Test Cricket is dead

[Gambit]

Samar Halarnkar You will never see Eden Gardens packed to the rafters again for a Test match. There, I said it. The purists may fume, and the experts may fulminate, but I believe Test cricket is ready to go the way of the Premier Padmini, the record player and the Bajaj Chetak. Everything that is iconic has a time, an era. After watching the frenetic energy, the raucous fans, the heady mix of modern glamour and cricket and the sheer number of T20 games this year, I am convinced that the era of Test cricket is nearly done. The end will not come suddenly. Test cricket will slowly fade into the night. Let me confess that I am no longer a Test match fan. The last time I saw a Test match live was, er, in 1977 in Bangalore, when Tony Greig’s Britons had a whale of a time in pre-Emergency India (they beat us 3-1). I can still hear the roar from the stands of the Chinnaswamy stadium when Chandrashekhar’s withered arm whipped the ball across at almost medium pace; I remember Bishan Singh Bedi’s languid approach to the wicket, threading his way through the umpire and the stumps — an approach I imitated for years, even when bowling to my brother with a sock-stuffed ball long after Bedi had retired. Today, when I am outside the Chinnaswamy, stuck in one of Bangalore’s interminable traffic jams, under the stately gulmohars that line the road outside, I hear that roar in the stands of my mind. You could once hear that roar up to 2 km away from the Chinnaswamy. It’s becoming hard to hear every passing year, as it is at every cricket stadium across the world. In 2004, 51 Test matches were played worldwide. In 2005, 49. In 2006, 46. In 2007, 31. In 2008, 47. In 2009, 17. Yes, I can see the spike in 2008. But it’s just that, a brave spike in the declining career graph of cricket. I know the arguments. That the numbers are a coincidence. That Test cricket schedules are not determined by the back-to-back T20 jousts we’ve been watching. That Test cricket is Test cricket and nothing will change that — except the empty stands, fading television audiences, and memories of its glory days. The cricket writer Mike Marqusee once said that cricket sometimes acts on him the way the tea-cake called a madeleine acted on Marcel Proust, triggering a hidden chain of association, an entryway to what the French novelist called ‘a vast structure of recollection’. I maintain my collection of recollections well. I remember 1983 and the great rain tree under which I tried every day to wind myself up like my hero of that moment, Malcolm Marshall. I remember cycling to college with my heart in my mouth and transistor tied to the handlebar, feeling the silence in Kanpur’s stadium when Marshall knocked the bat out of a stunned Sunil Gavaskar’s hand. It was one of the most fiery spells of fast bowling the world has seen: 8-5-9-4; Gavaskar, Gaekwad, Amarnath and Vengsarkar gone (Marshall ended with 8-66 off 32 overs). I may have stayed away from cricket stadia, but as you can tell, I was indeed a fan of Test cricket. It does not interest me anymore. The characters are gone. The bare heads (damn those helmets) are gone. The barrage of bouncers is gone. The roar is gone. The time I had to spend on Test cricket is gone. The era is gone. Really, think about it. Take this little quiz: When did you last take a train-ride for the sheer pleasure of the journey? (I can’t remember: maybe the Delhi-Kathgodam Ranikhet Express more than six years ago.) When did you last lie on the grass and stare at the clouds for half a winter’s day? (This I did four months ago, but I could manage only two days in four months; once, I did every week) When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back? (I can’t remember; I’ve seen only one movie at a cinema these last three months.) Test cricket flourished at a time when India, even if it wasn’t really a kinder, gentler place, at least moved at a kinder, gentler pace. There was time to play cricket under the rain tree, time for long drives, time to gaze at the rain, time to watch a Test match. The world changed before we realised it. The world became flatter, and we started living 24/7/365. Just when we thought we had prospered enough to enjoy the fruits of our labour came the downturn. Now, we must work harder still, our fate sealed by the SMS, BlackBerry and that tiresome thing called Twitter. Everything that isn’t now just isn’t good enough. Everything that isn’t now will pass quietly into that night — if not tonight, tomorrow. So, mourn Test cricket, if you must. One day when we wake up, it will be gone.

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[fineleg]

When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back? Memories :(( Used to do those in school days! I think we once saw 3 movies back to back in VCR (or was it VCP = video casette player, no recording possible on that)

[DomainK]

When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back? Memories :(( Used to do those in school days! I think we once saw 3 movies back to back in VCR (or was it VCP = video casette player, no recording possible on that)

I did that last week. I am a movie freak. I am a DVD freak.

[DomainK]

Similar concerns about test cricket were raised when ODI's became so popular. Test Cricket survived. I think ODIs are more in danger than test cricket.

[Params7]

I rated this joke of an article a 1. I suggest others do the same. Hindustan Times needs better article writers.

[Sooda]

Dom is right its ODIs that should be worried- ask ANY cricketer- (except for Gayle and possibly the bits and piecers like YK Pathan who dont really matter) and its Test cricket that they look forward to more than anything else. The Ashes will bring test cricket back to the forefront- i imagine the attendence for those will be impressive. As for ODIs well, i heard Agnew on 5 Live say it the other week- it takes ages to get where T20 gets to in about an hour. The last match vs WI for instance- we were always going to lose but had to endure an agonising stand between RPS and MSD as they attempted to save our pride Only to then see Morton and his cohorts win the match in next to no time. We could have done the same thing in T20 -collapsed and lost the match by 8 wkts but in half the time.

[MUMBAISKIPPER]

with the advent of 20-20,one day cricket seems boring...this ongoing series between India and WI....is there any meaning to this series?As regards Test cricket,it will stay..no doubt about that.

[saneindian]

Watch only test cricket for 3 months and then watch a t20, you wud say aah t20 is no more than gully cricket!! We are still in a hangover of t20 overdose. With no more t20s planned in near future, this phase will be over soon. Once the team starts winning again ( after losing first "live" game in ages), the joy will be back soon.

[vvvslaxman]

When is the funeral?

[Don Sharma]

When one of the teams is completely out of the match, like the last one we played in, ODIs can become really boring. For the same reason Australia introduced the bonus point system during their tri series in 2001 involving SA and NZ(me thinks), which was really a good move. Thankfully, the number of such matches has gone down considerably over the past two years. On the other hand tests are quite interesting. Most of the time you got a team battling for a draw or both the teams trying to win. I really enjoyed the Wisden Cup in Carib even though the series ended in 1-0. I think ODIs will survive so will tests.

[Bradman99]

Tests are the pinnacle of cricket. ODI's require much more skill then 20/20's also. I believe 20/20's aren't for the true cricket fans. It's good, but it should always be rated as 3rd most important. At least never more important then Tests.

[cowboysfan]

when will all this melodrama end?!!.these OTT views are just grating now.

[Lord]

Although we all love Test cricket,but it is painful to watch it being played in front of empty seats n on flat decks.it is too boring.Test Cricket needs to bring the crowds to survive.the purpose of any sport is to entertain,if Test cricket can't do that,then it'll die

[Captain of Bhangra]

Test Cricket will never die. I can see the 50 overs game may be under threat though...

[Lurker]

When did you last take a train-ride for the sheer pleasure of the journey?(I can’t remember: maybe the Delhi-Kathgodam Ranikhet Express more than six years ago.) *** Do that all the time, time permitting. A train ride is almost always better than plane ride if you have time on hand. When did you last lie on the grass and stare at the clouds for half a winter’s day?(This I did four months ago, but I could manage only two days in four months; once, I did every week) ** Quite recently really when we went out on a picnic. Would do more of these in the summer during camping trips. When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back? (I can’t remember; I’ve seen only one movie at a cinema these last three months.) *** Whats the big deal about watching cinema back to back?? More so if you are by yourself? I mean it sounds like a classic case of loserness if there is a word like that. A few weeks back I ended up watching a series of Dexter over an entire weekend, way overrated experience specially if you like to be out and abouts. Point being the writer is basically hallucinating by going over the top. All the things that he loved are still very much there, its just that he does not have time. So no the world did not change all of sudden, most of us did...which is quite understandable since we all grew up. Just as the author liked the train ride when he was a kid, I can assure you there are plenty of young kids who would be sitting by the window of a moving train, looking out and weaving their own dreams. xxx

[flamy]

When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back?

all the time and as for the OP: WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! T20>Test Cricket

[DomainK]

There are two types of fans. Purists/real fans/classical fans and those who love excitement and fireworks. The former will stay loyal to test cricket and the later will love T20s. Its ODI cricket that is losing identity. Tests will stay because there will remain a significant percentage of players and fans who would want that format over any other format any day. T20 has commercial value. ODIs are stuck somewhere in between. Purists say its not the read deal and casual fans say it lacks the excitements of T20s. Basically no one wants it. Then tournaments like Ashes and the Border-Gavaskar trophy will keep the commercial value of test matches to a level more than enough for it to survive. We all know that some times test cricket can be much more exciting than T20. Which cricket fan will not watch a Calcutta 2001? Having said that ODIs are not going to be entirely charmless. Still a Tendulkar in full flow is a mesmerizing sight in ODIs. But compared to tests, ODIs are more in danger.

[vvvslaxman]

"This "pronouncement of death" of cricket like a doctor is pure nonsense. If it is bound to die it will die. There won't be any test series. Ashes series is about to begin. SL/Pak series is about to begin. So these guys should shut up.Premature announcements by these experts should be dumped into garbage bin.

[King Tendulkar]

No one wants to watch 20/20 all year!

[The Outsider]

The author is a first rate moron as would be expected from writing in HT. The quality of journalism in India keeps sinking deeper and deeper every day. Test cricket might well die, but at least try to think why, you idiot? Try to extend your thoughts beyond the first words that happen to enter your brain while conversing with an ape.

When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back? (I can’t remember; I’ve seen only one movie at a cinema these last three months.)

Stupid git - cinema itself was supposed to die a few years back because people would supposedly watch everything at home on VCRs. Didn't it find a way to survive, so much so that cinema business in India is booming like never before. Multiplexes, foreign releases etc. etc. If Test cricket dies it will not be because of the popularity of T20 or that the times have changed argument. It will die because it will become uninteresting to watch on flat pitches and rob the game of what test cricket is supposed to - a battle between ball and bat.