We have seen in another thread a spirited discussion about the relative merits of 4 day and 5 day Test cricket.
I have for many years taken a switch to 4 Day Test cricket as a given, which became a certainty when the Big Three took over world cricket. I am not going to enter into the debate as to whether 4 or 5 day cricket is better, I'm just going to take as my starting point that we will get 4 Day Test cricket. The questions now are "what will it lead to?" and "how should home boards approach it?"
I am old by the standards of this forum - I'm 50 years old. But ironically that means that I have lived through:
1. Test cricket with a rest day after day 3: this promoted faster bowling for longer periods, with bowlers and their captains knowing that they could have a day on the golf course and a second day for a change of innings before they would have to bowl again.
2. Three day and four day First Class cricket - the use of bonus points for reaching certain scores and numbers of wickets down inside 100 overs in the First Innings for both teams meant that no team in their right mind would bat beyond 100 overs in a 3 Day Match.
I would make particular reference to 3 Day County Championship cricket in the 1970's and 1980's - especially the 1970's when all of the world's greatest cricketers played 3 Day County Championship cricket.
The first thing to say is this:
Test cricket as it is currently played has evolved to be a very different game to that of days gone by. This is not some sort of untouchable treasure which will be spoiled if it is tinkered with.
Covered Pitches
Timeless Tests
Dukes Balls and Kookaburra Balls
Day/Night matches
Bouncer restrictions
Abolition of Rest Days
Helmets
Modern Drainage
Drop-in pitches in Australia
Many of these innovations have led to huge scores, excessive workloads for bowlers which have slowed down the pace of the fastest bowlers (and caused recurrent injuries) and have marginalized spin bowling outside Asia.
The best model for future 4 day Tests is probably a variation on how 3 Day County Championship matches were played.
1. Pitches
3 Day county championship cricket included greentop pitches and dusty spin wickets, and indeed Trent Bridge was half at each end - I'm not joking - because Nottinghamshire wanted a green track for Hadlee and Rice at one end and a turner for Eddie Hemmings and Dilip Doshi at the other end.
There is nothing to stop 4 day Tests from being the same, but the ICC must understand that a 4 day Test requires ten wickets to fall every day - there need to be financial punishments and ground suspensions for preparing pitches on which less than 5 wickets fall in any given day.
2. A World Test Championship Points System to Promote Results
I do actually rather miss teams being able to play out a rearguard action for a draw. It hardly happens nowadays because games are so long (on such true pitches) that the underdog always loses.
I would consider the following playing conditions for World Test Championship series:
Condition 1: all series to be played as 3 Tests within a 3-4 week period.
Condition 2: the Points system
Result Points
30 Points for a Home Test win
50 Points for an Away Test win
20 Points for a Tie
15 Points for a Draw
First Innings Points would also be awarded, as follows:
3 points for scoring 250 inside 80 overs
2 more points for scoring 300 inside 100 overs
0 additional points available for runs scored beyond 100 overs.
This would encourage declarations after 100 overs.
3 points for taking at least 6 wickets inside 80 overs
2 more points for dismissing the opposition inside 100 overs
Let's say that Australia plays India at Adelaide, and India wins the toss and bats.
If they reach 250-3 at 80 overs, India has 3 points but Australia has 0 points.
If they bat on to 100 overs, and reach 320-5, India now has 5 points and Australia has 0.
It's now almost Lunch on Day 2. There is almost no point in India batting on further, because they will make a Draw almost certain. But if they bowl, there are a further 5 bonus points available.
Let's say that India has Australia 220-5 after 70 overs. Australia has a reason to attack to get 3 Bonus Points by reaching 250 by the 80th over, while India can get 3 Bonus Points by taking the 6th wicket.
So if Australia closes at 255-6 after 80 overs at the end of Day 2, India now has 8 points and Australia has 3.
The first 20 overs of Day 3 become a New Ball shootout, with India desperate to get the last 4 wickets and Australia desperate to score another 45 runs.
That takes us up to 100 overs, 40 minutes before Lunch on Day 3. And again, Australia needs to weigh up whether to declare in order to chase the Outright Points for winning.
I cannot emphasise enough, this is not a weird new formula. This is how all the greats of the 1970s from Bedi to Gavaskar to Imran Khan to Viv Richards learned to play First Class cricket.
You can actually have more excitement in a shorter match, but the key is having a Points system which rewards performance inside 100 overs and not beyond. And having pitches tailored to seam or spin.
I have for many years taken a switch to 4 Day Test cricket as a given, which became a certainty when the Big Three took over world cricket. I am not going to enter into the debate as to whether 4 or 5 day cricket is better, I'm just going to take as my starting point that we will get 4 Day Test cricket. The questions now are "what will it lead to?" and "how should home boards approach it?"
I am old by the standards of this forum - I'm 50 years old. But ironically that means that I have lived through:
1. Test cricket with a rest day after day 3: this promoted faster bowling for longer periods, with bowlers and their captains knowing that they could have a day on the golf course and a second day for a change of innings before they would have to bowl again.
2. Three day and four day First Class cricket - the use of bonus points for reaching certain scores and numbers of wickets down inside 100 overs in the First Innings for both teams meant that no team in their right mind would bat beyond 100 overs in a 3 Day Match.
I would make particular reference to 3 Day County Championship cricket in the 1970's and 1980's - especially the 1970's when all of the world's greatest cricketers played 3 Day County Championship cricket.
The first thing to say is this:
Test cricket as it is currently played has evolved to be a very different game to that of days gone by. This is not some sort of untouchable treasure which will be spoiled if it is tinkered with.
Covered Pitches
Timeless Tests
Dukes Balls and Kookaburra Balls
Day/Night matches
Bouncer restrictions
Abolition of Rest Days
Helmets
Modern Drainage
Drop-in pitches in Australia
Many of these innovations have led to huge scores, excessive workloads for bowlers which have slowed down the pace of the fastest bowlers (and caused recurrent injuries) and have marginalized spin bowling outside Asia.
The best model for future 4 day Tests is probably a variation on how 3 Day County Championship matches were played.
1. Pitches
3 Day county championship cricket included greentop pitches and dusty spin wickets, and indeed Trent Bridge was half at each end - I'm not joking - because Nottinghamshire wanted a green track for Hadlee and Rice at one end and a turner for Eddie Hemmings and Dilip Doshi at the other end.
There is nothing to stop 4 day Tests from being the same, but the ICC must understand that a 4 day Test requires ten wickets to fall every day - there need to be financial punishments and ground suspensions for preparing pitches on which less than 5 wickets fall in any given day.
2. A World Test Championship Points System to Promote Results
I do actually rather miss teams being able to play out a rearguard action for a draw. It hardly happens nowadays because games are so long (on such true pitches) that the underdog always loses.
I would consider the following playing conditions for World Test Championship series:
Condition 1: all series to be played as 3 Tests within a 3-4 week period.
Condition 2: the Points system
Result Points
30 Points for a Home Test win
50 Points for an Away Test win
20 Points for a Tie
15 Points for a Draw
First Innings Points would also be awarded, as follows:
3 points for scoring 250 inside 80 overs
2 more points for scoring 300 inside 100 overs
0 additional points available for runs scored beyond 100 overs.
This would encourage declarations after 100 overs.
3 points for taking at least 6 wickets inside 80 overs
2 more points for dismissing the opposition inside 100 overs
Let's say that Australia plays India at Adelaide, and India wins the toss and bats.
If they reach 250-3 at 80 overs, India has 3 points but Australia has 0 points.
If they bat on to 100 overs, and reach 320-5, India now has 5 points and Australia has 0.
It's now almost Lunch on Day 2. There is almost no point in India batting on further, because they will make a Draw almost certain. But if they bowl, there are a further 5 bonus points available.
Let's say that India has Australia 220-5 after 70 overs. Australia has a reason to attack to get 3 Bonus Points by reaching 250 by the 80th over, while India can get 3 Bonus Points by taking the 6th wicket.
So if Australia closes at 255-6 after 80 overs at the end of Day 2, India now has 8 points and Australia has 3.
The first 20 overs of Day 3 become a New Ball shootout, with India desperate to get the last 4 wickets and Australia desperate to score another 45 runs.
That takes us up to 100 overs, 40 minutes before Lunch on Day 3. And again, Australia needs to weigh up whether to declare in order to chase the Outright Points for winning.
I cannot emphasise enough, this is not a weird new formula. This is how all the greats of the 1970s from Bedi to Gavaskar to Imran Khan to Viv Richards learned to play First Class cricket.
You can actually have more excitement in a shorter match, but the key is having a Points system which rewards performance inside 100 overs and not beyond. And having pitches tailored to seam or spin.
