21 May,2009 10:34 AM IST | | PA Sport
Australian captain Ricky Ponting has defended Test cricket amid recent claims that it is outdated, saying for him it remains "the ultimate form of our game".
West Indies skipper Chris Gayle said recently that he would not mourn if Test cricket ever died as he prefers to play the shorter one-day or Twenty20 forms of the game.
Gayle's comments came after he had to cut short his spell in the Indian Premier League and only arrived in the United Kingdom two days before the first of two Tests against England.
A few days later South Australian Shaun Tait reacted angrily to his omission from the latest Australian contracted-players list, having been refused permission to play in the IPL on his return from injury, when he said Gayle may be "spot on".
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But speaking after Australia had named its 16-man tour squad for the upcoming Ashes series, Ponting echoed the thoughts of his England counterpart Andrew Strauss in defending the traditional form of the game.
"I've always viewed Test cricket as the ultimate form of our game and nothing's changed for me there," Ponting said.
"I'd be surprised if, certainly any of the guys within this squad here that's just been picked would be saying anything different either.
"It is the pinnacle for us so we're just looking forward to getting over there and playing."
Ponting has no concerns either that Test cricket is in any danger of dying out, pointing to the way his team strives to play the game and some of the recent series it has been involved in, including home-and-away clashes with South Africa, as evidence of this.
"I think we've done a great job over the years, the Australian cricket team, in making the Test game as enjoyable and as good a spectacle as it possibly can be," he said.
"I think to a certain degree the 2005 Ashes series that we played was something that really reinvigorated Test match cricket all around the world.
"With the excitement already around about this coming Ashes series hopefully it will have the same effect on the world game."
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