The day-night Test on November 27 has been hugely anticipated for a long time but you don’t get the feeling that the players understand the magnitude of the event. As a heavily dedicated fan of cricket, the time has come to say that Test cricket is on life support.
The success of the 2015 Cricket World Cup and the popularity of the T20 Big Bash League show that people still love the game; just not the traditional five-day format which has been ingrained in our blood since the days of Victor Trumper and WG Grace.
It seems that Test matches not involving any of the ‘Big Three’ – Australia, England or India – are rarely able to fill up any stadiums. The crowds of the first two Tests against New Zealand have been extremely disappointing despite there being sustained media coverage about the quality of the Black Caps.
Television ratings have been solid, averaging about one million per session, but it should be obtaining higher figures. While the one-day series involving India and South Africa was a hit with the crowds, the Test match in Mohali had a man and his dog viewing the game.
The most disappointing aspect is that the quality of cricket has been fantastic, as Kane Williamson and David Warner have batted superbly. Some might say the Perth Test lacked a contest but draws have always been there even when Test cricket was thriving.
There have been many arguments about spicing up the Test pitches, but Australian pitches have been characterised for a long time by the consistency of bounce and have favoured batting for decades.
A major factor in the decline of Test crowds is that there is excessive cricket in all formats being played compared to 20 years go. Households can only afford to spend a certain amount of their budget on buying tickets. Preferring $15 for a general admission ticket to watch a Big Bash game where there is a capacity crowd over paying $100 for a decent ticket at a Test is a decision not many sane people can question.
Of course Test matches have the history and the nation-on-nation concept, but if tickets are too expensive then Cricket Australia is alienating a huge proportion of the public.
Another issue is the impact of a lack of star power from opposition. A Test match against weaker sides such as the West Indies, who are arriving later this summer, or Sri Lanka 10 years ago, would still have been a one-sided contest like now, but fans were able to watch the might of Brian Lara or Kumar Sangakkara.
Angelo Matthews and Jason Holder are very good players but the public would struggle to recognise them. Even a team like Pakistan, which has been unsuccessful on Australian shores, used to have the calibre of players such as Wasim Akram and Inzamam Ul-Haq. Virtually every major Test-playing nation about 10 years ago, excluding Bangladesh or Zimbabwe, had players that we can consider all-time greats.
That depth isn’t simply there in Test cricket anymore which means the public isn’t as tolerant of the grind as they may have been 10-15 years ago
Traditionalists will be quick to point out the fabulous five of Warner, Steve Smith, Williamson, Virat Kohli and Joe Root, but with the exception of Williamson the rest are from the Big Three. AB De Villiers is probably on the level of Sachin Tendulkar and Lara but is over 30 years old with South Africa lacking a young ace batsman.
Mitchell Starc and South African Kagiso Rabada show that the future of Test match fast bowling is not all doom and gloom but the cupboard is very bare compared to the golden era of the 1990s. Yasir Shah, Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon are the torch bearers for spin but are nowhere near the quality of Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan or even Stuart MacGill.
Comments from Australian players being sceptical of the pink ball are extremely narrow-minded as they are unable to comprehend how dire the situation of Test cricket is. Playing in front of empty stadiums in South Africa and the UAE means they should perhaps appreciate what day-night Test cricket can do.
Tests are a wonderful feature of the game that has united cricket-playing nations, so day-night cricket is hopefully a success that brings families back to the ground. After all, if it sparks interest in the public of the minor nations then the depth of Test cricket might start to build up again.
If it fails to revitalise the game, then cricket fans should simply be satisfied with one-day internationals and T20 cricket.
Other sports that were invented in the 1600s have faded out, and we should appreciate that there are other formats of cricket that the public still find entertaining.
chris thompson
Guest
unbelievable is an adjective, goose.
Ruthvik Rao
Guest
I understand why pink ball tests are being pursued however, it seems a mockery of test cricket, so much so that mitchel johnson retired prior to the first pink ball test. He articulated a month ago in an interview with Tony Squires on the "Back Page" that he is not a fan. Test cricket will thrive if the tickets, food and importantly, beer, was cheaper.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The other mood killer in Brisbane was the constant delays. McCullum was ridiculous with his field placements, changing every fielder after every delivery. Going from 8-1 fields to 4-5 and back again within two deliveries. The umpires should have stepped in. Batsmen changing gloves every three overs doesn't help. Every time a batsmen calls for new gloves we get a marauding horde wearing fluro vests and carrying gatorade bottles and the game stops for five minutes.
TheCunningLinguistic
Guest
Excellent post, Liam- I agree wholeheartedly! If I wanted to see a batsmen dominate on a ground with short boundaries, I'd go see a T20 game. If I wanted to see a batsman being 'tested' by great bowling, I'd go see a Test. Sadly, that's not happening. As many have mentioned in previous posts, I truly believe that ticket prices are the biggest concern, followed by batsmen-friendly pitches. I paid $80 to sit in the sun through 38 degree heat in Perth, watching bowlers struggle to get anything out of the pitch, new ball or otherwise. And I know the ball wasn't the issue, as they used around 100 different ones that day (editor's note- preceding line may contain slight exaggeration). The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that we could get into the Inverarity Stand and sit in the shade, as I guess some people simply hadn't bothered to turn up on a day like that! Fix ticket prices, create more balanced pitches, extend the boundary rope, limit bat size- do all these things and you may see a marked improvement in crowds at Test matches. We all want that, cricket in it's purest form.
Paul Nicholls
Roar Guru
@matthew_gently Your point about the boutique grounds is a good one. I agree in principle but I just wonder if the Television coverage would be up to scratch. I remember Channel 9 doing a piece about the coverage from the SCG and there was masses of equipment etc. and all the camera angles and stuff - I just wonder if it would work?
JohnB
Guest
It does made a difference that the game was so early in November - just before final school and university exams. A lot of rain around for that game also, which particularly affected the weekend. I certainly knew the game was on, but I've heard comments from others that they didn't. I also thought there might have been some effect from the rugby world cup only just having finished, and the minds of many only just switching to cricket. Say all those things though and there still wasn't much of a crowd.
Bakkies
Guest
A certain S Tendulkar had an impact on crowds. Saw highlights of the SA v India test from Bangalore and the stands were full.
Bakkies
Guest
Wouldn't work now with VPNs, streams and switching tv settings.
Vocans
Guest
Tennis predates 1600 so cricket might still be in with a chance. I will stop watching if test cricket goes by the wayside. Sheffield Shield at a pinch might take my interest but even 50 overs doesn't do it for me. 20/20 is fairy floss and that really is PINK! Grown ups need tests. Chess versus checkers/draughts.
Sameer Murthy
Roar Rookie
Unfortunately Indian crowds don't show up of for test matches even in games against Australia as seen in 2008, 2010 and 2013. If they do it is an exception, not the norm
Darren
Guest
True but doesn't that just highlight that Aus v India gets a good crowd? I don't know what S.A v India crowds in India normally are. I'm not saying we just want 4 teams playing, I'm just saying that crowds may not have changed much. Fair point about increased populations. Re: the Gabba, I think the issue is that the upgrade is not that fantastic. Adelaide Oval will show what a great oval does for bringing in crowds. Perth will be the same when they move from the WACA to the new oval.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Great thing about he shield is the games are mostly close and there still seems to be a contest sometimes between bat and ball.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Many many people are suckers for marketing and will watch what ever the marketing types tell them to watch. There was a big call made this week that seems to have passed by every one that CA made sure that Test players are made available for the start of the BBL. That one decision right there shows were their priorities lie.
matthew_gently
Guest
This relates to someone's point above about the possible role of boutique grounds for Tests. The tradition associations of Tests with the SCG, MCG etc. may be forced to change whenever the minnows (i.e. everyone except England and India) visit. If the AFL wants those grounds they can have them, as far as I'm concerned. Bring on more games at Allan Border Field, and North Sydney Oval. I want to be able to watch cricket while sitting on the grass. In regard to your point about tickets, I'd love to see the return of the discounted multi-day pass. I haven't seen them in Brisbane since 2010.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Go back to timeless tests. Play a match like the WACA, no declarations, just batting as long as they can. Of course, that's a pain for scheduling, so maybe we just make them 6 or 7 days. Eventually the pitch will crumble and the spinners will start getting wickets!
Christian D'Aloia
Roar Guru
Definitely need a tournament or championship of some sort. The only Test series Australia cares about is the Ashes, so we really do need a way to keep the less attractive series interesting and relevant.
Bakkies
Guest
The idea is that supporters can go to the game after work by purchasing an evening session ticket. The other thing is that it will be beneficial for UK audiences who get broadcast tests from Australia but the day's play is on during sleeping hours. The eastern states tests start from around 11:30 pm and finish about 7am.
Bakkies
Guest
It was commented by English fans and press during the NZ series that the Ashes has become too repetitive due to the series being too close together in recent times. They would've preferred another test against the Kiwis and series against another nation.
Andy
Guest
Not even a little, most of the recent ashes series have been wonderful viewing, few of the tests themselves have been that close but the series have all been great with either side capable of winning going in which is so much more interesting.
Sameer Murthy
Roar Rookie
Darren, that is a correct statement about the Gabba test match but we also have to factor in Brisbane's population growth and the increased seating capacity of the Gabba in the past 2 decades. You make a fair point about people only going to the big test clashes in Australia but that doesn't explain the trend of poor crowds in UAE, India, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. Australia and England on most occasions get good crowds but the series against West Indies here will test the passion of some of the 'purists' who have posted on here and think Test Cricket is in great health. New Zealand is able to get a decent amount of people through the gates albeit in small capacity grounds like University Oval in Dunedin. Do we really want a situation like Netball where there are only 4 countries interested in hosting/playing Test Cricket? If you have Fox Sports, just have a peak at the crowd in Nagpur today where India and South Africa are playing and it is terrible. Remember this is the country that hosted the famous 2001 series against Australia which was full of sell-out crowds