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Test cricket 'most important'

Chester Le Street - Test cricket will continue to hold its traditional place as the most important form of the game, England captain Andrew Strauss said on Wednesday.

The developing popularity of Twenty20 cricket and disappointing ticket sales for this week's second Test against West Indies have again brought into doubt the long-term future of five-day matches.

"Test cricket is still the prime form of the game," Strauss told a news conference on Wednesday. "I believe that and so do the England players.

"It is important that we play good aggressive test cricket to show what a good product it is, the best place to see all the subtleties of the game."

Strauss conceded that Test cricket should be marketed better and only around 3 000 tickets have been sold for the first day of the second test in Durham, a disappointing figure for a venue hosting only its fourth Test match.

"There are a whole range of factors for the shortfall," said Durham chief executive David Harker.

"People are being a bit more discerning this year, with the Ashes and the World Twenty20 still to come. We're early in the season and football is still being played."

With all three Premier League teams in the north-east facing the prospect of relegation, the locals are understandably preoccupied.

"I was planning to go to the cricket on Saturday but I forgot that I had a ticket for the Newcastle Fulham game," said taxi driver Stuart Carter. "The ticket prices are high and to be honest the West Indies are not the draw they used to be."

England won the first Test by 10 wickets inside three days and the one-sided nature of the match will not have boosted ticket sales at Durham.

But West Indies captain Chris Gayle had a more basic explanation for the lack of enthusiasm for a game being played so early in the season.

"It's Durham, Englishmen don't like the cold either," he said.

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