Let Tests last five days

The legends of the game have spoken. From Sachin Tendulkar to Brian Lara, from Virat Kohli to Joe Root, top cricketers are convinced that Test cricket must remain a five-day affair. That is also the view of the Marylebone Cricket Club, the custodian of cricket’s laws. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to discuss making four-day Tests mandatory from 2023. The idea has met with stiff opposition from those who play the game. Their view is that Test cricket is the toughest, best test of a player’s abilities precisely because Test matches go on for five days. This is what sets Test cricket apart from, say, First-Class cricket, in which matches last four days. The idea of shaving off a day from Test matches is not new. ICC had discussed — and rejected it — five years ago.

Cricketers don’t want Test cricket to lose 20 per cent of its duration. They point out that some of the most exciting Test contests of recent times — the Ashes thrillers in England last summer, for instance — would not have been possible if Tests were played over four days only. However, ICC’s stated purpose behind the reduction does have merit: Cricket’s governing body says it wants to free up the calendar, which is packed with nearly non-stop cricket. But the real, more insistent reason lies elsewhere — Test cricket is the least lucrative format of the sport for the broadcasters. So, while ICC likes to harp on the ‘primacy of Test cricket’, it knows where the real money lies. But cricketers fear that the ‘freed-up’ days after cutting down Tests to four days would actually be used for more limited-overs cricket, which is the real money-spinner for broadcasters and boards.

Interestingly, over 60% of Tests played since 2018 ended in four days or less. This suggests that it’s not illogical to discuss four-day Tests. It’s also clear that ICC must do something about the falling popularity of Test cricket and make it more attractive to the spectators. The first step in that direction is to ensure Tests are played on sporting pitches which produce exciting matches.