David Warner has admitted he is 'scared' about 'where cricket is heading', with the lure of significant financial riches on offer in franchise leagues around the world.
A number of players have inked white-ball only deals in recent years, while England prospect Will Smeed made a potentially groundbreaking move when he signed one with Somerset at the age of just 21 without ever playing a first-class match.
And Warner is concerned more young players may follow suit, citing 22-year-old batter Ollie Davies as an example after playing alongside him in the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder.
"I was speaking to [Davies] the other day," Warner said at the Australian Cricket Awards, where he was named Men's ODI Player of the Year. "He likes playing white-ball cricket, I can't see him playing red-ball cricket any time soon. If he wants to put his mind to it, he can definitely play.
"I've got this little bit of scaredness about what's going to happen in the next 5-10 years with where cricket is actually heading. I'd love for guys who are coming through to actually play red-ball cricket because that's the legacy that you should want to leave behind.
"Playing in the Test arena is amazing and it's a true test of cricket and how good you measure up to the greats of the game. At the end of the day, everything comes with financial rewards. If you aspire to get a central Australian contract, then you're going to be rewarded."
Warner made history when he made his T20I and ODI debuts for Australia in 2009 having not played a first-class game, becoming the first man to do so since 1877. However, Warner committed to playing first-class cricket and has since gone on to play more than 100 Tests for Australia.
"I think guys see the short term at the moment with all the leagues around, but the best way to get value for your currency is to actually make a name for yourself," he warned. "There's only been a small minority of people who have been able to do that and have a long career.
"You want to aspire to play cricket for Australia, and you're only going to get there by putting numbers on the board. Through Big Bash, if you think that's going to be your way and you don't want to play red-ball cricket, then you probably won’t get that value of currency in the other franchise leagues."
