quoted in AFP, Sangakkara said, “T20 is the ideal format to introduce — you talk about the Americas, with China. Since its inception, it’s been a huge pillar of strength for world cricket. But there are a few negatives … a lot of young players taking up T20 instead of playing international cricket. There are various things that have been discussed, about parity of pay, especially when it comes to matching fees for Test cricket.”

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He further added, “Shouldn’t there be a blanket minimum pay for Test cricketers? The top countries are being paid a certain Test match fee — shouldn’t that be reflected all throughout the Test-playing countries?”

Currently, international match fees paid to cricketers from different Test nations vary from country to country, with the sport’s so-called “Big Three” — India, England, and Australia — far ahead of the rest. According to a survey last year by ESPN Cricinfo, Australia’s skipper Steven Smith was due to earn $1,469,000 in 2017 while Zimbabwean skipper Graeme Cremer pocketed just $86,000. Twenty20 competitions have sprung up around the world, from Australia’s Big Bash League and India’s IPL which stretch out over many weeks to smaller competitions in Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and the UAE which last just a few days.

Talking about the importance of Test cricket, Sanga said, “We need to understand what Test cricket means to players and what it is to fans. Relevance in sport is so important in terms of not just growing the sport but also sustaining it.I think international cricket is very strong still. For any player, I think the honor of representing their country be it in Test, one-dayers or T20 cricket, it’s still the pinnacle of the game.”

Sangakkara, who is appearing for Galaxy Gladiators Lantau in this week’s Hong Kong tournament, also praised the shorter format for extending his career. He said, “T20 is definitely the easiest format at my age to stay competitive in.”