Ricky Ponting believes Test cricket could lose out to Twenty20. Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters

The inexorable rise of Twenty20 cricket could lead to players choosing “franchise over country”, and the ultimate demise of the Test format. That is the view of Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, recently returned from the Test series defeat in India - a country that has wholeheartedly embraced Twenty20 cricket since its creation little over five years ago.

The success of the Indian Premier League, where a cricketer can earn previously unimagined sums in a few short weeks, has fuelled Twenty20’s growth to the point where it now threatens its more traditional forebear. Ponting - who is liable to face the wrath of his countrymen after a dispiriting 2-0 reverse - is one of the world’s leading batsmen in the long form of the game, averaging 57.58 in Tests and with 10,365 runs to his name.

With the IPL, in which Ponting plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders, gearing up for its 2009 edition already, the 33-year-old has expressed his fear that Tests between rival nations will become marginalised. Sri Lanka’s proposed tour of England in 2009 was postponed because of Sri Lanka Cricket’s preference that its players appear in the IPL, while the existence of the so-called rebel Indian Cricket League has led to international bans being imposed on a number of cricketers. His comments are to be found in his 2008 Captain’s Diary, which was launched today, and come shortly after England participated in the Stanford Super Series, a $20m extravaganza of Twenty20 cricket.

“We cannot afford to lose teams such as New Zealand and the West Indies from international cricket, but my fear is that this could happen if the game cannot strike a balance between Tests and the IPL’s riches,” wrote Ponting. “Unless such a balance can be achieved, I could see some countries’ cricket teams declining in the way Zimbabwe’s sides have struggled over the past few years.”

In September, Bangladesh handed 10-year suspensions from the national side to 13 players over their involvement with the ICL, while New Zealand has suffered similar problems, world-class quick Shane Bond among those banned after signing for ICL side Delhi Giants. In the Caribbean, Twenty20 cricket is bankrolled by the Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, and 11 West Indian players picked up $1m each after beating England at the start of the month.

“The best cricketers in the game want to keep representing their country, but if it’s going to be costing them money then there are tough decisions ahead,” wrote Ponting, whose IPL contract stipulates that he be available for Australia’s international matches if there’s a clash of schedules.

“It will be tougher to retain the public’s interest and eventually the golden goose will be no more. If the IPL keeps growing … the next generation might opt for franchise over country. Everyone in the game should work towards ensuring that never happens.”

guardian.co.uk