4 Day Tests – Why?

Pardon me for being cynical, but the mounting pressure to have four-day Tests doesn’t wash.

Apparently, it’s all about attracting new fans.

What a load of old tosh.

Appreciation of cricket is not something that is instantly achieved – it never has been. There are some things in this life that happen at a pace which cannot be manipulated to satisfy someone who thinks they have a cheque book capable of unearthing decades of tradition.

Understanding and appreciating the nuances of Test cricket is something acquired over a long period of time. For most it involved learning the game as school children and cherishing the opportunities to play at whatever level you achieve during the remainder of your life.

There are some who may be fortunate enough to be of enquiring mind and are capable of working out some of the intricacies of the game by virtue of their own cognitive abilities. But for the mass of cricket supporters it is the appreciation of everything that has occurred over a long period of time that makes the game what it is.

Five days hasn’t always been the accepted norm for the duration of games. Some were played until they finished, and were known as Timeless Tests more often than not ending when a ship had to depart for home shores.

Time has, in more recent years, told us that five days is a pretty good time to achieve a contest between nations, especially when they are of similar abilities.

Not every Test can achieve an outstanding and exciting result, although there are enough that do to entertain the majority of appetites. There will always be occasions when some Tests are completed in three or four days and there will be some that are played out as draws over the five available days.

Some draws are very tense and exciting.

That is what makes cricket what it is. The fact that cricket boards like England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka have put themselves in the camp of four-day Tests is cause for alarm.

Most of these countries have already devalued the product by allowing two-Test series to be played, and that is a nonsense in itself. Let’s not forget that the collective administrative thinking at the highest level allowed the greatest assault on the game’s principles which saw England, Australia and India actually achieve the carving up of the game for their own benefit, until India led the way in undoing that disgrace.

What gives these administrators the right to think they are making the right decisions doesn’t bear thinking about. We will hear the talk about financial viability and making the game relevant in the modern era and all that rubbish.

Perhaps they should be better dedicating themselves to ensuring the structures are in place to keep the game alive by producing players best equipped to handle playing Test cricket. And sadly that isn’t achieved by giving players a diet of Twenty20 in which to hone their skills.

One report on the subject said Tests would be played on Thursday-Sunday rotations which would mean TV rights would be worth more and the lack of a fifth day would reduce costs.

That’s hardly surprising. But here’s the kicker, by reducing those costs boards would be in a position to pay their players more.

If the TV rights are worth more isn’t that enough on its own to ensure the players are paid more?

What makes the debate even more spurious is that playing days would have to be extended to ensure that 100 overs are required.

How are they going to ensure that the fifth day pitch will also be replicated to create the opportunity for spin bowlers to wrap up a game in wearing conditions?

Cricket administrators could also do everyone a favour by reining in some of these Twenty20 leagues that are causing so much conflict for players having to decide between nation or self.

They could also look at speeding up over rates in the Test cricket already being played, that might be one quick way of ensuring greater interest in the existing system.

The funny thing is if these great minds of cricket acumen were looking ahead they would realise that the working dynamic of the world is already under great change.

People soon are going to have much longer leisure hours as the nature of work changes.

Five-day Tests sound a pretty good way of whiling away some hours of one’s week.

By Lynn McConnell.  Read more about Lynn here.

Lynn writes for GrownUps, courtesy of Golden Oldies & Vintage Sports Tours.