Flower concern for Test cricket

England team director Andy Flower insists the International Cricket Council must act quickly to maintain the primacy of Test cricket.

Flower pointed to the retirement from the longest form of the game of Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga in order to concentrate on playing in lucrative Twenty20 competitions such as the Indian Premier League as a dangerous sign. He also believes financial considerations currently play too great a part in the planning of fixture lists in the international game.

Asked if other top players may follow suit with Malinga, he told the Independent: "There's a great danger. The rewards out there for playing less cricket are obvious."

Flower added: "The ICC have to address that as a serious problem looming in the future. They have to act very responsibly and make decisions on what's good for the game in the future. I'm not sure that's the case at the moment."

Flower said he could not understand why one-day international series routinely stretched to seven matches when Test series like the current one between heavyweights South Africa and Australia were limited to two matches.

"The intent behind creating the fixture list has to be addressed," he added. "We want to find out who the best side in the world is and we want to have them competing in exciting conditions and exciting series but at the moment the intent is a financial one and that's why the fixture list is comprised (the way it is)."

Flower's next assignment as England boss is the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates early next year.

The series comes soon after custodial sentences were handed to former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for their part in a spot-fixing conspiracy during the Lord's Test between the countries in August 2010, but Flower is adamant his players should not approach this series any differently to any other.

"I envisage us playing a good series, played hard but played in the right spirit, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case," he added.

"There's been a very public trial and a very serious trial for these young men and it's a sad story. None of us are perfect and we've all made mistakes of varying degrees over the years. We should not sit too high on our pedestals."