The IPL Will Not Kill Test Cricket

It's a well known fact that the English believe themselves to be the rightful keepers of all things good and moral on this planet. The colonialists know best because, well, they did rule the world for centuries on end, no? Is it then any surprise that the loudest anti-IPL / India voices in cricketing circles originate from the old empire? Once in a while these ol' chaps are supported with gusto by their Antipodean castaways. To these lads I say, take my advice and jump off a bridge!

Mike Marqusee somehow manages to fool himself into believing that the a combination of the IPL-loving public, Lalit Modi and his franchisee mates are colluding to nail shut Test cricket's coffin and incinerate it for good measure, all so that their nest eggs can be zealously protected.

Seriously, who is Marqusee kidding? Modi might be crass, egotistical, nouveau riche, power hungry and [add your choice of derogatory term here], but contrary to his assertions and popular mythology, Lalit Modi is not omnipotent. Poor journalism and over-eager PR spin may result in Modi believing his own hype, but the nefarious workings of Indian cricket politics will ensure that no one man becomes bigger than the system. I'm not naive enough to believe that certain bones in Modi's body don't want a year-long IPL, but I have full faith that the system will never let fulfil his oft-rumoured evil ambitions.

For where I stand the real threats to Test cricket emanate from those in the establishment who publish results from poorly structured and statistically insignificant surveys or those who believe that the very essence of Test cricket must be mutilated to ensure its survival. Any guesses as to which passports these fine, upstanding gentlemen travel on?

Why do Marqusee's types insist on flagrantly bandying about their various inferiority complexes? Is it not high time that Marqusee's and Haigh's of this world "cut the hypocrisy" and accepted that the IPL is here to stay and that cricket is better for it?