14 May,2009 03:03 PM IST | | PTI
England skipper Andrew Strauss has hit back at Chris Gayle's comments that he would not miss Test cricket in the event of its demise, arguing that the five-day format deserves much attention as this is the primary form of the game.
"The important thing is that Test cricket gets the attention it deserves. And that means that people prepare themselves properly for any Test match you play. You don't want Test cricket to be devalued in any way, shape or form," Strauss said.
The 32-year-cricketer again lashed out at West Indies skipper Gayle on the eve of second and final Test for denouncing the five-day game and arriving in England from the IPL just 48 hours before the first Test which the visitors lost by 10 wickets.
"It's quite a personal situation for him because he only came back a couple of days before the first Test match and he's had some criticism for doing that.
"If I was a team-mate of his and I was walking out to play a Test match tomorrow you probably don't want to hear your captain saying that he doesn't value Test cricket very highly," Strauss told 'BBC' Radio 5 Live.
Gayle, after facing some music from Strauss following his late arrival, had advised the England captain to mind his own business.
