According to Andre Russell, premier West Indian cricketers are “just not interested in playing Tests.”

The issue has been simmering forever, with cricketers popular with T20 leagues around the world – like Russell – often staying away from West Indies cricket, particularly the longest format. Sometimes, they have been called mercenaries.

Most recently, in December 2023, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers turned down West Indies central contracts but made themselves available for T20Is. Holder, though, has since played Tests.

Even though observers say that is due to the lack of money in West Indian cricket, Russell disagrees.

“I don’t think it’s the money, I don’t think money is the issue,” he told Press Association recently. “Based on the amount of T20 and leagues around the world, I think a lot of players are just not interested in playing Tests.”

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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

If they don’t want to play test cricket then the various boards should take a decision not to select for our regional four day competition or any regional competition and West Indies should not select them for any t20 or ODI series either. We should only allow them to play franchise cricket since we have no control over it. I mean all the great players like Kholi, Bumrah, those from Australia, and all the best players around the world represent their countries all formats and our players that are not even great players refuse to play test cricket?

In reply to Sylobaby

You sir / ma’am are a plantation baby

Kraigg Brathwaite doesn’t play regional T20 cricket. Should he be banned from selection for any regional tournament regardless of format and not be selected for tests because he doesn’t play regional T20 cricket?

No one is really hearing what Russell is really saying. He sees West Windies not as something to be loyal to. Not a country to make one feel as a guilty complex… i’ m letting my country down and they need me. Listen closely to what he’s truly saying.He just letting you know he uses the brand when the brand has something to offer him.

In reply to imusic

Sadly, you didn’t understand a thing i said. I don’t have a problem with you calling me plantation baby because I might be one. To talk about Brathwaite not playing t20 is pure crap because he is not a t20 player. Would you give Brathwaite a t20 contract? My problem is, why play guys in our regional 4 day tournament that have no plans of playing test cricket? I think someone else with interest is being blocked by someone with no interest. It’s not fair to spend so much of our resources developing such players from U13, and when they can give back to us they are running from us. So from the time they choose to not play tests we should cut them off so they don’t get any promotion

In reply to imusic

Plantation boy or not, fact of the matter is, if we don’t find a way to stop that foolishness we will continue to have school boys, like we have now to play test cricket because as soon as they taste a little success they will say no to test cricket in favor of the shorter version. I feel we should give all of them contracts from u13 and in that contract there should be a clause that says they should make themselves available for test cricket if selected. We just cannot continue doing the same old thing and expect a different result

Russell and Pollard are not test cricketers.

In reply to camos

You don't think it is disingenuous to claim it isn't about the money?

If test cricket paid like IPL I suspect they would all look at it differently.

But it sounds bad to say it is about the money out loud.

ICC will have to step in if they want to preserve test cricket. A simple fact that you have to play x amount percentage of test cricket per yr to qualify to play t20 internationals games. Cuz without international t20 games loads of players won’t have enough profile to play franchise t20 cricket around the world.

In reply to Sylobaby

That's something that should be clarified before regional contracts and squads are selected for regional tournaments.

I don't think Brandon King would have played for Jamaica if he doesn't have an interest in playing tests, I think he was injured and then overlooked.

Hope at least said he wasn't available this year so that cleared a path for someone else to play.