LONDON: Even as the world is busy constantly debating if Test matches should be turned to 4-day affairs to make them more interesting, former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that quality of pitches and spectator experience is key to preserving Test cricket.
Speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected, he said, “The keys areas I can pinpoint to one’s pitches is that if they are flat, like one in Cambridge which years ago when Jimmy Anderson got 90 odd runs from 600 balls. The games on these pitches are boring and old school. Those days have got to go in Test match cricket, 300+ score in first innings where the ball slightly dominates back making it great for viewing and crowd experience. The match gives a value add to the tickets bought and England Test match ticket are not cheap.”
Earlier, speaking to Kevin Pietersen, India skipper Virat Kohli had also made it clear that for him Tests are the real deal and the whole value of the oldest format comes with playing it over five days.
“Test cricket, Test cricket, Test cricket, Test cricket, Test cricket, I have said it five times. For me, it is the representation of life. You got to keep going when you don’t score runs, you go back in your hotel room and again get ready the next day. It is life. It has made me a better person,” he pointed.
In fact, India head coach Ravi Shastri had also said that Kohli’s love for the format is a huge boost for the next generation.
“Massive…not just for the Indian team, but the world when it comes to Test cricket. More than anything else, when a player like him endorses the game in an open manner where he is very clear what he wants out of Test cricket and that he enjoys that format the most.
“So, as a young kid watching the game, when they see a superstar embracing Tests, you will want to emulate him whether you are an Indian, English, Australian, Pakistani or Sri Lankan,” he had said.
Similarly, Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman has rejected the idea of having four-day Test matches, saying reducing the length of the game by a day will reduce the chances of it yielding the desired results.
“I am not really a fan of this four-day Test cricket, five days fits perfect because it gets more results and reducing it the four days will not achieve the desired results according to me,” Laxman said while speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Cricket Connected’ show.
“Another point aspect is the toss, especially during the overseas tour the captain from the visiting side gets to decide what he wants to choose because we want to see teams travelling and winning matches on away turf which makes it more interesting for spectators,” he added.
The ICC cricket committee is considering having four-day Tests a part of the World Test Championship from 2023. The ICC’s increasing demand for event windows, the proliferation of domestic T20 leagues, BCCI’s demands for its own sizeable share of bilateral calendar space, and the costs of staging Test series are all said to be the factors contributing to the move.
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India head coach Ravi Shastri had, in fact, termed the idea as ‘nonsense’ and said if the world body wants to trim the current format, the top six Test playing nations shouldn’t be included in the experiment.
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