England's Andrew Strauss, 2nd left, drives a ball from Australia's Nathan Hauritz, obscured at right behind umpire, during the first day of the second Ashes Test cricket match at Lord's cricket ground, London, Thursday July 16, 2009. Hauritz dislocated the middle finger of his right hand, as he missed a difficult chance to take the wicket on England's Andrew Strauss. AP Photo/Tom Hevezi
The sad decline of Test cricket was supposed to be halted with the introduction of the team rankings system. That concept has, however, failed to really grab the public and the same level of disinterest has continued.
In many cricketing nations people take an interest in their Test team’s results without taking the time to watch the games either live or on television. In no country do Test matches not involving one’s own nation gain anything resembling respectable viewing numbers.
The idea of a rolling table declaring a number one ranking seems not to have worked in turning this disinterest around. Partly in response to this, the ICC have announced a Test Championship. In essence, it would run over four years with a league system with the top four qualifying for playoffs.
The nature of the league and playoffs which have not been defined. The league will, presumably, be points based in a similar manner to the present rankings system. Indeed that system may very well continue unaltered except in its purpose. Its purpose would stop being in part to show who the champion is, but instead to determine the qualifier for the next phase.
It would then be somewhat akin to a football ladder, of any code, determining a final four.
The Future Tours Program would include details of tours to take place, as it supposedly does now. Issues around security and politics, internal and external to cricket, will no doubt continue to render the program as useless as it is now.
Whether the league stage would be one off matches, or Test series of a minimum length is not stated. One would hope that at the very least the current minimum of two matches for a series would be maintained but this is not made clear in the ICC’s press release.
That hope may well be misplaced given the ICC’s record in recent times when it comes to test cricket.
A one-off match would, quite frankly, destroy much of what we knew of Test cricket. The best cricket comes over full Test series; although, admittedly so does some of the most tedious.
Again, the same question comes into the play-off. Popular cricket site Cricinfo is suggesting that the ICC is saying behind the scenes that there would be one final at Lords. Four years of Tests culminating in one match has some appeal; something akin to a FIFA World Cup final.
It also opens up some serious questions. What happens in the case of a draw? Does the side that wins the league get the title, a happens in the Sheffeild Shield? That opens up issues with defensive play, particularly when weather might intervene.
When would the playoffs, assuming a semi-final and final, be played? It needs to fit with the calendar more broadly, but there are limitations on what time of year various nations can host Test cricket. This is not so much of an issue if a host is known well in advance, but this opens up Test cricket on neutral territory. Would the game’s showcase event be played in front of nobody except TV crews? If so, it would hardly be successful as a showcase; and more likely be fodder for those very few, at this stage, calling for the abolition of Test cricket as anachronistic.
Would there be a guarantee that no other international cricket was held during the final; and no IPL, ICL, etc; so the whole of the cricketing world could focus one the final (or, hopefully, final series)?
How will a Championship cope with changes to the nations playing Test cricket? Afghanistan are hoping to reach test status within two years according to their new coach. That seems more than a touch ambitious, but Zimbabwe’s probable reinstatement, the possible raising to Test status of Ireland, and other changes to the structure must be catered for.
Will it be flexible enough for Ireland, for example, to be granted Test status two years into the cycle? Will there eventually be two such series, with a promotion/relegation series played between the bottom Test nation and the leading Division 2 nation?
The ICC may very well be on to a winner with the basic concept of a cyclical championship for Test cricket. It will probably never really get around the disinterest of neutral parties, but may provide some extra focus on Test cricket as the pinnacle of cricket.
At this stage all that has been released are the bones of a potentially good idea, and some hints that it may be ruined.
They need to get some flesh on this and make the body whole before those of us in the general public, the ones they need for the concept to work, can commit to how seriously the title would be taken.
Do it wrong and most fans will be as oblivious to it as we are of the current system.
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