Lankan thoughts on Test cricket

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“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away”…. I wonder if that would happen to Test cricket too. Right at this moment the entire cricketing world is working along with their horses and men to put Test cricket back on its feet.

At the beginning it was only Test cricket sailing along resplendently till the authorities gradually discovered that all’s not right in cricket during the mid sixties. Heads were put together and the machine that they devised churned out a cricket match that could produce a definite result in just one-day instead of a game that goes on for five days and still ends in a draw. Yes, this new module had all the main ingredients that cricket should have, but, still it was not the game. Now almost half a century hence the shorter version of the game yet again has branched off to another offspring called the T20 and both siblings have produced their own Cricket World Cups with success, while the main root still lingers haplessly without such support from the authorities.

There comes another pose. Yet again I wonder if the second offspring – the T20 is the best thing that happened to cricket or the worst. Since the advent of this satanic device, the World’s cricket and its cricketers have not been the same. Spurred by the love for this segment of the game by the Cricket’s Gold Card holders India, ninety per cent of World’s cricketers of substance have been bending backwards to the lure of the rich and spoiled - T20 kid.

A panoramic view of a Test match played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. (pic Sanka Vidanagama)

How did the T20 kid become so rich? It became so rich because it was tailor made for TV requirements and to cap it all, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup and the rest is well known history.

With the very base of cricket - that being Test cricket - being challenged of its very existence, everyone is searching for a device to resurrect it. From one side the MCC Cricket Committee is pushing for a Test Championship while the ICC, still groping in the dark is searching for a way of overcoming this problem. The problem is that India – the God father of the rich kid T20 is against a Test championship.

At a recent press conference, pushed to the corner of this serious problem of Test cricket and a suitable tournament format to make it glossier to the cricketing public, Haroon Lorgat the ICC chief executive, has said it is open to an annual or biennial Test final to make the longer form of the game more exciting and attractive.

The ICC CEO agreed that it was important, to resurrect the general dwindling interest in Test Cricket and build a format that would infuse meaning for every series.

At the next Full member CEO’s meeting which will be held on November 30 and December 1 the topic of Test cricket would take front seat.

While the World was engaged in this exercise at this end the Sunday Musings also thought it was worthwhile to see what Sri Lanka Cricket’s official stand on Test cricket and what their views on this proposed Test championship were and where they stood on it.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s Interim Committee secretary Nishantha Ranatunga spelled out that the SLC gave Test cricket pride of place in its agenda and they too had discussed and devised ways of infusing interest in Test cricket and bringing spectators back on to the seats at Test matches.

He added that they were continuing with the scheme of accommodating the senior citizens at these matches – a plan mooted during the tenure of former interim committee president Jayantha Dharmadasa.

Nishantha explained unlike in countries like England, Australia or South Africa where a huge number of retired persons come over to watch Test cricket. However in countries like Sri Lanka it was economic reasons that kept the citizens away. In a short term plan they had already taken steps to promote promotions like ticket draws and banner competitions. “Further we are devising ways of promoting Test cricket where people could come in like family outings with effects of various promotional strategies”, said Ranatunga.

Ranatunga also said: “When it comes to Test cricket make sure that our players believe in this aspect of the game. (Being second in the Test rankings is also a good enough reason to keep believing in it). After we took over, we have clearly made them understand that we pay a lot of emphasis on Test cricket and so much so even for practices we give them the balls that are used at Test matches. So infrastructural and technical wise we play a lot of emphasis on Test cricket”.

When asked about where Sri Lanka officially stood on this proposed Test championship the SLC secretary said that so far the ICC has officially not spoken about the Test Championship, though economically strong countries like England, Australia and South Africa have been driving towards such a championship from outside.

The SLC secretary reiterated that in the case of such a championship they officially felt that every Test playing nation should have equal opportunity upon such a development.

“We support an agenda where there would be equal opportunities for all countries to play each other.”
However Ranatunga also saw some snags during the developing issue. He was of the view that a Test Championship could not be mooted with the present system where some countries play each other more often and some countries play more Test matches than the others. The SLC view is that if it is a championship or any other arrangement that works towards a top cricketing nation as the end result, every country should have equal opportunities of proving themselves at all given conditions over a period of time and then maybe a play off between the top four sides at neutral venues.

However on a personal note Ranatunga pointed out a very salient point. He said “Unlike a limited overs championship which could be organised in a short period of time, a Test championship can be drawn out for sometime. If it goes on for three to four years the original players who initially came into the tournament may not be there at the end. That alone may give a different twist to the balance of the tournament”. He said in conclusion.

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