Steve Waugh believes there were plenty more runs left in the test bat of Brendon McCullum, who has now retired from international cricket to play the T20 leagues.

Australian great Steve Waugh believes Brendon McCullum had "three or four years" of test cricket left in him but had his Black Caps loyalty swamped by Twenty20 money.

McCullum retired from international cricket at the end of February after playing his 101st test at the age of 34.

He signed off in fairytale fashion, blasting the fastest century in test cricket during the Christchurch clash with Australia.

GETTY IMAGES Waugh feels there is no longer loyalty to teams, but only to money.

McCullum is now playing in the Indian Premier League on a $1.5m deal with new franchise the Gujarat Lions.

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JOE ARMAO/REUTERS With lucrative deals tied up for England and the Caribbean as well as the IPL, Waugh feels McCullum is "just working for superannuation".

He has other lucrative deals confirmed for T20 leagues in the Carribean, England and Australia as he looks to cash in on his big-hitting fame in the twilight of his career.

Waugh listed McCullum as a classic example of the dangers the wider game of cricket faces through the riches of the rapidly developing T20 leagues .

"Somebody like Brendon McCullum retired from test cricket even though I feel he still had three-four years in him. He is just working for superannuation right now, for his family, which is alright," Waugh, the former Australian captain, told media at the Laureus Awards in Berlin.

PHOTOSPORT Brendon McCullum hung up his test boots after February's second test against Australia in Christchurch - but Steve Waugh believes the ex-Black Caps skipper was lured by the riches of T20.

"Overall I feel there is no loyalty to the team, there is loyalty to money now. I don't blame the players but it's tough on the fans."

Waugh also believed it was getting impossible for countries to strike a balance with their teams across the three formats of the international game.

That was highlighted by the West Indies, notorious test strugglers these days, winning the recent Twenty20 World Cup.

That was a tournament that failed to excite England great Ian Botham, who also attended the Laureus Awards and, like Waugh, hit out at the T20 game.

He made it clear that the reduced format should be the third priority of the international scene.

"Test cricket is number one because it ebbs and flows beautifully but there is shelf life for every format. And I feel Twenty20 should be at the bottom of the shelf," Botham said in an India Today report.

"People are saying it was a great World Twenty20 final last month. I say it was a great last four balls, the rest of the final was a drag. I think it was a pretty poor final.

"Cricket is much more than just 20 overs. Crowds like it but then crowds like test cricket too. In England every big test series is sold out, it's the same in Australia, South Africa or New Zealand.

"I think players have to remind people of how important test cricket is. Players have the obligation to look after test cricket."