What are the best ways to save Test Cricket with the evident of T20 Cricket? Is Promotion and Relegation system the right approach to save Test Cricket?
Test cricket is the purest and oldest form of cricket, but it is currently at a crossroads. To play the traditional format of the game at the highest level, a team should have players with the optimum level of skill and intensity to perform across five days.
The number of teams with players of high quality is dwindling very fast, and it is high time that the ICC take action to make Test cricket more interesting and engaging. The advent of T20 cricket and the increasing inclination of talented and emerging players from Test-playing nations towards the shorter format can be attributed to a decline in the skill level required for Tests.
Present status of Test cricket
Though the game of cricket is played at a competitive level among 105 different countries, there are only 12 nations in the world that have Test status. The sides that play Test cricket actively are Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Ireland.
A total of 34 Test matches were played in 2023 among these nations, and it was primarily due to the introduction of the World Test Championship (WTC) tournament by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Barring Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland, every other side is required to play at least six series in a two-year cycle.
Yes, Tests are being played regularly among the top nine sides, thanks to the WTC. But the results show that there is an imbalance in the strength of those teams in Test cricket. This includes the skill set, technique, and composure, apart from being fit to play all five days over a considerable period.
For example, the recent Test match between England and West Indies lasted just a tad more than two days. The batters from West Indies (one of those countries that prefer white-ball) didn’t even manage to cross the 150-run mark in any of the innings. This comes after registering a stunning win in Australia just a few months earlier with a similar playing XI. So, it is a case of not being consistent enough to up their skills and perform at the highest level.
Read More: India lead WTC 25 Table with 68.51 PCT; Are they gearing up for a third straight Championship Final?
Interest in Test Cricket
While we touched upon teams not having the desired skill set to compete at the highest level, Test cricket is losing its stream, thanks to declining viewership. The popularity of the longest format has taken a hit outside of the traditional powerhouses like England, India, and Australia. The case is similar for other traditional teams like South Africa, New Zealand, and Pakistan as well. As a result, Test cricket faces an uphill battle to maintain its appeal and stay relevant in T20s.
The proposed promotion and relegation system
The ICC, the apex body of cricket, can bring about a promotion and relegation system, like football leagues. This system would divide the Test-playing nations into two tiers, with the top six ranked teams in the first and the remaining six placed in the second.
This arrangement would ensure that competitiveness is intact in both tiers. While the top teams, competing more often, will enhance the appeal of the game, the teams and their respective boards in the second tier will strive hard for promotion. This ensures a dynamic merit-based system that will revitalise Test cricket.
At the same time, there will be some resistance from purists and boards to the two-tier system. The risk of lower-ranked sides getting more games is also a challenge and something that needs to be worked out if such an arrangement does arise.
In the recent World Cricket Connects, hosted by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), similar views were echoed by India’s former coach Ravi Shastri, who proposed a competitive Test structure.
He said at the event, "When you don't have quality, that is when the ratings drop, there are fewer people in the crowd, it's meaningless cricket, which is the last thing the sport wants. You have 12 test-match teams. Bring it down to six or seven and have a promotion and relegation system.”
Shastri added, "You can have two tiers, but let the top six keep playing to sustain interest in Test cricket. You can spread the game in other formats, like T20."
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