• ‘The public will decide the future of Tests’
• Five-day game is under threat from Twenty20

Andrew Flintoff believes the number of Test matches must be reduced in order to maintain the popularity of the format.

The England all-rounder, who is retiring from Test cricket at the end of this Ashes series, told the Independent it will require a fine balancing act to prevent Twenty20, with its ‘glitz and glamour’, bringing an end to the five-day format.

“The public will decide the future of Test cricket,” he said. “If people turn out to watch Twenty20 and not Test cricket then it could happen. In England we need to maintain the appeal it has. We have seen in the past few years what it means to people and we have to preserve that for the good of the game and the tradition behind it because it is a great format.”

On appealing to young cricket fans, he said that both forms can play an important role in developing the sport. “They like the glitz and glamour of Twenty20 but maybe Twenty20 could have a knock-on effect so that players start with it and then work out how to play the longer form. So it could have a positive effect but it’s going to have to be handled very delicately.”

Flintoff announced his retirement from Test cricket last week, and now says it will be crucial to reduce the number of Test matches played to maintain their appeal, and perhaps, to extend the careers of over-burdened players.

“The one thing we need to do to continue to maintain Test cricket as being special is cutting down the amount and make it a real occasion rather than playing one after another,” he said.

His views were reflected today by the India batsman Gautam Gambhir, who believes that a packed schedule and the number of different formats of the game make it tough for players to maintain a high standard.

“It’s difficult to consistently perform for anyone because we play so much of cricket, [and] in changing formats,” said Gambhir. “The more you play, the more you are bound to fail. No one can keep the intensity always.”

At 31 years old, Flintoff’s Test career has been shortened by injury, and he will hobble away from the longer format at the end of the Ashes, but will continue to play international Twenty20 and one-day matches. He maintains the decision was based almost entirely on his physical condition, but said: “The family is a consideration, one of the kids starts school this year and it is getting more and more a factor. But ultimately it has been my body.”