Twenty Twenty or T20 as we call it is the latest form of cricket that has captured the imagination of fans across the world. Thanks to the IPL and the T20 world cup, the whole world of cricket had changed, fans and administrators have started chanting T20 as if it is a new mantra, newspapers and channels have praised T20 as if it is the new Messiah of cricket. The rise of T20 has come with a cost, the decline of Test Cricket, the greatest form of the game.
Writing premature obituaries: It is sad to see even past and present cricketers writing off test cricket. Even the most devoted fans of Test cricket have given up. Administrators mention that Test cricket:
Is a long game, 5 days of meaningless cricket, doesn’t assure a result
Does not attract much crowds (As if IPL did, many people know that the stadiums were half-empty)
Has a low entertainment quota compared to T20
Well, being an avid fan of cricket, I can easily say that Test cricket is never going to die, at least not now. People need to understand that a format that has withstood 120 years, survived many administration problems, and yet proved to be timeless, is not going to die just like that. Comparing T20 and test cricket is like comparing a BURGER with a fully balanced meal. Burgers may seem delicious, but will spoil your appetite when overeaten.
Let us analyze the reasons for the so-called demise of tests:
They say that no crowds come to watch tests. Why? Because nowadays, the world has become so hectic that people prefer to catch up with test cricket via internet or TV. This is very obvious.
90% of revenue from Cricket comes only via the Internet and Television, not from Full Stadiums. So, the administrators need to find innovative ways to bring in revenues.
T20 is a new phenomenon, hardly a few years old. People are always curious about new things; they run after T20 because it offers them “unlimited entertainment”, meaning lots of fours and sixes within 40 overs.
But for how long?
After a certain period of time, people will be used to T20 and then they will loathe it for the same reason they started loving it.
Administrators say that test cricket doesn’t produce results, only boring draws. Well, it doesn’t help when the brainless ICC prepares flat placid tracks for test matches around the world. Let them prepare sporting pitches and we’ll see how Test Cricket fares.
You cannot ask bowlers to bowl out teams by giving them tracks as dead as dodos.
As Michael Slater once put it sweetly, “You can even find life in Mars, but not in this pitch”.
As they say, ‘Change is the only permanent thing.” Like every sport, Cricket also undergoes changes. The administrators of the game should be responsible enough to ensure that Test cricket does not lose popularity. They should changed it according to modern trends. The ICC can try out conducting test series on a points-basis manner.
For example:
If a Test match is drawn, the winner is decided by the points gained by each team:
Team which gained first innings lead: 1 point
Team which scored maximum runs with minimum wickets: 1 point
If a team is closing victory (Say target is either within reach or the batting team has lost more than 7 wickets): 1 point
Team that scored runs at a faster run rate: 1 point
The ICC should try some innovations in test cricket by consulting with some cricket experts, without spoiling the sanctity of the game.
And for once, the ICC should try not to be greedy and prepare even pitches that provide assistance to both batsmen and bowlers alike.
Test cricket has its own devoted group of fans, the ICC should try not to disappoint these fans. After all, test cricket is the mother of all forms of cricket. It deserves better respect.
T20 is exciting, but it has limited number of overs, depends too much on luck, and provides very little chance of error. Test cricket on the other side, is grueling, tests your patience and character, improves your game and gives you a sense of satisfaction.
Test cricket has provided fans with many memorable incidents, a few of them are given below:
The immortal contest between Michael Atherton and Allan Donald at Trent Bridge in 1993.
Sachin playing one of his greatest innings, a back-breaking 136 against Pakistan at MAC stadium, Chennai, in 1999.
Shane Warne bowling Mike Gatting with a delivery termed as the ball of the century in 1992 Ashes.
Lara scoring 152 not out against an Aussie attack comprising of Mcgrath, Gillespie, and Warne, and leading West Indies to an improbable victory.
Anil Kumble taking 10 wickets against Pakistan at Feroshah Kotla, Delhi in 1999.
West Indies chasing an improbable target of 418 against Aussies and winning by 8 wickets.
Nathan Astle hammering 222 off just 155 deliveries against England.
Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis bowling dozens of batsmen with their reverse swinging Yorkers and toe crushers.
1980's Ashes series, when Ian Botham almost single-handedly won the Ashes for England
Brian Lara scoring 375, and 400 not out(ten years later) against England at St. Johns, Antigua.
Can Twenty-Twenty cricket provide us such moments. Of course not!
Let us praise Twenty-Twenty, but never neglect Test Cricket. Hope sense prevails.
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