5 popular suggestions to 'save' Test cricket
Even the sheen of tradition and nostalgia that protected Test cricket from the shorter formats seems to be losing its touch as it finds itself falling down the pecking order. The rise of franchise cricket, and more importantly, the dependence of cricketing boards on it, is shifting priorities these days.
South Africa's recent squad announcement for their two-match Test series against New Zealand, comprising a slew of uncapped players, came across as a low blow to the format. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has also gone on to defend its decision to keep its first-choice players ready for the SA20 instead of the red-ball assignment.
The World Test Championship (WTC) was supposed to be the beacon that ushered Test cricket into the modern era. Although it has managed to refine the relevance of the matches, there is still a lot to do and a long way to go, if red-ball cricket wishes to share the calendar with other formats.
On that note, let us take a look at five popular suggestions to 'save' Test cricket.
#1 Minimum of three Tests in a series to increase intrigue
Although difficult to incorporate in the cricketing calendar, the ICC must find a way to at least include three Tests in every series in the World Test Championship.
As of now, while there is equality as to the number of series that each team will play in the WTC cycle, there is a huge disparity in the number of matches that the teams play.
Big Three - Australia, England, and India - play five matches in a series amongst each other, while the rest are left with a meager two-match series, that at times does not even yield a distinct and clear winner.
The recent two-match series between India and South Africa was competitive to a degree, but both sides had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the end.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri termed the two-match series as a waste of time, while former Proteas batter AB de Villiers also vented his frustration over the scheduling on his YouTube channel.
#2 Four-day Tests
The fast-paced nature of the game inspired by shorter formats to a degree, has led to a drastic reduction in drawn Tests. With the majority of the Tests yielding an outright winner, it has resulted in matches being wrapped up well within five days.
The reduction of Test matches to four days has been advocated by several former players. Four-day matches are seen on the domestic circuits of several countries as well as when the 'A' teams face each other in unofficial Tests.
"I think cricket should move with the times and bring in four-day Test matches. I think it just works better. Players like to have three days off between games, so four-day Test matches work. You play something like Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, or Friday to Monday, then three days off, and then you can do it all again. So, I think it works well and it also puts the onus on skippers to be a little bit more adventurous at times," former Australia batter Mark Taylor told WWS during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
#3 Funding the poorer cricketing boards
There is a serious lack of incentive for the lower-ranked sides when it comes to Test cricket. Right from the pay scale to the broadcasting deals, there is not much to look forward to such teams when compared to the lucrative deals that T20 leagues promise.
ICC's revenue-sharing model has already earned a fair share of flak over the years. A better structure of sharing or the top sides stepping forward to help the struggling cricketing boards will go a long way, and it will not result in a loss in their finances as well.
“If I was a player from another nation and getting paid ok to play international cricket, I’m getting paid a truckload more to play T20 cricket, I’m sorry but I’m going to be playing the T20 cricket. It would be just great to see all the boards and where their finances are at. Are they struggling? Is the money going into the right places? Is it going back to the players?” Aussie batter Usman Khawaja told the Sydney Morning Herald recently.
#4 Equal pay for players
Another popular suggestion that has been put forward to save Test cricket is the concept of equal pay for all players.
The richer cricketing boards have begun to offer men's and women's teams a similar pay structure, and although a bit complicated, the same concept can be extrapolated to ensure all players playing the longest format benefit equally from a financial standpoint.
“One of my suggestions is for ICC like they are approving T20 NOC to promote T20 cricket all over the world. Similarly, to save Test cricket, to keep Test cricket as a priority, they should definitely think of bringing a standard match fee for all the boards. So every player, whether he is from Australia or any Test-playing nation, gets the same match fee," Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez recently said in Australia.
#5 Separate tiers
The introduction of separate divisions to bring forward the thrills of promotion and relegation might be the spark or the catalyst that revives Test cricket.
The lower-ranked teams are a bit of a non-entity when it comes to red-ball cricket, and the creation of another division will also give relevance and a team-oriented incentive to such teams.
"I think two tiers are needed, otherwise Test cricket will die in 10 years time.You need six teams at the top, and then six teams in the second and then you qualify. And those top six play against each other more often because of the corridor you open up by having less bilateral T20 cricket and just franchise cricket. That's the way all formats of the game can survive," Ravi Shastri has suggested in the past.
What are some of the other measures that can be taken to ensure the longevity of Test cricket? Let us know what you think.