The Test is dead, long live Twenty20

Test match cricket as we know it will never be the same again.

The ‘freelance revolution’ has begun. The Indian Express mentioned in an article that “the veil, in which the sport had been kept hidden for a long time is being lifted. And a new – for the lack of a better word – ‘face’ of the sport is starting to emerge.”

This new face is Twenty20 cricket, and the historical format of test match cricket is dying before our very eyes.

Whilst players used to believe that playing for their country was the pinnacle of the sport, big money short format cricket competitions have proven that money now controls the game. Talented cricketers from third world countries are already making big money, travelling to different competitions in different parts of the world.

Players from two of the ‘big three’ prominent cricketing countries in the world, England and Australia, are changing their own hand to take a piece of the pie as more and more money becomes involved in the sport. Test match cricket on an international scale is becoming less competitive, and the ability for Twenty20 cricket to become the major form of the game is becoming even more realistic.

Sam Symes, former manager for Cricket Victoria and Women’s Cricket in Australia believes that the ‘gentlemen’s game’ tag of cricket was lost when money became the number one priority for players. “It used to be a gentlemen’s game where it was played very respectfully, because that was the culture. But when the culture changed to value its every man for himself.”

Ali Martin of The Guardian stated that “Cricket is at a crossroads and there is a growing acceptance among its administrators that the primacy of internationals – Test cricket in particular – is being diminished by the proliferation of short-form tournaments that, if unchecked, could cause irreversible damage.”

The question remains, is there any way that test cricket can come back from this?

According to a report by The Economist in 2017, the Indian Premier League (IPL), an Indian domestic competition that plays under the Twenty20 format, has a more lucrative broadcasting deal than anything international cricket has ever been able to achieve. Whilst the IPL has signed a five-year contract worth 2.55bn for its worldwide broadcasting rights, it is reported that the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) broadcasting rights are worth 1.9bn over an eight-year cycle.

(DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

It is fair to say that the faster, more exciting domestic competitions of Twenty20 cricket are outperforming the traditionally appealing format of test match cricket. Sam Symes says that some Australian players are more than capable of selling themselves to the rest of the world, and that test match cricket shouldn’t matter to them. “If I was Glenn Maxwell, I’d be thinking why the hell would you want to play for Australia when you can go and make two million dollars playing cricket for four weeks somewhere else. This latest incident in Australian cricket gives him the perfect chance to do just that.”

Sam Symes says that ten years ago, when the team culture of international cricket was very much intact, professional players would never have thought to represent any team other than their own country. “When I was working with Cricket Canada in 2008, my brief was to try and recruit players that I knew to a Twenty20 competition. I travelled to the Caribbean where England were playing the West Indies, and met with the likes of Steve Harmison, Freddie (Andrew) Flintoff and Paul Collingwood. The idea was to see if these guys wanted to come to a one-off competition for a large figure. Unfortunately, the idea fell over because it was probably a bit too early, but the concept was right. The culture at the time was that you play for your country and you do what your country says, but if you asked that question now I think the answer would be yeah no worries where do you want me to go?”

This is the challenge for the ICC, to try and find a balance between the modernisation of international cricket whilst not losing the culture and tradition that test match cricket provides. Former Sri Lanka and England cricket coach and experienced Twenty20 coach, Trevor Bayless, spoke to Cricketnext about his opinion on short format cricket in 2012. “I am a traditionalist and I would want Test cricket to be number one in the game” he said. “So many T20 leagues are coming up in every country and it can’t go out of hand… On one hand, you have to bring new fans in cricket but on the other leagues are coming up in every country.”

Six years later, and the issue is becoming more and more prominent with very little action eventuating.

Some already retired international players have taken a different approach, however. Symes adds that “the lifespan of a cricket player is 10-15 years, so why wouldn’t you just make the money and run.” This idea relates perfectly to several players who have cut their international careers short to chase financial security.

The world watched in amazement as Shane Watson, retired Australian cricket player since 2016, blasted an unbeaten 117 from 57 balls in the 2018 IPL final. According to cricket.com.au, current Australian all-rounder, Marcus Stoinis said that Watson is still good enough to play cricket for Australia should he want to come out retirement, and that nobody realised just how good he was when he was playing.

(AAP Image/Rob Blakers)

However, some could go as far as saying that Watson ended his career when he did to make large sums of money playing as a ‘free agent’ before his body finally fails him. Since his shock retirement since many considered him still at the top of his game, South African superstar, A.B de Villiers has been chased by teams in Australia’s Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League.

This goes to show that whilst some of the world’s best used to play out their careers at an international level, it is now considered ‘normal’ to follow the world Twenty20 circuit for several years before officially calling it quits.

According to a report from Ali Martin in March 2018, the ICC are attempting to restrict cricketers under the age of 32 to three domestic Twenty20 tournaments per year. This seems to be the most logical way of prolonging the life of test match cricket, as nations struggle with player exodus.

The West Indies Cricket Board, made up of seven third world countries, have been the most vocal for the idea, as concern over the future of their test match cricket team becomes increasingly worrying. A report from Peter Lalor of The Australian mentions bad blood between the West Indies Cricket Board and their players, as key performers chase big money offers from domestic Twenty20 sides instead of pledging their allegiance to their national team.

West Indian batsman Chris Gayle voiced his opinion to the Daily Telegraph in 2010, saying that he wouldn’t be saddened by the death of test cricket. According to Sidharth Monga of Cricinfo, Gayle was among the first to become a ‘free agent’ and risk playing cricket for his country to be available to play cricket for domestic Twenty20 sides instead. In 2017, Gayle was recorded as the third highest paid cricketer of 2017 by Total Sportek purely based off his participation in domestic Twenty20 tournaments worldwide.

Can the ICC not expect that more known international cricketers will begin to follow in the same footsteps?

So, can Test Match cricket recover from the revolution that is Twenty20 cricket? The current answer to this question seems to be no. Whilst honour and integrity used to be more valued by international cricketers, it is evident nowadays that money talks. Players from different nationalities and different stages of their career all want an opportunity to take advantage of what domestic Twenty20 cricket has to offer.

The culture of cricket is changing, and there isn’t much that fans of Test Match cricket can do about it. It is the cricket purists that love what test cricket has to offer, but it is not the purists who pay the players the big bucks. Cricket is now far more than just a sport, it is big business.