World cricketer of the year Shivnarine Chanderpaul says players are increasingly eyeing the huge paychecks offered by Twenty20 cricket but believes the Test format will remain the game's gold standard. Chanderpaul defended the controversial Stanford Super Series tournament, which saw the winners take home millions of dollars, after a warning from Australian captain Ricky Ponting that the money from Twenty20 is threatening the future of Test cricket in some countries.
Named the 2008 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year in September, the 34-year-old West Indies batsman said it was possible to make as much money in just a few weeks playing the short game as over months on the gruelling international circuit. "Twenty20 is where it's headed right now," Chanderpaul said. "A lot of the players are gearing up to play Twenty20 because there is a lot of money in it."
He said the short version of the game was also attractive for players with families, who traditionally have had to put up with months on the road. Chanderpaul, who played Twenty20 for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, also appeared in the Stanford Super Series in the West Indies for the victorious Stanford Superstars. Chanderpaul, who has a Test average of just under 50 in his 112-match career, said Test cricket would remain the ultimate challenge for players and the best test of quality.
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