The Future of Test Cricket

I am a cricket purist and test cricket is and always will be the pinnacle of the sport, but the whole cricketing landscape has changed since the advent of T20 cricket.

How many test matches have gone the distance since international T20 cricket was introduced in 2005? There has been a steady decline of test matches lasting the full 5 days and its no wonder the ICC is looking at introducing 4 day test cricket.

One just has to look at recent test series' (SA vs Pakistan), (India vs England), (SA vs Sri Lanka), (Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan) to strengthen my point.  Only one of those matches went the distance with 2 of them ending inside 2 days.  Why is this and how much revenue is being lost because of this?

Yes, one can point to pitches and playing conditions for the odd game.  Covid19 has also played its role, as players are not as well prepared lately as they would normally be.  

But, my view is that since the introduction of T20 cricket we have seen a steady change in mindset.  From a playing perspective, more and more loose and rash shots are being played during test cricket than before. Teams are looking to score quicker in test cricket and this will inevitably lead to poorer shot selection.  Are players prepared to graft for their runs as they did before or are they moving towards a T20 "mode". This is highly debatable!! 

I coach primary school children and it is amazing to see how many of them would rather play the reverse sweep, lap slog or scoop shot before trying to master the cover drive, straight drive or on drive. 

We have also seen how a lack of foot movement in test cricket has led to the loss of many unnecessary wickets.  Again, in T20 cricket, most foot movement has gone out the window and its pretty much "see ball, hit ball".  

One must remember that the T20 cricket pitch and the test pitch are vastly different.  T20 pitches are often nice and flat (to promote run scoring), where as test pitches might favour spin or fast bowling (depending on where you are playing) which challenges batsmen technically and forces them to adapt. There have been so many "collapses" in test cricket lately and if one has to analyse, you'll find its either down to a lack of application, poor footwork or poor shot selection. I think this is because players are adopting more of a limited overs approach. This needs to change if test cricket is to get back to its glory days.

It may sound like I am against T20 cricket, but far from it, I love watching the format.  Its amazing to see how batsmen and bowlers have had to evolve their games to try and outsmart each other and there is a lot of skill involved.  It as has also brought in the crowds and is a great money spinner for the ICC. There is most definitely a place in world cricket for the shortest format of the game, but not to the extent that it dominates world cricket. 

As much as I enjoy T20 cricket, I do feel that international cricket is geared towards the shorter version of the game.  Just look at tour itineraries now days, many tours consist of 2 test matches, 3 ODI's and 3 - 5 T20 internationals.  There are even T20 only series (NZ vs Aus is currently on the go).   There are also more and more T20 tournaments popping up all over the world with lots of money involved to lure players.  I'm afraid it doesn't bode well for the future of test cricket.

What I am saying is that I believe the days of 5 day test cricket are over.  Unless we start seeing a change of mindset by administrators and players alike, 4 day test cricket will soon become the norm and if it continues the way it is, who knows where test cricket might be in another 15 years!!