The sound of a tolling bell has been echoing for some time now. It’s unlike the laughter and cheers-immersed bell ringing at the Lord’s. It forces people in the streets to inquire about the reason for this ominous clanging. But the answer is known to them. Now, people openly discuss it without the fear of reprimand. Much akin to the hushed discussions about a terminally sick monarch—once forbidden, but as time passes, the murmurs become distinct. Has it finally left the mortal world? Does the bell bong to herald Test cricket’s death? Or is it the last call of awakening before the inevitable finally strides in?
ICC answering the never-made SOS call
The eventual demise of Test cricket is not unexpected. Much to the cricket fans’ abhorrence, the threats to its existence have only grown stronger in the past years. It started with desensitizing fans with the idea of less and less red-ball cricket for ‘commercial’ purposes to sustain the game as a whole. Now cricket stands at a point where Test matches are welcomed more as compulsion. This might sound harsh and somewhat exaggerated given the fact that the International Cricket Council has been doing a lot to save the pure format of the game. Unfortunately, that’s where the real problem dwells. The format never needed saving, at least not until it was shoved out of the limelight to make space for the newcomers. At most, this inherently strong format required only more growth and exposure to more fans.
A misfit in the fast-moving world
You need to be a fool to deny that the time-consuming nature of Test cricket would not have created any problems for the governing body. It’s clearly an outcast in the crowd of games that can wrap up twice in one session of a single day of a Test match. SAT20 clashing with the nation’s Test tour and the South African board succumbing to the league franchises’ demands is just one of many instances we will witness over time. Similarly, more and more players will find firming their feet in the Test cricket arena very difficult. With fully packed schedules and T20 leagues ever so high in number, who, realistically, would prefer playing a format whose future is so uncertain?
Cricketers need franchise cricket for sustainability
Gatekeeping the format isn’t helping. Yes, it’s not deliberate. It still is damaging. Only nine teams out of 12 test-playing nations are competing during the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. The rest associate members do not even have a permit to play in whites to begin with. Similar is the case with Women’s teams. Apart from two or three cricketing nations, the women are hardly seen donning the white uniform. ICC is less to blame for this disparity. Playing Test cricket, when there are more attractive formats on offer, is expensive and it becomes more burdensome when the return is not as much as the investment is.
Then again if the blame is to be lifted off of the governing body, all of the others who find short formats more worthy of their times need be deemed innocent as well. People like to look down upon the cricketers who opt out of Test teams to avail lucrative offers while playing ODIs and T20Is. But how faulty is wanting a long career with hundreds of International games next to your name when you hang up your boots? Is it wise to expect cricketers to earn the medal of ‘saving the classic format’ at the expense of their million-dollar franchise cricket contracts? Not unless you are a person who loves to live in an unrealistic world.
Interesting to read: South Africa to send a second-string squad for upcoming Test series against New Zealand
Who is to be blamed for Test Cricket’s Death?
The number of red-ball matches is set to decrease in the upcoming years, the ICC head himself has announced. This means white ball games will take up most parts of the Future Tour Programme. This also means that more than playing with the red ball will be needed to quench the cricket thirst in the near future. But the question still stays laughing in our faces. Who do we blame for Test cricket’s death?
The blame, though, can not wholly be placed on any one of the stakeholders alone – the maximum onus for the downfall rests on the fans of the game. Money comes where the fans go and lately, they have been going to the shorter formats more often. The Ashes series is still the most celebrated Test series of all. Apart from the rivalry, it’s the fans’ attendance that makes it so talked about. If the rejuvenation of the red-ball format is sought, aficionados must play a crucial role more than anyone else. The dedication and efforts of fans will demonstrate the true desire to rescue the format. Otherwise, why lament its demise?
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