New Wisden editor slams 'self indulgent' BCCI for pandering only to 'self-interest'

London - Lawrence Booth, who is the new Wisden editor, has blasted the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) for denying its responsibilities towards the game in the 149th  edition of Wisden.

Booth, who at 37 is the youngest Wisden editor, also expressed his concerns over the rising influence of  the Twenty20 format, and warned that neglecting Test cricket could have serious  negative connotations in future.

The big yellow book, which this year runs into 1,552 pages, has acquired a reputation over its long history as a voice of temperate authority on the game.

Booth minced no words in criticizing the BCCI for being too self-indulgent, and accused them of being concerned about their self-interest only.

"The skewing of Indian sensibilities away from Tests would cause less alarm if their powerbrokers were on top of their brief," The Telegraph quoted Booth's writing in the book.

"India have ended up with a special gift: the clout to shape an entire sport. Some national boards would struggle to survive without an Indian visit. But too often their game appears driven by the self-interest of the few," he added.

Booth used his inaugural prologue to put forward his belief that the sport stands on 'a precipice', and that administrators are deserting the five-day game to milk the more profitable formats  of 20-overs and 50-overs.

"It is clearer than ever that our administrators believe there are three forms of cricket: Twenty20 and one-day internationals," Booth writes.

"A sense of impending crisis has always been integral to Test cricket. But not even a string of gloriously addictive Tests late in the year could ease the concern that the sport stands at a  precipice," he added.