ICC to consider mandatory four-day Tests

[Zero_Unit]

2 hours ago, Khota said:

If there are so many recommendations and suggestions to make it better, maybe it is a faulty product. 

 

Test cricket is a product of yester years when a boat from England would come to India in a month or so. Now it takes 7 hrs. 

 

Test Cricket . RIP. 

I may have disagreed with you with many of your ideas, but these days, you and I share the same POV 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Zero_Unit

[Khota]

3 hours ago, Audiophile said:

Although test cricket is something I cherish and growing up that is the only major form of cricket I knew, I think this format is not suitable for today's short attention fast paced life.  It is just being kept alive by players and the boards. It will soon be on life support, if not already, as evidenced by the empty stadiums. There was a time I remember going to Eden Gardens test matches and it would be completely full with 100,000 people.

Eden garden was where the action was. I have seen the place but what gets me is that Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were more pouplular but now cricket is a bigger draw.

 

Even in England and Australia it is the retired folks watching. You seldom see teenagers and the twenty crowd watching it.

Edited January 1, 2020 by Khota

[Khota]

3 hours ago, Zero_Unit said:

I may have disagreed with you with many of your ideas, but these days, you and I share the same POV 

There is no way in this global economy anyone can spare 5 days. I have hard time keeping focussed for few hours before attention deficit takes over.

[ganeshran]

If T20 and ODIs have to subsidise Test cricket, then so be it. As long as there is money in cricket, the longer format will survive and even thrive. With more sporting pitches, test cricket is way more interesting now and games are getting over in 3-4 days.

 

The problem with white ball cricket is that outside of ICC tourneys there are no stakes. The West Indies series finished last week, it's already forgotten. But test results you remember for years. I still remember our 2011-12 tours of England and Australia where we got blanked 4-0 despite just winning the world cup. Our win at perth in 2008 after the bucknor test. Our series draw in Australia, that mumbai pitch on their next visit.

 

There are white ball series on these tours too, who remembers the results/performances of players in these series off the cuff? 

[Straight Drive]

Seems like ICC are very near to what they wanted - get more money from the game of  cricket by playing more number of matches per year.

 

[Stan AF]

Let's face the obvious facts here. The younger generation has no interest in the 5 day game.

[G_B_]

I think they need to aim for 100 overs in a day if they want to make this work. 400 overs is like 4.5 days. But this might leas to injuries for bowlers.

 

Secondly pitches need to become bowler friendly. 

 

Thirdly scheduling to buffer against rain needs to be spot on.

 

Personally i dont see an impact on the win loss ratios in world cricket. Test cricket needs to first confront the home bias and the fact that only 2 to 3 match ups are competitive on paper.

[express bowling]

Any one who does not want to watch or follow test cricket need not watch or follow it. No one is forcing them to.

 

There are still lots and lots of people who see or follow test cricket. And it is the most enjoyable format for them. There was a recent poll on this on ICF and test cricket won by a huge margin over T20s and ODIs. I obviously understand that it is not the same among casual cricket watchers. But it just shows how popular test match is among hard-core fans 

 

Filled stadiums is not the only indicator of spectator interest. In fact, test cricket lovers like myself like to follow the ball out of the bowler's hand. I enjoy test cricket much more on TV and even on mobile for this reason. 

 

In this digital age, one can easily watch and follow test cricket on mobiles, while travelling or taking a break from work. Interesting parts can be watched ball by ball ( for me it is when Bumrah or Shami or any other good quality Indian fast bowler are bowling ).  

 

The fact that almost every test match of other countries, with India not involved, is on TV, just shows that there is sufficient viewer interest for this format. Otherwise they won't be broadcasted. 

 

After Cricket LOIs and football, test cricket still remains the 3rd most popular sport / format in India and other Asian countries. In England and Australia the stadiums are filled in test matches. And it is not too bad in SA.

 

FC cricket, which is basically the same format as test cricket, along with test cricket itself, build cricketing skills. Batsmen learn how to build an innings and bowlers learn how to set up batsmen. Their basic skills are developed while playing this format. Without this format, we would only get hacks like Shahid Afridi and low quality bowlers.  The Tendulkars and the Kohlis and Bumrahs and Cummins will be lost for ever.

 

Day / Night test cricket can be the biggest factor which will allow people to watch more test cricket.  This is because much more people are free in the evenings. It is unfair that tests are played during the day whereas LOIs are day / night affairs allowing more people to watch.

 

Test cricket can be made more popular by ---

 

---- Playing lots of day / night tests, not just 1 per series.

---- Having sporting pitches  ( like we had in tests in India in 2019 )  which allow good batsmen, good pacers and good spinners to do well and bringing results ... hence raising the quality of cricket.

---- Playing more tests against teams which are of a similar level.

---- Playing less tests between mismatched teams.

---- Giving incentives to people watching test cricket on TV or going to the stadium ... like a contest with big monetary incentive, whose answer can be given only if one watches a game of test cricket.

--- Test Championship is a good idea.

 

 

[Khota]

31 minutes ago, express bowling said:

Any one who does not want to watch or follow test cricket need not watch or follow it. No one is forcing them to.

 

There are still lots and lots of people who see or follow test cricket. And it is the most enjoyable format for them. There was a recent poll on this on ICF and test cricket won by a huge margin over T20s and ODIs. I obviously understand that it is not the same among casual cricket watchers. But it just shows how popular test match is among hard-core fans 

 

Filled stadiums is not the only indicator of spectator interest. In fact, test cricket lovers like myself like to follow the ball out of the bowler's hand. I enjoy test cricket much more on TV and even on mobile for this reason. 

 

In this digital age, one can easily watch and follow test cricket on mobiles, while travelling or taking a break from work. Interesting parts can be watched ball by ball ( for me it is when Bumrah or Shami or any other good quality Indian fast bowler are bowling ).  

 

The fact that almost every test match of other countries, with India not involved, is on TV, just shows that there is sufficient viewer interest for this format. Otherwise they won't be broadcasted. 

 

After Cricket LOIs and football, test cricket still remains the 3rd most popular sport / format in India and other Asian countries. In England and Australia the stadiums are filled in test matches. And it is not too bad in SA.

 

FC cricket, which is basically the same format as test cricket, along with test cricket itself, build cricketing skills. Batsmen learn how to build an innings and bowlers learn how to set up batsmen. Their basic skills are developed while playing this format. Without this format, we would only get hacks like Shahid Afridi and low quality bowlers.  The Tendulkars and the Kohlis and Bumrahs and Cummins will be lost for ever.

 

Day / Night test cricket can be the biggest factor which will allow people to watch more test cricket.  This is because much more people are free in the evenings. It is unfair that tests are played during the day whereas LOIs are day / night affairs allowing more people to watch.

 

Test cricket can be made more popular by ---

 

---- Playing lots of day / night tests, not just 1 per series.

---- Having sporting pitches  ( like we had in tests in India in 2019 )  which allow good batsmen, good pacers and good spinners to do well and bringing results ... hence raising the quality of cricket.

---- Playing more tests against teams which are of a similar level.

---- Playing less tests between mismatched teams.

---- Giving incentives to people watching test cricket on TV or going to the stadium ... like a contest with big monetary incentive, whose answer can be given only if one watches a game of test cricket.

--- Test Championship is a good idea.

 

 

 

Free market disputes everything you say.

[express bowling]

1 minute ago, Khota said:

 

Free market disputes everything you say.

 

How ?

[Khota]

3 hours ago, express bowling said:

 

How ?

No one finds it exciting enough to show up in the stands. I don't have the numbers but TV ratings probably are down too that is why sponsorship has dried up. T20 and ODI is pumping money in it. I understand your love for the format being purist and all but it is dying.

 

Look at it this way just like our mother language Sanskrit, very few people are using it but off shoots are doing fine. Maybe not the best example but just an attempt.

[express bowling]

1 hour ago, Khota said:

No one finds it exciting enough to show up in the stands.

 

That is what I explained in my original post.  Not going to the stadium does not mean lack of interest. People can and do watch tests on TVs, laptops and mobiles. And it is much more enjoyable as you can track the ball out of the bowler's hand and have the best possible viewing angle.

 

Another factor is the " day only format " so far for tests in India. People basically go to the ground when they have no work ... and that is evening time.

 

Day / Night tests are getting far more stadium spectators than " day only tests " ... both in India and away.

 

Quote

I don't have the numbers but TV ratings probably are down too that is why sponsorship has dried up.

 

If that were the case then they would not be showing on TV channels in India, tests between 2 other countries ... that too every test involving the bigger teams. It means even these tests have sufficient leadership.

 

And it is a given that tests involving India would have far higher viewership than tests not involving India.

 

Quote

T20 and ODI is pumping money in it. I understand your love for the format being purist and all but it is dying.

 

India would not play 10 tests an year on an average if it were dying.  The number would have been far lesser.

 

Moreover ... if there were no tests and FC then you would be forced to watch lots of bits and pieces players in LOIs. The proper players won't develop without tests and FC. And I know how you and many others hate bits and pieces players.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2020 by express bowling

[G_B_]

I think people are just way out of line saying test cricket in India is a dying format.

 

Fundamentally TV penetration is India is not 100% neither is 4g connection needed to watch via mobile.

 

Therefore though in % terms test cricket might be in decline, in absolute numbers it will continue to rise.

 

Test cricket in India needs to basically do a deal with schools in the area to ensure min 50% of seats are sold for free to boys and girls. 

[mancalledsting]

What tonty tonty fundamentalists fail to realise are a few hard truths:

 

 i) Cricket makes money to exist. It does not exist to make money. 

ii) There are other things in life besides metrics/buy rates and views. PornHub had one the fastest growth rates amongst all major internet websites internationally. Does that mean it has greater legitimacy as a product?

iii) Test cricket is tried, tested and durable with a following over more than 100 years. There is no such lineage in t20. In fact, t20 gathers greater relevance because of its sampling from international cricket. Now, make a round the calendar t20 league and see how sustainable that product is? It'll soon become very boring and repetitive very quick. There's only so much cheap thrill someone can take before becoming satiated. This is what happens with all cheap thrills as compared to refined and enhanced pursuits. 

[G_B_]

and i also think that there is no culture in India for supporting the local ranji team. In the UK there are people who contribute financially to the welfare of the local club (like surrey) and view atleast some cricket through the season by it t20, odi or test.  Indians i find will go fudge all to get involved in local cricket and yet will then complain when there is an international match and there are no tickets or corporate get % of seats.  What do you expect when corporate keep the state association affloat?

[ShoonyaSifar]

ICC wants to precipitate the death of the longer format, which is inevitable in the future. But more T20s is not the solution. Bilateral T20s are utterly boring and useless unless teams try out really new players and not their established stars.

 

One upside to 4 day tests is we will see very sporting pitches depending on strengths of the home side. Could end up spicing up Tests before they get taken out from calendars due to lack of viewer and hence sponsors' interest.

[mancalledsting]

Can someone please clarify how test cricket survived until 2008 (for 100 years plus) but then from 2008 onwards has become unsustainable? 

 

IPL makes x amount of money in 6 weeks. BCCI bhabus project spreading this across 52 weeks (minus holiday breaks and off season) = more cash. They see international calendar as a huge impediment and test cricket as the most vulnerable target. One of the reasons MSD the horrible test captain was persisted with so long and one of the reasons Kohli our most successful ever test captain is vilified. They don’t realise that across a longer duration the hollow product will be horribly exposed and burn out. The value in macdonalds over daal chaval is it’s sporadic and occasional consumption. Don’t forget that.

[MCcricket]

ICC let's * test cricket, instead of improving it, D/N n test championship right steps and this one no. Further effort should be made to get crowd involved with lunch break activity  n some games for spectators 

[Zero_Unit]

5 hours ago, mancalledsting said:

What tonty tonty fundamentalists fail to realise are a few hard truths:

 

 i) Cricket makes money to exist. It does not exist to make money. 

ii) There are other things in life besides metrics/buy rates and views. PornHub had one the fastest growth rates amongst all major internet websites internationally. Does that mean it has greater legitimacy as a product?

iii) Test cricket is tried, tested and durable with a following over more than 100 years. There is no such lineage in t20. In fact, t20 gathers greater relevance because of its sampling from international cricket. Now, make a round the calendar t20 league and see how sustainable that product is? It'll soon become very boring and repetitive very quick. There's only so much cheap thrill someone can take before becoming satiated. This is what happens with all cheap thrills as compared to refined and enhanced pursuits. 

The key to the answer why test cricket will die off within our lifetime is in your point 3. Being an enthusiast towards something blinds you sometimes, hides the truth from reality. Candles were very popular back in the days (for centuries) till lightbulb blew that out of the park. There are candles still being sold, that doesn't mean it's in the majority. 

 

If you can't figure out why test cricket survived for 100 years, however today, market for it is dying off, you don't understand how the market works, simple as that. Personal feelings has nothing to do with facts. People seems to point out always that lots of people still follows it, then it must still be popular. Heck, lots of people likes/have exotic pets (i.e alligator, tigers, etc) however majority has regular cats and dogs. It's the majority that decides how the market will function. Minority will still have a place in the market, but majority usually dictates which direction the company will head towards. At the end of the day, professional sports is a business, and business exists for making max profit, not min profit.

[mancalledsting]

1 hour ago, Zero_Unit said:

The key to the answer why test cricket will die off within our lifetime is in your point 3. Being an enthusiast towards something blinds you sometimes, hides the truth from reality. Candles were very popular back in the days (for centuries) till lightbulb blew that out of the park. There are candles still being sold, that doesn't mean it's in the majority. 

 

If you can't figure out why test cricket survived for 100 years, however today, market for it is dying off, you don't understand how the market works, simple as that. Personal feelings has nothing to do with facts. People seems to point out always that lots of people still follows it, then it must still be popular. Heck, lots of people likes/have exotic pets (i.e alligator, tigers, etc) however majority has regular cats and dogs. It's the majority that decides how the market will function. Minority will still have a place in the market, but majority usually dictates which direction the company will head towards. At the end of the day, professional sports is a business, and business exists for making max profit, not min profit.

What a silly reductionist argument that is predicated on the underlying assumption that somethings inherent value could only consist of its financial utility. Like I said, the market likes Pornhub more than Khan academy. Shall we give PornHub precedence? Who told you cricket is a business? Cricket is mainly about testing one's skill, temperament, gentlemanly behaviour, competition between the best and bravery. t20 performs worse in all those metrics highlighted in bold.  There are so many things in life in addition to money. Money is a means to an end, not the end. Also do you have figures to show that since the arrival of t20 that test cricket has generated less stadium and tv revenue internationally than it did in the pre t20 era? If not, then there's no reason to question its existence based on financial viability. If so, to what extent? Then we need to look at whether test cricket has been given equal footing in terms of marketing and commercial exposure. Suits some people to hoard all the power in one country rather than maintain an international game. 

Edited January 1, 2020 by mancalledsting