In the latest episode of the Wisden Scoop Extended, Roston Chase opened up about young players being exposed to T20 cricket early in their careers.
Chase spoke about multiple topics on the episode, ranging from West Indies’ series victory against Sri Lanka at home, to the ongoing Caribbean Premier League. He also shed light on what it takes to play for everyone’s “second favourite team”.
Speaking of his vision for West Indies cricket in the near future, Chase mentioned young players being exposed to a lot of T20 cricket, and how it has the potential to hamper their red-ball game.
“I think that young players are losing interest in the red-ball game because at the end of the day it is about living life and being in a financial position to live life,” said Chase. “And I think that the white-ball game, especially the T20 game, is giving people that freedom to have a good lifestyle or to live a life that they want for themselves.
“It's not about being a legend or having a legacy in the game. With the fast pace and the excitement, and obviously the money coming in from the T20 arena, I think they are more targeting that rather than the technical side of the game and the hard grind of Test cricket.”
“Fundamentals of red-ball cricket are very important”
Chase emphasised on the importance of building good systems and foundations, which are extremely crucial for the growth of youngsters playing red-ball cricket.
“If I had my way, any person(s) under 23, I would not allow them to play too much T20 cricket beyond the CPL,” Chase said about limiting youngsters’ exposure to the shortest format.
“I think they should be focusing on red-ball cricket and then as you get older, obviously you can break out and have a bit more freedom to express yourself as a white-ball cricketer. But I think the foundation and the fundamentals of red-ball cricket are very important for the progress of any young cricketer coming up.”
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