IPL lure hurting Windies cricket - Hooper

RAJKOT, India (CMC):

Former Windies all-rounder Carl Hooper believes that the attraction of playing in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) is deterring young cricketers in the region from wanting to play Test cricket.

However, the 51-year-old Hooper, who played 102 Tests for the regional side, admitted that he could not blame those cricketers who chose to play in the shorter formats of the game.

"We should have seen this coming (IPL's impact on Windies cricket). T20 (Twenty20) cricket is here to stay. You got more leagues in play than what it was five years ago. It is crazy. It is going to affect us because for most young players, the ultimate aim is to sign a contract with an IPL side, so it would have a bearing on his availability for Windies cricket including Tests," Hooper said.

"I am not going to judge players who choose IPL (over) Windies. You cannot be upset with a guy who doesn't want to sign a central contract as he wants to play in other leagues. It is a tough situation. Virat Kohli can stop playing today if he wants to but none of our guys can afford to do that."

Hooper said several of the Caribbean's best players had played very little Test cricket for the Windies, as they had chosen instead to participate in the numerous T20 leagues around the world.