I had a dream. By dream I do not mean an aspiration, I had an actual dream! Well, more of a nightmare.
Not the nightmare of Australia losing 8-35 in the Galle Test on Friday – my hat’s off to Sri Lankan hat-trick spinner Rangana Herath.
My nightmare involved going back to the future.
I was in Mumbai, where I watched my first of many Tests until the 1970s. But it was the year 2030, and an IPL match was being played, with over 50,000 cheering their heroes.
I asked someone on my left when the Test matches would commence, and he asked, “What’s a Test? You mean school exams?”
An old timer replied, “Oh, you mean those boring five-day marathons? Gone, gone, my new friend, and no one happier.”
I was disgusted. So I flew to Sri Lanka, the West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand (because in dreams, you don’t have to buy plane tickets or worry about passports and visas).
And the response from those attending ODIs and T20s was the same.
The general response was the same: “Test cricket, what do you mean, testing new rules of cricket to have ten-over games, Ten10s, with multicoloured balls?”
Only one man, in his 80s, said: “Test cricket? Oh, it is still going on in England and Australia. They call them Ashes, I reckon. Don’t know why.”
I woke up with a start, relieved that this was only a bad dream.
I think the reason behind this dream was watching too many Tests the last few weeks, late at night and early in the morning.
The Tests between England and Pakistan at Lord’s, Manchester and Birmingham were well attended. Also, the Tests I have watched in Australia over many years had packed stands.
But the Tests between Australia and Sri Lanka in Kandy and Galle, as also between India and the West Indies in Antigua and Kingston, attracted barely 1000 spectators per day.
Was this dream a bad omen for the future? Will only Australia and England host Test matches as other countries exclusively embrace limited-overs carnivals?
WesternWarrior
Roar Rookie
Have to agree with all the points you have highlighted here Sheek. I think it's time for a massive over haul of test cricket. The ICC need to look at how the rankings are structured and come up with a way to make series mean something. A simplified, clear and concise competition were the casual fan can understand why a team is ranked where. If you tried to explain to someone with no prior knowledge that this Australian team are the best in the world they would laugh at you. (admittedly they probably are with the weakness of all test nations) Maybe i live in a naive world, but i would like to think as we become more accustomed to the digital age that peoples attention span will revert to type that people will again enjoy a war of attrition. Long way off, but always pictured when i retire going down to my local cricket club and watching Sheffield shield/county cricket. Would be a shame if cricket as we know it died.
BrainsTrust
Guest
Packer made sure the oppposition was paid and professional that has not been done since. Without Packer improving the professionalism the West Indies would have been entertaining but second rate. Aistralia had the strongest first class setup for so many years after Packer while England were making county cricket into hit and giggle with contrived results. Australia has stuffed itself up and its not because of commerciall concerns as the BIg Bash has lost heaps of money, and test cricket is earning more money than ever.,
OJP
Guest
just on the 15/15 and 10/10 Rellum; I suspect you are right... also they will look at reducing the number of players per team; I play 8 a side T20 at the moment for instance
Rellum
Roar Guru
The schedule is the much talked about two tier system which I am not sure is a great idea. This current Sri Lankan team would be in the second tier and that would set them back for mine, but then again it would be good for them to play other minor nations. The money change was a muted changing in the way the away teams sign and distribute broadcast rights which would then be put into one big pot and split evenly among nations if I recall correctly, in theory greatly increasing he budgets of the smaller nations. That to me is a good idea.
craig swanson
Guest
Rellum. Please explain your last para?
Rellum
Roar Guru
I think First Class cricket is not long for this world, mostly because I see little effort by the games administrators to keep the game alive. Their heads are in 20/20 land now. If I look back at the Australian game, the moment we lost our way in my opinion was when we threw in with Packer. It was a great short term boost but it permanently changed the way CA and its previous incarnations think about how to run the game, for me in a damaging way. It is all about flashing marketing now for them and we can never go back from that. Any time the game has a dip they will completely change the game again to get a ratings boost. 15/15 or 10/10 would be on the table at some point. The Australian is barely a rep team anymore, more a franchise with a list of contracted players. Thankfully the selectors still look out side that contract list, but I am scared there will be a time that they cannot due to marketing contracts. The only good news I have seen is move at the ICC to change up the Test money pie and schedule, some of which I am not sure I agree with but at least there is talk about change.
craig swanson
Guest
If the ICC gets its way and the two tier promotion/relegation format is introduced in 2019 then test cricket should survive and even thrive. However, if the BBCI scuttles the idea as it has warned then I fear for the future of test cricket as we now know it.. I can see only four nations playing it if that happens-- us, the Kiwis, SA and England plus whichever associates the ICC deems to promote to test status.
craig swanson
Guest
Hope your dream was just that .. a dream Kersi. I would be devastated if test cricket died. I saw my first test match during the famous 74/75 tour when we let our pace terrors Lillee and Thommo loose on the Poms at the SCG. Nothing beats the high and lows, the ebbs and flows the pure enthrallment of test cricket. Those who want circus cricket can have it give me test cricket always.
Rob JM
Guest
T20 is great for domestic comps but it just doesn't seem to translate well to the international stage. My guess is it just doesn't permit skilled players to shine enough. People want to Idolise people with skill, not people with luck. No one dreams of growing up to become Stephen Bradbury.
sheek
Roar Guru
Hi Kersi, I am one of those worried about the future of test cricket. Which is why I support day/night cricket. it might not save test & Sheffield Shield in the long run. But it might delay its inevitable execution. If we can get an extra 50 years from day/night cricket, then we can say it was perhaps worth it. People's tastes are changing, as in getting shorter attention-wise. Look at horse racing. 100 years ago, races at or over two miles were common (3200m). Now even the Melbourne Cup is under stress as breeders & owners opt for more sprinters over stayers. In cricket the shortest form, T20, is becoming the rage. I think part of the problem is overload fatigue. There is just so much sport, people tune in & out on a whim. I love test cricket, but i'm no longer interested in following every series played, even by Australia. Once upon a time, you could savour the series just completed, while you looked forward to the next series. Now they're stacked up one after the other.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Hi Geoff, I love Test cricket -- especially the low-scoring ones like in Kandy and Galle. But the poor attendances outside England and Australia for Test matches is a big worry for me. Especially in cricket-mad India.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Hi Geoff, I love Test cricket. But the attendance at Test venues outside England and Australia is on the whole pathetic. Especially in cricket-mad India.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Hi Kersi I thought the crowd on day one in this test was pretty fair - and quite lively too. This series is great - obviously not so much for Australia results wise - but that's just it, it's a true test. I love that Khawaja can look a million dollars in limited overs matches or in good batting conditions, and then look like a duffer here. Or that Starc, in obviously spin friendly conditions, can still bend his back and take hard earned wickets. There's still scope for someone to bat through today and make a hero of themselves. Or Herath to take another bucket full and be the hero. You don't have heroes in 50 overs and T20 cricket.