Former South African skipper Graeme Pollock feels Twenty20 tournaments such as the IPL, which has cricketers of different nationalities playing for one team, are adversely affecting the competitive nature of the sport.
"How can you have a beer with someone, and a couple of weeks later you're trying to knock his block off in a Test match?" Pollock asked.
"I was in Durban when South Africa played India in the second Test last year. The stands were half full, and for the players it was just another day at work. It's not as fiery as it should be," he said.
Pollock said if he has to watch a Twenty20 game, he would rather catch it in a World Cup than the IPL.
"Everyone is climbing on to the Twenty20 bandwagon, and there's no doubt that the number of people who enjoy 20-over cricket is growing by the day. But I would rather see a 20-over World Cup than something like the IPL," Pollock told the 'Business Day' newspaper.
Pollock, who was named South Africa's Cricketer of the Century in 2000, is one of 10 players in the running for three middle-order positions in an ICC campaign to get fans to select the greatest Test team of all time.
{{/usCountry}}Pollock, who was named South Africa's Cricketer of the Century in 2000, is one of 10 players in the running for three middle-order positions in an ICC campaign to get fans to select the greatest Test team of all time.
{{/usCountry}}"I watched a 20-over match the other day and then I switched over to a Test match, and I thought to myself, 'This is all a bit slowed down'," he said.