How to rescue our old friend, long form cricket

Sheek you say: "It seems to me a pitch will deteriorate over time, not usage. So reducing 5 day tests to 4 day-night tests would certainly help, I believe." Not sure that makes sense, if the pitch is available to be played on over less time (4 days) how will it deteriorate more? Michael C - I'm no curator but I am sure they are capable of producing result pitches if they have to. No idea about criteria etc for pitches but it stands to reason in this day and age that pitches can be prepared any way they want them too, especially with drop ins etc. In regards to run chases remember ODI pitches are generally flat so 4 an over is easy where a 4th or 5th day pitch has variable bounce etc therefore making the chase of that magnitude more difficult. Perhaps more to do with the pitch than the field on many occasions. I dont have a problem with home countries doctoring pitches to suit their team, ie India with turning decks as long as there is a result. It should not be easy to go to another country and win but they must WIN the tests not just one and draw the rest. Dicko - quite like some of those ideas. being a fella who like a beer, I agree. ODIs and Tests attract different crowds. 99% of the time the trouble is at ODIs. tests are usually to a more "educated cricket crowd". Unfortunately we live in a PC world and it shits me to tears!

I've got two major suggestions: a) pitches. The problem is that all of the comentators on the telly and most of the ones on the radio are ex batsmen. As such, they describe a pitch as 'good' when what it really is, is 'good for batting'. They describe a pitch as 'bad' when it's 'good for bowling'. A good pitch for a testmatch is one that offers something for both bat AND ball - hence I always dread the games when the telly commentators (yes you, Mr Grieg) say how 'good' a pitch is on the first morning. You can pretty much be guarentteed a belter and a boring 5 day batathon. A good test pitch in my opinion should favour the bowlers for the first session or so as the excess moisture dries out. Then it favours the bat over the next couple of days - and here's the important thing! - STARTS TO BREAK UP TOWARDS THE END OF THE FOURTH DAY! That way, if you bat first, you might get the best of the batting, but only if you're good enough to survive the first morning. If you bowl first, you've got a good chance to get in amongst 'em and enjoy the good times yourself. Whatever happens, variable bounce on the fifth day is vital! Not just slow and low and dusty. You want a RESULT! my seccond suggestion is atmosphear. Tests are all about the 5 day party. So some suggestions to make things better (just some thoughts): - have a serries of bands playing in the ground (brass bands, swing bands etc etc). There are plenty of amatuer groups in all of the capital cities that I'm sure would gladly make a couple of hours joyous noise in return for free tickets for a day. Maybe - 3 bands playing for one session each. Definitely need to encourage things like the trumpet bloke blowing mexican waves rather than ban him like the Gabba tried to do. - make booze a bit cheaper. Why penalise the responsible drinkers when its only the louts that cause problems? By all means, enforce zero tollerance to stupidity (throwing crap in the air during a mexican wave etc) but give the rest of us back our damn beer! - bring back beach balls! Since when was cricket so precious that they couldn't 'risk' a giant inflatable ball on the pitch? Bet you could turn a proffit out of it by selling ad space on the ball (you listening CA???) - remove the harsh penalties for streakers - they were damn funny (as were the spankings they sometimes recieved...) - install coin opperated bbq's around the grounds - let people bring their own food - prizes for best dressed groups of people etc (boonies, merv's, barmy army etc etc) - as decided by audience noise during the breaks (get people cheering a bit...) I really believe its up to the ground admin and CA to make a test a 5 day party. Its gotta be an EVENT! Something people want to go to regardless of the cricket. At the moment, it's all so stilted and officious that I'd rather stay home and watch it on the telly...

Pitches are a big problem, just look at the adelaide oval compared to the waca this year, waca has three results out of three whilst a game in adelaide is played for 1st innings points only

Re the pitches. Obviously, this is a problem the longer a game is played. Elsewhere there is discussion on the fairness of the toss, for example. It seems to me a pitch will deteriorate over time, not usage. So reducing 5 day tests to 4 day-night tests would certainly help, I believe. I guess the problem cricket faces, is making the game relevant to the present. Cricket is lucky it can use one day matches & T20 to help subsidise & fund test & 1st class cricket. But for how much longer?

MC, The SS hasn't drawn large crowds for a very, very long time. That said, I agree the SS is essential in developing the next talent to represent Australia. But there's a catch. I've said this before, & I'll happily say it again, the SS won't amount to much without the best players participating in at least some of the matches each year. A batsman averaging say 70, or a bowler taking 60 wickets in 10 matches, doesn't have the same impact when the top 15 or so players are regularly missing. Ian Chappell said long ago the importance of the SS was having up & coming talent playing with & against experienced veterans & current test players. They could be exposed to, & learn from the senior guys. That sort of thing hasn't happened for a very long time. I'm not a 20 or 30-something year old. The attraction of Twenty20 is lost on me. But it may be the future. I would like to see 4 day-night test matches, & 3 day-night SS matches. Whether that would improve the attraction of the longer forms of the game, I don't know. Maybe the days of 4-5 day cricket are well & truly numbered. However, I do know this. Whatever national domestic comp you come up with, you must have the best available talent participating. Otherwise, you're behind the action from the start.

Justin - you'd think - - - really, that your points 1 to 3 should be achievable (within reason) - - however, the schedule is always subject to compromise if for no other reason than 'internal security issues' in any given country at any given time. The pitches is interesting - - - who should be responsible for them? Is it right that it's left to the local association? We know that they are leaned on at times to produce a certain style track. Perhaps the ICC needs some form of rating system for grounds/pitches that will determine the capacity to be scheduled future matches - - i.e. weather allowing....that the pitches meet certain criteria??? whether indexed against the match result? or simply standard measurement parameters of pitches similar to penetrometer readings at horse racetracks. [but, allowing scope for different tracks, i.e. the simple comparison of the Gabba track vs the SCG track vs the WACA track - - main thing is to ensure that Adelaide oval for example doesn't just produce a road. Certain, the completely grassless tracks in India were a disgrace.] The field settings - - it's not a huge stretch from the anti-body line rules that were introduced when it looked like a certain style of play might be against the 'spirit of the game'. The question is whether a ODI style circle should come in as well. One of the annoying things is that in tests, a run chase of 4 an over can be so much harder a task than ODIs because there are no field restrictions - - - but then, bowlers will complain it's already a batsmans game (but, hopefully better pitches would return the balance.)

Some really good questions here, I was dead against the idea of day/night Tests but the more I hear about terrible crowds the more I think it may be an unfortuante necessity. There definitely needs to be some serious discussions about the future of the long form of the game. From scheduling as Justin said to pitches to other ways to make sure its not all draws.

Michael - Great question and not one to answer easily. With regard to Test cricket (I dont think Shield cricket will ever draw crowds, its an investment by CA to develop AUS players and should be left like that) there are a few things that must be done within the match itself. 1. Ensure pitches are prepared to get a result. This is not easy as Cricket Boards the world over try to have the match go into the fifth day to ensure money from the gates. However this maybe be killing the game in some parts. Check out results in London over the last 10yrs, disgraceful, draws, draws and more draws. I think they should aim for an early 5th day finish, if it goes the fifth day great but at least it wont be boring cricket dominated by the bat. 2. Ensure 90 overs minimum. Start by having 30 overs per session. No lunch and tea breaks until the allotted 30 are bowled each session. If they are behind then the time is taken out theses breaks not tried to be made up at the end of the day when light becomes an issue. Captains and teams fined much more heavily also, including suspensions. Its time to have some tougher penalties. 3. Field settings should only ever by 7-2 or even 6-3 to stop this slowing down of the game by bowling outside off or down leg stump. Teams must try to win the match not draw it. More importantly the Test program must be sorted out. Sri Lanka may be pulling out of a Test series in England next year to compete in 20/20 bullsh^t and while they will be fined it doesnt matter as they have been offered 20 times the money to do this. If 20/20 is the future and the players say they are playing too much then cut down all the crap ODIs. They have become tiresome and most of them are only played for TV money and the players care little about the results. As I say its a difficult situation but the schedule is the key to the survival of Test cricket.

I am not sure about repackaging but I do believe that CA has given up on Test Cricket. An article on today's SMH site http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/bold-warner--batting-in-the-grip-of-revolution/2008/11/13/1226318839870.html quotes Brian McFadyen from the CA Centre for Excellence saying that they spend more time teach and coaching for Twenty-20 than anything else... SO I guess it is all over for test cricket well at least as far as CA is concerned.