Legendary nine caller and former Test captain looks towards the next Ashes as possible finish date
Lawry flags end of commentary line
The 2017-18 Ashes summer could be the last time we hear the iconic voice of former Australia captain Bill Lawry.
Speaking on the Kerry O'Keeffe Show, Lawry said he would "like to get at least to the Ashes in two years' time" before stepping away from his commentary duties, which include covering the Melbourne Boxing Day Test and the Sydney New Year's Test.
Lawry, and Ian Chappell, are the final remaining links to the glory days of the pioneering Wide World of Sports cricket coverage after the passing of Tony Greig in 2012 and Richie Benaud last April.
But Lawry, who played 67 Tests and scored 13 centuries, is worried the about the future of Test cricket, and suggests stripping Test matches off cities who fail to attend the five-day game to boost crowd numbers.
"I think it's quite ill actually," he said when asked about the state of Test cricket.
"I think it will always be successful here (in Australia) and England to some extent if they handle it properly.
"I'm surprised to say this, but I think going into the night (day-night Tests) will be successful … (but I'm) not sure how many times we go (do that).
"If crowds like Brisbane and Perth don't turn up we go back to the old regime.
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"(If) people don't turn up, you don't get a Test match. I think we've got to be a bit more professional about that."
And Lawry says the loss of Test cricket would erase the measuring stick by which all cricketers are assessed, suggesting only Test cricket, with its 139-year history, can be used to identify and compare the game's players of past, present and the future.
"It will be a tragedy if they (Tests) die because that's the marker," he said.
"I love the Big Bash and I love the one-dayers and I love everything else, but the marker is your Test performances.
"Because we soon forget who made it in the Big Bash or who made it in the one-day international or won the World Cup, but you still talk about (Sir Donald) Bradman and you still talk about (Shane) Warne or Murali's (Muthiah Muralidaran) 800 wickets.
"That's the marker and once that disappears it will be a very confused market place."