- The doubters and naysayers must be forced to eat the humble pie going by the way the recently concluded five-match Test series between India and Australia was patronized by the cricket fans. The record attendance witnessed during the fascinating series must definitely have warmed the cockles of the cricket experts, connoisseurs, and administrators alike. Of course, the quality competitors lining up both teams must have contributed immensely to the fans flocking to the stadiums in great numbers. Trust me, they were not disappointed at all with both the teams dishing out scintillating performances keeping the crowd exhilarating. Whoever said Test cricket is declining with less crowd thronging the stadiums to encourage players?
PC: Times Of India
- As you are aware, Test cricket continues to thrive in countries like India, Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa with other countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the West Indies competing along. It is not rocket science to infer how Test match cricket is faring in other countries where the shorter and the shortest format have taken precedence over the classical format. Of course, Indians are cricket crazy needs no further emphasis as the sport is considered no less than a religion here. Little wonder, cricketers are at par with some of the renowned celebrities of the country and showered with great love and affection. The popularity and following cricket enjoys in India drives the ICC’s revenue generation is also well known.
PC: Times Of India
- However, what must be worrying the cricket satraps is the way Test cricket is shaping up or not shaping up in some of the cricket-playing nations like Bangladesh, West Indies, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Empty stands greeting the cricketers is a depressing sight and the reason for Test cricket losing out on patronizing is because of the proliferation of white-ball leagues, especially the T20 format, offering instant slam-bang entertainment. Nonetheless, any cricketer worth his salt would vouch unequivocally that Test cricket is the ultimate form of the sport truly testing the abilities in challenging situations. Every session offering thrill-a-minute entertainment can be experienced only in the classical format. The recently concluded series Down Under proved it yet again.
PC: The Economic Times
- The moot point to ponder over here is whether Test cricket can still be found attractive enough other than in India, Australia, and England. It is well established by now that any series involving India and Australia/England will attract huge crowds since the quality on display from the world-class cricketers is mouth-watering. The same level of performance cannot be expected from say West Indies who once ruled the roost with such dominance over others. In such a scenario, talks about Tier-level Test cricket will only curtail any chance of lesser-known teams scaling up their performance if denied competing against the top teams. The ICC and the top teams should come up with a tangible solution to address this glaring anomaly forthwith.
