Whoever thinks the Test format is on its last leg should be ready to eat the humble pie as the ongoing India-South Africa or the India-Australia 20-21 series has proved all naysayers wrong. Both the series proved to be a nightmare for experts and pundits in the absence of a clear-cut dominant side for the majority of the matches. These matches can be the real tools to cement the future of the long format as we all witnessed an even contest between the bat and the ball.
Test cricket has largely suffered due to the uneven nature of the contests and only marginally due to the advent of the slam-bang version of the game, T-20. The onus is clearly on the cricket administrators and the game’s governing body to turn Tests into an entertaining duel like T-20s or ODIs. So, let us list out certain corrective measures to preserve the sanctity of the long format.
Say No To Rank Turners or Absolute Green Tops
As said previously, one of the problematic issues concerning Test Cricket has been the pitches laid out for bilateral series unduly favouring the home team leading to predictable outcomes in the shortest possible time. For example, when Australia, England or New Zealand visit India, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh for a bilateral encounter the touring team can expect nothing but tracks behaving like a spitting cobra. What follows, later on, is absolutely farcical as the host team with the help of home-grown spinners runs through the opposing teams within 3 or sometimes 2 and a half days. This is harmful not only for the long format but for the bowlers also as such conditions discourage spinners from using their skills.
Now, coming to the aspect of doctored pitches, post the miraculous series triumph in Australia the England team came to India for a Four-match Test Series, which hosts won 3-1. What was disturbing from the perspective of the Test format was that India won the fourth Test in three days and the third Test in two days. These are bad advertisements for Test cricket and ICC should step in to eliminate such tactics employed by the home team and lay down rules regarding the process of pitch preparation for a bilateral Test series.
Increase The Frequency Of Day and Night Affairs
The concept of the pink ball Test match that was introduced in 2015 to revive the interest in long format needs to be scheduled more often than not rather than few and far in between happening right now. Such fixtures go a long way in attracting the interests of the fans as these encounters enable them to catch the action live even after finishing their day’s work. But frequency alone will not help as it needs to be promoted like T-20 or ODI encounters.
For those in the ’90s would know what it is to see the prospects of two legends clashing with each other: Sachin/ Jayasuriya VS McGrath/Akram. Something similar should be devised in the current scenario to woo spectators to the stadiums like Williamson/ Kohli VS Archer/Starc. So, the ICC and the cricket boards should push their creative envelope a bit more as they do with short and shortest formats to drive home the brownies points regarding Day-Night Test encounters.
Better Ranking Criteria For WTC Eligibility
One silver lining among the dark clouds hovering around Test cricket has been the introduction of the World Test Championship, whereby after the end of a cricketing cycle two top teams get the opportunity to fight it out among themselves to reach the pinnacle of glory in the Test format. This has given a sense of motivation and urgency to all the Test-playing nations to lift the standards of their games to compete for the WTC honours. However, hitches remain, especially in terms of rewarding criteria.
Before WTC came into existence, that is in 2015, India were ranked 4th in Test cricket despite faring woefully bad in all the overseas Test matches. This made it very apparent that there is something wrong with the ICC’s ranking system, how can a team be in the top four rankings with such disastrous outcomes. Another problem in the ranking system is the lack of segregation vis a vis a 2- and a 5-match series. For example, a two-match series between Indian and Sri Lanka is no different for the ICC from a five-match Ashes series as the winners of both series are put on the same pedestal, which is plain stupid. Hence, the yardstick to assess the potency of a team needs some reforms to make the Tests as attractive as any other format.
