Why Buttler and Stokes are great advertisement for Test cricket?
Can Pink ball save Test cricket? Can four-day Tests revive red-ball cricket? Can ICC Test Championships give a new lease of life to Test cricket? How can Tests survive in the T20 era? 360 degrees batsman AB de Villiers retired, Chris Gayle - the Universe Boss - doesn’t play the format and a few cricketers retired and turned T20 specialists. How will Tests survive?
A cricket aficionado, who still admires and applauds a ‘well left’ shot, often states: “Modern day batsmen don’t want to be tested. They travel poorly. It’s all about T20 leagues. Australians play IPL but they can’t play Test cricket in India, South Africa can’t handle spin in Sri Lanka. Asian teams get drubbed in moving conditions. Where is Test cricket heading towards? Even crowds want to see only sixes and fours!”
Similar views are echoed by many, so many, across the globe. What can we do to save Test cricket? A few minnows were encouraged and were given Test status only for the No 1 Test side to blow away one such minnow in less than two sessions!
Again, the question emerged. What can we do to save Test cricket?
'Top cricketers should play Test cricket too'
Former Aussie legend Glenn McGrath had a simple answer. “If you have got good quality cricket, have the best players playing Test cricket, that’s what you want. We don’t want just the best players just playing the T20 cricket, it’s got to be at the Test level as well,” McGrath had told Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat last month. A bit louder, please: “Quality cricketers to play more Test cricket.”
During the chat prior to the England series, McGrath had stated that one thing he wanted to change in cricket was for teams to travel well away from home in Test cricket.
“I know India have done quite well abroad (recently),” and added, “I think when teams tour they don’t seem to play as well. When Australia tour India, South Africa tour Sri Lanka... I like to see teams adapting a lot more when they travel overseas.”