Fans and pundits alike have long discussed the Death of Test Cricket, but longest format still has plenty to give – and plenty to feel optimistic about. James Fisher explains why.
Once all the sabre rattling died down from those who feigned outrage at the prospect of Adil Rashid being allowed to bowl for England, we were once again allowed to look forward to England’s first five-day matches of the summer, in the form of a five-game series against India.
The debate around Rashid is far more nuanced than critics like Michael Vaughan have the capacity to espouse, but, as usual, the angry cigar smoke produced over his selection clouded over the far more pressing question that surrounds Test cricket: namely, what is its future?
Take our current opponents, India. The last time England toured over there, in 2016/17, home attendances were phenomenally low, despite it being a country where cricket is the national sport and with a fanatical following. To illustrate, in the first Test of that tour, on day three, local Rajkot hero Cheteshwar Pujara knocked 124 in front of a crowd of 9,000. In a stadium built for 28,000. Most of those were children, as the BCCI, Indian cricket’s governing body, bussed in local schools in the hope that they would be inspired by such a supreme knock (to say nothing of Murali Vijay’s 126 in the same innings).
‘Inspired’ is the vital phrase. The BCCI are aware that in a country with an ever-increasing population of young people, Test cricket is at a significant risk of being left in the shadow of the extremely popular Twenty20 tournament, the Indian Premier League.
It’s not hard to see why – stick a 10 year old in front of Chris Gayle or A B De Villiers helicoptering their way to centuries off 40-50 balls versus the mental grind of a five-day draw, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which one they are likely to want to watch again.
The success of a five-day game will always be reliant on the quality of the players on offer, but there is plenty going on behind the scenes to help. Day/night Tests are still in their infancy, but the idea of making the game viewable for paying spectators over the course of five days will encourage grounds that hosting Test cricket is something they want to do.
Perhaps it’s time for the ICC to demand a universal red ball for the game? England and their counties currently use the Duke, which is known to swing for longer; but this makes life extremely difficult for touring sides in England, and one only needs look at England’s record in Australia to see the adverse affects for the national side abroad. That, and a concerted effort by national and international councils to improve first-class cricket, whether by subsidy or relaxing rules on overseas players, could lead to greater participation, competitiveness, and interest.
The ECB, the BCCI and even the ICC, the game’s worldwide governing body, can’t ignore the allure of limited-overs cricket – it’s simply far too lucrative in a sport that is struggling for cash. However, the integrity of the game as a whole relies on the five-day version, because it is by far the hardest to play, and even harder to win.
The second Test of this series starts today, between two sides that look supremely matched for a contest. The ingredients have been put in place, and now it’s time for the players to hold up their end of the bargain. We can make Test cricket great again.