If you were to ask any cricket enthusiast what they believed the essence of cricket was, they would, or should, all answer Test cricket. However, with the cricketing world on the cusp of the first ever day/night Test match, it is clear that the very idea of what we know as Test cricket is starting to change. With that said, the idea of four-day Test matches becoming the future of the game is still in its infancy, but is still worth a swift look over.
Four-Day Test Cricket could be the Future
The idea around it would be to start the match on a Thursday with the final day ending on a Sunday, allowing for more spectators to fill the ground with it being so kind towards their work schedules. It will also see the daily overs extended from 90 overs to 100, meaning a total of 400 overs could be bowled compared to the current 450.
Looking at current trends, it’s becoming crystal clear that more people are tuning in to watch the explosive spectacle of T20 cricket or the competitive nature of ODI cricket. The task of keeping Test cricket alive and keeping people interested over five days is proving to be a major problem in some parts of the world.
T20 and ODI cricket seem to be consistently held during the holidays, on the weekends or at night while Test cricket is played during the working week. If the shortened version means the schedule can be changed to be more accommodating for the fans, it will certainly lead to a significant increase in spectators and support.
The very big concern, which is said to be presented for debate to the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) Cricket Committee, who will be meeting in the next week, is the probability of spin becoming a dying art within teams should pitches be prepared for four days and not five. Spin has already seen a decline with seam bowlers perfecting the art of swing bowling, both in and out with the left arm or right, and dominating matches. Later on in Tests the spinners tend to come to the fore on cracked pitches, so removing the fifth day would give them less time to shine.
Another concern would be the limited sunlight hours in the subcontinent that would jeopardise the team’s attempts to fit in the full 100 overs per day. It would probably require earlier starts as well as later finishes, which could affect early attendances.
An evenly contested game could and should go the full five days while still remaining entertaining and engaging, but reducing it to just four days could cancel out many negative factors that influence the game.
All too often, groundsmen are accused of preparing pitches that simply don’t last the full five days. Perhaps shortening the game completely will mean the negative impact these poorly prepared pitches have will be reduced.
Pitches also seem to be very one-sided in today’s game. It mostly ends up that the batsmen have a field day and end up scoring runs without even trying or the bowlers sweep in and 20 wickets fall in a day and a half. You will not find a better example of this than the Test currently being played in Nagpur between India and South Africa. This is destroying any attempts to convince non-cricket fans that this sport is worth their time as it has stopped being anything of a competition.
It could even go as far as teams refusing to travel to certain nations because of the reputation grounds are starting to get around the world. You can be sure South Africa will not be jumping on a plane back to India any time soon after the disgraceful pitches they have been forced to play on so far during their tour.
By reducing the game to just four days, the pitches will need to be more fairly prepared in order to force a result or we will slowly see the purest form of the game disappear.
However, the biggest negative issue facing a reduced format would be the ever present risk factor that comes from the weather. Time and time again we have witnessed the fifth and final day becoming a major part of a match reaching a conclusive ending and by removing that safety day, we could suddenly be subjected to many games ending without a result.
There is also the chance that with the reduced days, teams will work more towards securing a draw, rather than chasing a win: something that leads to uninspiring and just boring cricket.
The ICC previously stated back in May that there was a reluctance to reduce the time of Test cricket. However, with the MCC tackling this heated debate when they meet for a two day conference before the historic day/night Test match, we could very well be seeing the beginning of a new era of Test cricket.
