Is South Africa's approach to 'de-prioritizing' Test Cricket in 2024 an insult to the World Test Championship, or should other nations follow suit?

[ElRaja]

I simply don't agree with the idea that you have to subsidise Test matches from the profits made in white ball cricket.

The WTC forces boards to do that. You yourself said that boards should pull out and play only ad hoc series and I totally agree with that. Test series should be done only bilaterally.

ODIs need more attention. The World Cup was a massive financial success and there needs to be a structured format for bilateral ODIs because this format is neither played competitively at the domestic level nowadays so going forward we need bilateral series for this.

Unlike Tests, ODIs are still profitable for smaller boards and 50 over tournaments make big money for the ICC as well

There is no justification for Test matches/WTC taking up as much of the calendar as it does now.

which is my point, either you explicitly state you want test cricket to survive and support the teams outside the big 3, or lump it and just leave the big 3 to play tests for the most part. i for one think the format is worth saving, but you cant force anyone to spend their money on it if they dont think the same way.

odi world cups are financially successful because india is involved, how often can you have an odi world cup? and whilst odi series may be profitable, t20 series clearly are more so, given how often the games are played despite no real importance or context.

 

[tahir_dj]

Pakistan has been no different in killing the test cricket. They hardly play any and if they do they play like 2 test or very rare 3 tests which is pathetic. A team should play minimum 10 to 12 tests per year. If its problem raise different squads for different formats.

 

[gazza619]

Well to be honest SA did make every effort with the NZ cricket board to flex the dates of the test series.

NZ wouldn't dare to refuse such a request from BCCI. But they can show their tiny muscles to poor cricket boards like SA.

This is just the reality of the situation. Money comes from T20s.

 

[shariqnoor]

Pakistan should follow suit and completely give up Test cricket. It's just not profitable for any nation apart from the Big 3. Plus Pakistan isn't even good at it. So why even pretend that Test cricket is important. It's not. For the boards to survive, they need T20s. SA are doing it right. Pakistan should just completely focus on white ball cricket and build their teams for that.

The players themselves will force the death of Test cricket as we have seen the likes of Haris Rauf and Trent Boult refusing to play. Turning down central contracts is just a way around for these players to skip Test cricket. Boult and Rauf are just doing lip service when they say that they want to play Test cricket but they really don't.

 

[deltexas]

Pakistan should follow suit and completely give up Test cricket. It's just not profitable for any nation apart from the Big 3. Plus Pakistan isn't even good at it. So why even pretend that Test cricket is important. It's not. For the boards to survive, they need T20s. SA are doing it right. Pakistan should just completely focus on white ball cricket and build their teams for that.

The players themselves will force the death of Test cricket as we have seen the likes of Haris Rauf and Trent Boult refusing to play. Turning down central contracts is just a way around for these players to skip Test cricket. Boult and Rauf are just doing lip service when they say that they want to play Test cricket but they really don't.

This is the harsh truth but the reality. Except the big 3 test cricket is not profitable for anyone else. Plus the younger generation is only watching t20s. There is no money in tests for both the players and the boards. So how can they keep playing it? A bitter pill to swallow for test admirers like me but u have to acknowledge the reality and the game has to evolve for new audiences.

 

[Major]

Sad to read this coming from a senior poster. Test cricket is still the real deal, its the pinnacle of the game, the origin, the real test over a longer period, real way to figure out who is truly better rather than over a 120 ball smash contest.
I thoroughly enjoyed the last test in particular even though we lost. Tests in Australia, England. South Africa, New Zealand and to an extent West Indies are will well watched by local crowds and also quite entertaining for TV viewing especially as a Pakistan fan whenever our team tours. If anything tests played in Pakistan tend to be more boring due to flat pitches (which could change perhaps with the new coaching/captain setup now).

Also one doesn't have to watch all 8 hrs all 5 days. You can watch highlights or certain sessions. Or in my case I usually watch some sessions on replay (without having seen score) while skipping ads and skipping to points where wickets fell, etc.

It might be the real test, but no one has time to watch it. Daynight test was a gimmick that no full daynight tour has ever taken place.

When I was a kid, i had the whole day to watch test games an odis, but now there isnt.

T20 was a blessing in disguise. It starts at the right time and one can enjoy a full game.

 

[jnaveen1980]

England won the 1st test last time in India by a big margin.

Then India resorted to garbage rank turners and won the series..

That was a pitch that got deteriorated as the match went on. For the record second test happened exactly at the same venue.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It might be the real test, but no one has time to watch it. Daynight test was a gimmick that no full daynight tour has ever taken place.

When I was a kid, i had the whole day to watch test games an odis, but now there isnt.

T20 was a blessing in disguise. It starts at the right time and one can enjoy a full game.

If anything you have more time to wathc than 30 years back lol Back then. No cricinfo. No streaming. Your only option was radio commentary. You sound like you allocate some 8 hours of undivided attention to a Test match. Don't think anyone other than commies and spectators would have done that. People follow Test based on the how the match goes. No country takes T20 internationals seriously. Most of the series they play D team E team.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I don't think CSA had a choice. Everyone is bashing CSA here but they have an agreement with SA20 franchises that all South African players contracted with the SA20 franchises will be ALWAYS available for SA20 (unless they are injured)

CSA tried to move this series to after SA20 but NZC did not agree. So it's neither the choice of CSA nor the players. Franchise owners rule here.

True. They care. But they have no choice. Even BCCI would send such a team if it clashes with IPL. Just that, clash will never happen. SA has to start scheduling better.

 

[greatest]

Test cricket has survived for almost 150 years. People have been talking since the 60s that it would die but despite being on crutches it's still alive. The point to think about is that would T20 survive in the next 20 years? Who knew 25 years ago that a time would come when ODI cricket would be struggling.

 

[Major]

If anything you have more time to wathc than 30 years back lol Back then. No cricinfo. No streaming. Your only option was radio commentary. You sound like you allocate some 8 hours of undivided attention to a Test match. Don't think anyone other than commies and spectators would have done that. People follow Test based on the how the match goes. No country takes T20 internationals seriously. Most of the series they play D team E team.

no one has time to watch a game on weekday.


A sport does require full attention.

T20 cricket is watched fully and enjoyed aswell. Whoever is playing, the format is enjoyed.
T20 franchise league gets alot of views and is the way forward for the game of cricket

 

[Major]

Test cricket has survived for almost 150 years. People have been talking since the 60s that it would die but despite being on crutches it's still alive. The point to think about is that would T20 survive in the next 20 years? Who knew 25 years ago that a time would come when ODI cricket would be struggling.

T20 cricket is going to be the only format surviving, this is a given.

T20 cricket revolutionized cricket. There was no franchise first class cricket or one day cricket. T20 changed the dynamics and allowed countries to have their own leagues and make money.

International cricket will survive till ICC tournaments, and the rest will hopefully be 9 months of franchise cricket

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Sambit Bal has written a good piece on this on CricInfo

Cricket will go where the fans take it, and that's all right

We're often alarmed at changes in the sport and the direction it seems to be headed in, but maybe the fear is unfounded

www.thecricketmonthly.com

Basically the fans and attendance will dictate which formats survive.

In England, which I know best, Test cricket is rated extremely highly and well attended (try getting a ticket for Lords for any of the first four days)—ask any English cricket fan would they rather win the World Cup or the Ashes and the answer is always the Ashes.

England players are defined by how they perform in that series and the captains who have won in Australia — Illingworth, Strauss etc are venerated. Much more so than say Eoin Morgan.

However, in most of the rest of the world this is not the case and inevitably the fans and money will (and should) win out.

 

[sweep_shot]

Cricket has been hijacked by shorter formats (T20, T10, Hundred etc.).

So, what are the solutions now? I think these are the potential solutions:

- Completely scrap bilateral T20 series. Players already play a lot of T20 cricket in various franchise leagues. Bilateral T20 is not needed.

- Scrap Champions Trophy. There is no need for it since there is already an ODI World Cup.

- Scrap Asia Cup. Pointless tournament that contributes to saturation of cricket.

- Franchise cricket is probably here to stay for a very long time. Boards should use franchise cricket to generate revenues.

- Keep WTC, ODI World Cup, and World T20. Arrange these once in every 4 years (including World T20).

- Reduce bilateral ODI games. Only have those before an ODI World Cup.

 

[Major]

Cricket has been hijacked by shorter formats (T20, T10, Hundred etc.).

So, what are the solutions now? I think these are the potential solutions:

- Completely scrap bilateral T20 series. Players already play a lot of T20 cricket in various franchise leagues. Bilateral T20 is not needed.

- Scrap Champions Trophy. There is no need for it since there is already an ODI World Cup.

- Scrap Asia Cup. Pointless tournament that contributes to saturation of cricket.

- Franchise cricket is probably here to stay for a very long time. Boards should use franchise cricket to generate revenues.

- Keep WTC, ODI World Cup, and World T20. Arrange these once in every 4 years (including World T20).

- Reduce bilateral ODI games. Only have those before an ODI World Cup.

If you scrap interantional t20, than how is the board suppose to make money?

Look if test series are still generating money than ok dont touch it. Let it die a slow death.

Whatever is not making money eliminate that.

 

[sweep_shot]

If you scrap interantional t20, than how is the board suppose to make money?

Look if test series are still generating money than ok dont touch it. Let it die a slow death.

Whatever is not making money eliminate that.

Boards can make money from their own franchise leagues.

Bilateral T20 is meaningless.

 

[Major]

Boards can make money from their own franchise leagues.

Bilateral T20 is meaningless.

why shouldnt boards also be making money from international T20?

 

[greatest]

If you scrap interantional t20, than how is the board suppose to make money?

Look if test series are still generating money than ok dont touch it. Let it die a slow death.

Whatever is not making money eliminate that.

All this money is generated to keep Test cricket alive. That was the purpose of inventing ODIs and T20's.
Btw, I like your DP.

 

[greatest]

Boards can make money from their own franchise leagues.

Bilateral T20 is meaningless.

Yes, bilateral T20 are a waste of time and are unessasarily eating the calendar.

 

[jnaveen1980]

no one has time to watch a game on weekday.


A sport does require full attention.

T20 cricket is watched fully and enjoyed aswell. Whoever is playing, the format is enjoyed.
T20 franchise league gets alot of views and is the way forward for the game of cricket

T20 format is for noob cricket fans, casual cricket fans. Not serious cricket fans. If you adore T20 more than longer formats then you are not a serious cricket fan.

 

[Major]

T20 format is for noob cricket fans, casual cricket fans. Not serious cricket fans. If you adore T20 more than longer formats then you are not a serious cricket fan.

bro doesnt matter what people think or how they classify fans

Thing is, you need time to watch cricket.

T20 cricket is watchable, plus i enjoy leagues more than International cricket, in international i only watch ICC tournaments. Because it has festive feeling and continues number of matches going.

You have to be without a job to be able to watch 8 hours of cricket on a weekday. As a kid, i used to watch these games, but now as an adult I only have time for the 3-4 hour game which takes place at night.

THat is how almost every sport is in the world.

 

[jnaveen1980]

bro doesnt matter what people think or how they classify fans

Thing is, you need time to watch cricket.

T20 cricket is watchable, plus i enjoy leagues more than International cricket, in international i only watch ICC tournaments. Because it has festive feeling and continues number of matches going.

You have to be without a job to be able to watch 8 hours of cricket on a weekday. As a kid, i used to watch these games, but now as an adult I only have time for the 3-4 hour game which takes place at night.

THat is how almost every sport is in the world.

I never watched a test match all my life everyday. Did you watch every single ball of Test match 20 years back? One of the greatest test matchi have ever seen in my life was Eden Gardens test. Even that match i watched only day 4 and day 5 completely staying at night. First 3 days i only caught glimpse of it. For the record it is not 8 hours. It is only 6 hours. You watch based on how you expect the session would go. You don't blindly watch each session. I am in a top IT job. I have enough time to catch anytime i want in addition to watching boat load of netflix series, streaming movies.

 

[MenInG]

Getting paid a truckload more’: Khawaja’s plan to save Test cricket

Usman Khawaja has confessed he would not still be playing Test cricket if asked to do so for the inferior wages offered by many of Australia’s opponents, and has implored global cricket chiefs to conduct an audit of where money in the game is going.

Following Steve Waugh’s impassioned plea for administrators to get serious about talent draining away from Test cricket — after South Africa named a second string team for a tour of New Zealand that clashes with their Twenty20 league — Khawaja said players were simply doing the right thing by their families.

For top Australian players, that means prioritising Test cricket because it can earn them handsome central contracts and match fees, but other nations do not offer the same incentives as the world’s richest countries.

Khawaja called for greater transparency in terms of cricket board financial positions, with the potential for subsidised central funding of poorer nations by the International Cricket Council once their true status is known.

“If I was a player from another nation and getting paid ok to play international cricket, I’m getting paid a truckload more to play T20 cricket, I’m sorry but I’m going to be playing the T20 cricket.”

“If I was a player from another nation and getting paid ok to play international cricket, I’m getting paid a truckload more to play T20 cricket, I’m sorry but I’m going to be playing the T20 cricket,” Khawaja told Fox Cricket.

“Not because it doesn’t mean anything - I love playing for my country, but it is also a case of looking after your family, doing things right. If two people get paid to do the same job and you’re getting paid twice as much at one firm and half at the other firm, you’re going to pick the one you’re getting paid [more] for.

“In my personal opinion, unfortunately the issue is that some of the other countries aren’t getting paid as well for playing international cricket. That’s just the raw facts. I know this because I’ve talked to players from other nations, I’ve asked them what their average salary is, what their match contracts are for their countries.”

Waugh has called for a universal match fee for all players taking part in Test cricket to level out disparities in earnings. Khawaja said that kind of outcome would follow logically after boards had opened up their books.

“It would be just great to see all the boards and where their finances are at,” Khawaja said. “Are they struggling, is the money going into the right places, is it going back to the players.

“We’ve got to figure out a way for them [other countries] to be incentivised to play international and particularly Test cricket. That requires transparency from all cricket boards around the world to try to figure out how to pay the players the best way they can.

“Once you can get on top of that, if you see a massive shortfall for say the Windies, they’re struggling, they’re not bringing in enough money, then world cricket needs to gather round to help. But until you get that clarity and 100% know the money isn’t being misallocated, it is hard to know.”

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins said on Tuesday that he did harbour concerns for the future of Test cricket without some further thought from those running the game.

“I don’t know what the silver bullet is, but it’d be great if there was one,” he said. “Every summer feels bigger than the last here in Australia, but obviously going overseas, that’s not the case. In some regards, I am a little bit worried at times.

“But at the same time T20 cricket has never had more supporters and I don’t think there have been more supporters in the world watching cricket. As a Test cricket lover, I wish everybody was watching Test cricket, but I’ve never seen cricket stronger than what it is at the moment.”

‘Getting paid a truckload more’: Khawaja’s plan to save Test cricket

Usman Khawaja has admitted he would not still be playing Test cricket if asked to do so for the inferior wages offered by many of Australia’s opponents, and has implored global chiefs to conduct an audit of where money in the game is going.

www.theage.com.au

 

[sweep_shot]

ICC and cricket boards need to increase incentives for playing Test. They need to offer higher perks for playing Test.

How can they do it? They need to figure that out.

 

[MenInG]

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[Chip32]

No other side takes test cricket seriously, nor are they particularly good at it, outside the big 3. Why force boards to suffer financially in the name of tradition?

Test cricket outside the big 3 and ODI's should eventually be scrapped. All you need is a T20 World Cup every 4 years. This is the only way forward if the ICC truly want cricket to become more of a global sport.

 

[Hassan A]

Shan Masood in a presser today in Sydney, Australia had following to say on South Africa's approach to field a depleted side against New Zealand in the upcoming Test tour there :

"I'm not 100% educated on the matter of what's going on but you want the strongest sides to be playing Test Cricket. Test Cricket is the pinnacle, it's the ultimate and the World Test Championship is something that's gone on for like four years and now they've been two World Test Championships, this is the third one so as a Test playing nation we'd all want that to continue and when you want that to continue all the best sides have to have to play that WTC, so it's a pity that South Africa aren't being able to send their full strength squad but hopefully somewhere down the line schedules can be made in a certain way where we see the strongest XIs playing Test cricket"

 

[pakistani pride]

Well we are so bad in Test Cricket I wouldn't even mind this. Pak only has a chance to perform and compete in white ball cricket, going further in T20s they can always compete with the best.

 

[greatest]

I never watched a test match all my life everyday. Did you watch every single ball of Test match 20 years back? One of the greatest test matchi have ever seen in my life was Eden Gardens test. Even that match i watched only day 4 and day 5 completely staying at night. First 3 days i only caught glimpse of it. For the record it is not 8 hours. It is only 6 hours. You watch based on how you expect the session would go. You don't blindly watch each session. I am in a top IT job. I have enough time to catch anytime i want in addition to watching boat load of netflix series, streaming movies.

Rightly said!
A Test is not to be watched ball by ball, it has to be experienced. Watching a few live great moments in a Test or passages of play is what makes it so memorable.

 

[greatest]

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Immense respect for Waugh. A true legend, on and off the field.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

T20 format is for noob cricket fans, casual cricket fans. Not serious cricket fans. If you adore T20 more than longer formats then you are not a serious cricket fan.

Noobs are packing out stadiums, tuning into the matches on TV and causing a mad rush for TV rights,
while real cricket fans are refreshing online test scorecards.

Which one do you think matters more to the people running the game?

There is nothing I enjoy more than watching test cricket especially played in England...but we need to recognise that it is blockbuster video in a netflix world.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pat Cummins in a presser today shared his thoughts on waning importance of Test Format:

"My hopes are that it's even stronger than it is now, in ten years' time or 20 years' time. I think in some regards leading to this Test summer, some of the question marks were against Pakistan and West Indies. We've had two fantastic Test matches against Pakistan, really well supported, big crowds,"

"So I don't think it's in as dramatic a decline as sometimes it gets spoken about. But I think there is an issue just with the amount of other cricket out there, obviously, competition for talent is higher than it's ever been,"

"Is this a defining moment in the death of test cricket. Surely the ICC along the cricket boards of India , England and Australia must step in to protect the purest form of the game. A premium ,equal match fee for all test players might be a good starting point History and tradition must count for something. If we stand by and allow profits to be the defining criteria the legacy of Bradman , Grace and Sobers will be irrelevant,"

"It's pretty obvious what the problem is. The West Indies aren't sending their full-strength side (to Australia this summer). They haven't picked a full-strength Test team for a couple of years now.

"Someone like Nicholas Pooran is really a Test batsman who doesn't play Test cricket. Jason Holder, probably their best player, is not playing now. Even Pakistan didn't send a full side (to Australia),"

"Normally each summer there's something that pops up. But all three of us (Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood) are really fresh. Even the way this summer is spread out a bit more, there's two Tests on, then a bit of a gap; then two Tests, then a bit of a gap; then New Zealand. We'll give it a chance. It's all gone pretty smoothly so far,"

 

[jnaveen1980]

Noobs are packing out stadiums, tuning into the matches on TV and causing a mad rush for TV rights,
while real cricket fans are refreshing online test scorecards.

Which one do you think matters more to the people running the game?

There is nothing I enjoy more than watching test cricket especially played in England...but we need to recognise that it is blockbuster video in a netflix world.

That is something only admin has to worry about. Not fans. Fans don't necessarily have to take the same stance of ICC. Fans still have no reason not to follow longer formats. I was merely responding to his statement "Who has time to watch Tests". T20 is short they go to such events as a family. Female audience has become higher. That is why IPL always has a huge crowd. City affiliation also plays a factor, If Crowd is the indication IPL has massive crowd compared to most internationals.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

South Africa's Board clarification on their Test squad for New Zealand tour

The Board of Cricket South Africa (CSA) notes the concerns about the composition of the Test squad that will be travelling to New Zealand later this month.

We reassure the fans that CSA has the utmost respect for the Test format as the pinnacle of the game we love.

The dates for this tour were set when the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023-2027 was finalised in 2022. The window for the SA20 had not been determined at that stage. Once it became apparent that there would be a clash, we made every effort to find another mutually suitable time-slot for this 2 Test series in consultation with New Zealand Cricket.

Regrettably the constraints imposed by the global cricket calendar rendered this impossible, as the games must be played before April 2025 as part of the World Test Championship.

We commend Head Coach, Shukri Conrad and his staff for preparing the selected players for this tour, and we are confident that they will represent the Proteas badge with honour. We wish them all the very best. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of talent that we have in South Africa.

Our schedule for the remainder of the FTP has been managed to ensure that there will not be any further clashes between our bilateral commitments and the SA20.

CSA remains fully committed to international cricket and to strengthening the SA20, a tournament that was initiated by us to help grow and sustain the game.

 

[MANU ROY]

First test match played in 1877 test match survived all these years

 

[MenInG]

Karma Strikes?

Wasn't this the Test SA were really caring about?

 

[BouncerGuy]

Mohammad Hafeez speaking during the post-game presser at the end of 3-Test match series against Australia:

“I have a suggestion for the ICC. As the ICC is issuing T20 NOCs to save T20 cricket, they should similarly prioritize saving Test cricket. They should introduce a standard match fee for all boards so that every player, whether from Australia or any other Test-playing nation, receives the same match fee. I believe there are many players and cricket boards that are drawn towards the opportunities that the T20 format offers. In general, I feel that steps should be taken to save Test cricket, just as T20 cricket is being promoted. If we implement standard match fees for all Test-playing nations, it will definitely help."​

 

[emranabbas]

WTC it self is a joke I can only take it seriously if every team plays eachother home and away

I don't see india vs pakistan

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Mohammad Hafeez speaking during the post-game presser at the end of 3-Test match series against Australia:

“I have a suggestion for the ICC. As the ICC is issuing T20 NOCs to save T20 cricket, they should similarly prioritize saving Test cricket. They should introduce a standard match fee for all boards so that every player, whether from Australia or any other Test-playing nation, receives the same match fee. I believe there are many players and cricket boards that are drawn towards the opportunities that the T20 format offers. In general, I feel that steps should be taken to save Test cricket, just as T20 cricket is being promoted. If we implement standard match fees for all Test-playing nations, it will definitely help."​

Steve Waugh suggested this too. But it's not feasible at all. This would simply mean more ICC tournaments to generate ICC revenue which is then equitably distributed for more bilateral Test series.

This will end up in a situation where we only have white ball cricket in ICC tournaments with the revenue going into bilateral Test cricket with very little bilateral white ball cricket being played

Makes no logical sense.

The only way to make Tests more feasible is to look at the cost side of things.

For the boards that can't make Test cricket profitable, allow them to host Test cricket without DRS/HawkEye/Virtual Eye/ reduce the number of cameras at the ground and go back to old school Test cricket with very little production cost.

Think of a random Test tour like SL tour of Pakistan in 1999/2000. Im sure it cost barely anything to host that Test series

You can probably convince boards like CSA and PCB to continue with Test cricket for some more time .

But the slow, inexorable death of Test cricket is absolutely inevitable.

 

[FearlessRoar]

While speaking to local Indian media, SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith disagrees with the debate suggesting that SA20 is hampering South Africa's Test cricket, he said:

"SA 20 is four weeks a year which we operate on and obviously one or two challenges happen and that’s not ideal, that should get better and better every season."

"South African cricket has made commitment that SA20 is a big part of its future and gives it a best chance to succeed. I believe it’s just four weeks a year and there would be lot of chance to play Test cricket."

"ODI cricket is going to find itself in challenging space. One format that is falling into category where people are less interested and patches of game which are going to be slow. Test cricket is always going to be enthralling and we know how much T20 they enjoy and the success it has commercially gained. So I believe between World Cups you will see ODIs getting lesser and lesser. That’s my feeling.”

 

[BouncerGuy]

The 'defining moment' that highlights the imminent death of Test cricket

There are questions that seem to pop up annually when Test cricket fills our screens, airwaves and national consciousness.

Why can't modern players bowl 90 overs in a day?

How big does the sightscreen need to be for Steve Smith to not be distracted?

What is Marnus Labuschagne going on about under the helmet at bat pad?

But one of the most crucial, existential ones is this: Is the end in sight for Test cricket and, if it's not, what can be done to arrest its slide to irrelevance?

Despite a tense and thrilling series against an underrated Pakistan side, the issue came to a head again when the make-up of the South African and West Indian teams for their January tours was revealed.

The 15-man West Indies squad includes seven uncapped players for the two-Test tour of Australia.

The Proteas, meanwhile, have named a threadbare squad, featuring seven uncapped players of their own for their tour of New Zealand, which again is only two Tests long and will be captained by a 27-year-old debutant, Neil Brand.

The relative lack of strength of the two sides is painfully obvious when you look at the experience each has under their belts.

The 15 tourists from the Caribbean have played a combined 235 Test matches — just a handful more than the 230 Tests that Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon have managed.

The 14 South Africans? Their experience amounts to just 51 Tests — which is just shy of the 52 Tests that New Zealand quick Tim Southee has played on home soil on his own.

Just two of the touring party have played Test cricket in the past year — although as we'll see, that's not a surprise given the paltry number of Tests the Proteas have lined up in.

By contrast, Australia's 13-man squad for the last two Pakistan Tests had a total of 811 caps.

The reasons for the absence of some big names is, sadly, very obvious. T20 cricket and its proliferation across the world.

"The squad has been affected by the unavailability of some key players," West Indies lead selector Desmond Haynes said in a statement.

That's one way of putting it.

Veteran ex-skipper Jason Holder opted out of the trip to focus on T20 cricket in the UAE, with an eye on this year's T20 World Cup, which will be held in the region in June.

He cites being inspired by the 2010 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies as being key to his decision.

"The main part of my decision is to prioritise playing as much T20 cricket as I can leading up to the T20 World Cup," he said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

"And of course, in doing so, there is also the opportunity to maximise your earnings.

"It all depends on what a player wants in terms of his career. It's a profession, and there's a massive window in terms of franchise cricket early in the year."

The 37-time West Indies Test captain said he was not turning his back on red-ball cricket though, and hoped to still be available to play for the West Indies in a series against England in July.

All-rounder Kyle Mayers, meanwhile, has opted to summer in South Africa, during a busy time for T20 franchise cricket.

It's becoming a common trend.

In the series just gone, Pakistan was without fast bowler Haris Rauf, who said he did not want to play Test cricket and instead came to Australia to play in the BBL for the Melbourne Renegades, while the other strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was rested for the SCG Test, ostensibly for the upcoming T20Is.

South Africa's eggs are firmly in the T20 basket too

It's an issue that has reared its head for South Africa as well.

Just three squad members from the recent drawn home series against India will make the trip, with almost all the others playing in the newly launched SA20 competition.

The SA20 league is vitally important for Cricket South Africa's (CSA) perilous finances.

The six-team competition is owned by IPL franchise owners, with CSA a majority shareholder with a vested interest in their star players being available.

"The SA20 is a four-week tournament in a whole year. We can co-exist [with Test cricket]," former South Africa captain and the SA20 boss Graeme Smith said in an interview with ESPN cricinfo.

"We need to give it [the SA20] the best chance to succeed, and for that we need to have our best players available."

Last year, South Africa pulled out of an ODI series in Australia to launch the competition, but has been tied into playing the Test series in New Zealand.

CSA did try to rearrange the tour, but it was not possible, in part due to the proximity of the Australian Test matches in New Zealand at the end of February and the subsequent IPL.

The only other window was March 2025 — which is also IPL time.

"You want to play Test cricket as a cricketer, that's for sure," Aiden Markram told ESPN cricinfo.

"It's still my most favourite format of the game. [But] ultimately, the cards have been dealt and we are unfortunately going to miss that series in New Zealand."

The other absentee for South Africa from the India series is Dean Elgar, who was captain against Australia last summer.

A big part of his decision, according to coach Shukri Conrad, is a lack of opportunity.

"The fact that we haven't got much Test cricket is part of the reason we arrived at the decision we arrived at," South Africa Test coach Shukri Conrad told reporters in Centurion ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

"Ideally, we would like to play more Test cricket because the more Test cricket we play, the more opportunity we've got to blood cricketers for the future.

"Sometimes we arrive at decisions like Dean's now because of a lack of cricket and a lack of opportunity to blood young players."

South Africa has had very few Test matches in the past year — and does not appear to have many options to play Tests in the future either.

During day one of the Boxing Day Test, much was made of a quirk of statistics that showed that Usman Khawaja had faced more balls in Test cricket in 2023 than the entire South Africa team.

That's not surprising though — Khawaja played in all 13 of the matches Australia had played, while South Africa, at that point, had played three.

The Proteas' overall total of Tests in 2023, four, is their lowest tally in a year (aside from the COVID-impacted 2020) since they played the same number in 1992 — the first year after their reintroduction to Test cricket.

Although South Africa will play more Tests in 2024, all are two-Test series and, between January 2025 and September 2026, they will not play a single red-ball match at home.

Excluding the COVID-affected year of 2020, there have been fewer Tests played this calendar year than any year since 2007.

Australia has played more Tests than any other team in 2023 with 13, while England and India are tied with the second most with eight each.

'A defining moment in the death of Test cricket'

Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh, with a screenshot of the South African Test squad, posted on Instagram that the key powers need to do more to protect Test cricket.

"Is this a defining moment in the death of Test cricket?" he wrote.

"Surely the ICC along the cricket boards of India, England and Australia must step in to protect the purest form of the game."

He suggested an equal match fee across the board as being a good starting point.

Khawaja agreed.

"Unfortunately, the issue is that some of the other countries aren't getting paid as well for playing international cricket," Khawaja told Fox Sports.

"I know this because I've talked to players from other nations.

"We've got to figure out a way for them [other countries] to be incentivised to play international and particularly Test cricket.

"That requires transparency from all cricket boards around the world to try to figure out how to pay the players the best way they can."

Waugh argued that Test cricket must not be allowed to be held to ransom.

"History and tradition must count for something," he wrote.

"If we stand by and allow profits to be the defining criteria the legacy of [Sir Don] Bradman, [WG] Grace and [Sir Garfield] Sobers will be irrelevant."

Even if they were understrength and underrated coming in, Pakistan proved themselves to be fantastic tourists.

A summer that promised little other than an endless cycle of David Warner commentaries alternating between career hagiographies and character assassinations delivered two terrific Test matches.

Can the West Indies, so comprehensively thrashed just 12 months ago, continue that trend?

In the 2022/23 ABC Cricket magazine, Trinidadian journalist Fazeer Mohammed described last year's two-Test "skirmish" as confirmation of "the general disregard for the West Indies as a Test-playing entity", writing that "two Tests is not a series, rather the reluctant fulfilment of a statutory obligation".

That being said, two Test series are, sadly, now the norm.

The last series that had three Tests in it which did not include one of Australia, India or England was when Pakistan toured South Africa in 2018/19.

Under the ICC's Future Tours Programme, not a single series will be played over more than three Tests apart from against England, India or Australia until at least March 2027.

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers said he was "not happy" that the recent series between India and the Proteas was limited to two Tests, but was clear for what was to blame.

"You have to blame the T20 cricket going around the world for that," he said on his YouTube channel.

"I do not know whom to blame, but I sense something is wrong.

"It [South Africa's inexperienced Test squad] sent shock waves around the cricketing world and has made it clear that Test cricket is under pressure, for that matter even ODI cricket and the whole system is turning around T20 cricket.

"The players, the board and coaches will turn towards where there is more money. You cannot blame them for thinking about their future with their family."

Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley said during the SCG Test that it was the "preference" to have three-Test series mandated as a minimum going forward.

"We'll keep advocating and championing that," he said.

"And then as best as we possibly can, making sure that [when it comes to] domestic T20 competitions, we minimise the overlap for those countries where it is an important source of revenue, so that every country is prioritising international — and particularly Test — cricket."

Hockley said the South Africa-New Zealand situation was "a wake-up call for everyone" but "the belief is that the two [Test cricket and T20] can coexist" blaming the clash as "suboptimal scheduling".

"I think we in Australia … have always prioritised international cricket.

"But this has shone a light and certainly we'll be working with the ICC through scheduling groups to make sure those types of clashes don't manifest.

"Test cricket is really thriving in certain countries. And in that sense, it is a bit of a two-speed economy. The challenge is that we continue to support those countries that are struggling a little bit more in terms of Test cricket."

What that support looks like, when India, Australia and England hoover up the majority of the revenue, is less clear.

"It can't continue," New Zealand wicketkeeper-turned-commentator Ian Smith told Fox Sports during the Sydney Test of the disrespect being shown to Test cricket.

"Someone has to step up to protect this great game … and it has to be the powers that do it.

"You can't just muck about with it for the sake of a bit of T20."
​

SOURCE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-16/the-death-of-test-cricket-australia-vs-west-indies/103287634

 

[AMSS]

AUS ex cricketers like steve waugh and their random admins are so tiresome talking like grand patriarch of cricket.

''wE hAvE aLWaYs pRIoRItIZed iNTerNAtiOnAl cRIckEt''

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Elite snobs from England and Australia shouldn't cry about this. They were at the forefront of pushing Hawkeye /DRS in Test cricket .

They wanted to enhance a product that they knew they could profit off while not thinking about the consequences for smaller boards.

If history and tradition are as important for you as you claim, make a bold step and let smaller boards arrange Test series without expensive ball tracking technology and camera setups.

Let's how it's received by the audiences back home when you tour these countries then

 

[BouncerGuy]

Just have a look at this scoreline and you would think that this is some minnow team playing against world-class players.

what else did we expect? Why is South Africa disrespecting Test cricket by sending such a mediocre D-class team for this tour?

RSA 162
NZ 511 & 137/2 (36) CRR: 3.81
Day 3: 3rd Session - New Zealand lead by 486 runs

 

[MenInG]

Total disrespect for Tests and also why would sponsors even give money for such a series?

 

[sweep_shot]

South Africa could've just forfeited the Test series.

This is degrading.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

SA20 has been a great league for Cricket South Africa and is quite possibly the best T20 league out there.

Nobody cares about this Test series anywhere in the world.

Bet most people don't even remember what happened when SA toured NZ last.

 

[sweep_shot]

SA20 has been a great league for Cricket South Africa and is quite possibly the best T20 league out there.

Nobody cares about this Test series anywhere in the world.

Bet most people don't even remember what happened when SA toured NZ last.

I remember last SA-NZ series.

It was 1-1. It was a very competitive series.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I remember last SA-NZ series.

It was 1-1. It was a very competitive series.

You are an active poster on a cricket forum. The casual fan hardly knows or cares for it.

 

[Pakpak]

Tests are fading.

There are two ways this could go in the next 5-10 years.

1. They eliminate all Tests except for the Ashes, India v England, and Australia v India (maybe India vs PAK too if relations are good)
2. They eliminate all Tests except for the Ashes

A different idea that came to mind was to leverage the value of India, Australia, and England.

I would create a World XI and have them tour these nations for a series. You can have a Christmas series in Australia, a winter series in India, and a summer series in England. Doesn't have to be in the same year. Pay the World XI a good sum of money to make it appealing to them and distribute the funds throughout the ICC members. It would also be less repetitive than just having Australia, India, and England play each other.

The fans will show up because of the stars that are going to be on the field against their nation. It will be a good challenge for these teams. It would also allow the ICC to make money from Tests assuming they even want to keep this format alive.

If they continue with the bilateral approach, this format stands no chance beyond the Ashes or matches involving India due to media rights.

They likely just want to scrap Tests but don't want to say it out loud. I am leaning towards them just removing Tests over time, especially when the BCCI starts running the IPL for 6+ months.

As a Pakistani absolutely no interest in seeing 2-3 token Pakistani players playing in a Wx11 vs anyone, never mind India. Total disrespect of our cricket heritage where 3 countries get this 'honor' in this nonsensical exhibition format.

 

[kingusama92]

As a Pakistani absolutely no interest in seeing 2-3 token Pakistani players playing in a Wx11 vs anyone, never mind India. Total disrespect of our cricket heritage where 3 countries get this 'honor' in this nonsensical exhibition format.

I realize it's not ideal and I even agree with you, but it's a last-ditch effort.

The format will fade anyway and then you have nothing beyond these three nations. This is cricket's Blockbuster in a Netflix world. Once the younger generation becomes the highest-earning customer, the format is done and dusted in every other country (if it's not already).

5-10 years after that ODI cricket will also die out (minus the World Cup). The trajectory is quite clear with the longer formats.

The only way to save the existing Test format and maintain the bilateral setup is to have a Test-specific window. Unfortunately, T20 leagues barely allow limited-overs international cricket breathing room let alone Test cricket getting a separate window.

 

[Croma]

South Africans have realised they are not gonna win any world cup nor World Test Championships, so have just decided not to participate to save themselves from emotional turmoil.

 

[Buffet]

South Africans have realised they are not gonna win any world cup nor World Test Championships, so have just decided not to participate to save themselves from emotional turmoil.

WTC is anyway joke format, but away tours to major countries like Aus, Eng, Ind, Pak etc used to be taken seriously by everyone.

I hate this tour. Why even send this team. Makes a mockery of test cricket.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

The worst thing about this is that South Africa's proud tradition of never losing a test series to the kiwis will end

 

[James]

so South Africa’s touring team of competition winners actually has created a slight chance of winning the second Test against New Zealand and sneaking a tied series. Some underdog story that would be.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Kagiso Rabada commented on the scheduling fiasco that rocked South African cricket during an interview with a local Indian media outlet:

"It was very very unacceptable and remains unacceptable to date. It was obviously a planning issue. It is unacceptable that is all I would say about that."

"If I can go back on that point it is not fair to go at the players. It is not fair to say that players are being picked and they got free Test caps. I don't think it is fair to put that criticism on the players. They simply got asked to go there, and at the end of the day they are not going to say no."

"That is a planning issue and it has got to do with what is happening at the higher level; what happened with Cricket South Africa. It was basically a double book, that was what it was."

"End of the day, we didn't really get a choice to even go there because of the importance of the SA20. It is like shooting yourself in the foot."

"Cricket comes from Test cricket and Test from my perspective is the best format. I would imagine all great players who play all formats would say Test cricket is their favourite format. It is the same for me as well."

 

[SportsWarrior]

Kagiso Rabada commented on the scheduling fiasco that rocked South African cricket during an interview with a local Indian media outlet:

"It was very very unacceptable and remains unacceptable to date. It was obviously a planning issue. It is unacceptable that is all I would say about that."

"If I can go back on that point it is not fair to go at the players. It is not fair to say that players are being picked and they got free Test caps. I don't think it is fair to put that criticism on the players. They simply got asked to go there, and at the end of the day they are not going to say no."

"That is a planning issue and it has got to do with what is happening at the higher level; what happened with Cricket South Africa. It was basically a double book, that was what it was."

"End of the day, we didn't really get a choice to even go there because of the importance of the SA20. It is like shooting yourself in the foot."

"Cricket comes from Test cricket and Test from my perspective is the best format. I would imagine all great players who play all formats would say Test cricket is their favourite format. It is the same for me as well."

what stopped him from withdrawing from SA20 and playing the test series? He had the opportunity to walk the talk instead of he decided to make some quick buck

 

[FearlessRoar]

what stopped him from withdrawing from SA20 and playing the test series? He had the opportunity to walk the talk instead of he decided to make some quick buck

Money stopped him,that's why he is blaming the board for poor scheduling.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Tests are still a key component of South Africa’s cricket ecosystem in, says CSA boss​

Of the last 10 Test series that the Proteas men side has played since 2020, seven comprised just two matches per series.

The remaining three have all seen a trio of battles to separate the competing teams. This is in contrast to some years ago when the Proteas were involved in mostly three- or four-match series, with the odd sprinkling of a five-match buffet for the cricket purists.

This decline in the number of Tests the Proteas have played has led to some accusations that the Cricket South Africa (CSA) hierarchy is neglecting the longest and oldest of the three existing international cricket formats.

These allegations bubbled to the surface and spilt over in early 2024, when CSA sent a team devoid of a number of regulars to compete with New Zealand in a two-match Test series. That inexperienced side was comprehensively beaten by the Black Caps, losing the tussle 2-0.

CSA faced much scrutiny for this decision, which was necessitated by the fact South Africa’s top cricketers were to represent their various franchises in the second edition of the SA20 – which took place from January to February. Many perceived the fixture clash as a middle finger to the longer-format cricket.

Remains a priority
In the aftermath, CSA defended itself saying it was doing all it could to preserve South Africa’s integrity as a competitive Test cricket side, while protecting its financial interests – which will likely be fuelled by the SA20 as the tournament continues to grow in stature and reputation.

Nevertheless, in a recent interview with Daily Maverick, CSA’s director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, said the organisation was still committed to Test cricket.

This despite the fact that T20 cricket is the one format that generates large amounts of money, owing to its overall appeal to audiences who have increasingly short attention spans. Currently, only India, Australia and England can afford to host lengthy Test series.

“There’s been quite a lot of work being done behind the scenes, at a very high level in terms of how we’re going to make sure that we keep Test cricket going. Keep it very strong,” Nkwe told Daily Maverick.

“[The hierarchy of CSA] has had a number of engagements. So, hopefully sometime this year we’ll get a report back that we’ll be able to share in terms of the future of Test cricket.

“But from our perspective, nothing has changed. Test cricket still remains a priority. It is important. Yes, [in terms of] the scheduling of it this time around, there were quite a lot of things that needed to move around. But outside of the Proteas men’s structure, we’re still trying to look for extra content.

“We’ve been quite fortunate that we’ve managed to find a lot of content for the SA ‘A’ side. Which will be driving some of the key objectives for Test cricket moving forward. It’s not like we’re not in support of Test cricket,” Nkwe said.

“We just have to keep looking at whether there are any open windows, especially where we can play white ball and red ball at the same time. Those are the sort of opportunities that we’re looking for. So that we can keep Test cricket alive.”

Nkwe also provided an update on what will come next for the Proteas Women team. They recently hosted Sri Lanka in a series that saw them lose a three-match T20 clash 2-1, before drawing 1-1 in the one-day international tussle.

The players now have a brief break before they battle with an as-yet unnamed opponent. This as they build up to participating in this year’s T20 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Bangladesh between September and October.

“There is an exciting series coming up. But we’re not in a position to announce yet. We’re just finalising a couple of things. That series will be taking place as part of the road to the T20 World Cup,” Nkwe said.

Tests are still a key component of South Africa’s cricket ecosystem in, says CSA boss

Enoch Nkwe, director of cricket at Cricket South Africa, has denied allegations that the organisation has turned its back on Test cricket

www.dailymaverick.co.za

 

[FearlessRoar]

Then why allowed players to participate in the S20 and skip the New Zealand Test series?

 

[Savak]

Pakistan will have to make a similar decision with regards to the PSL. Holding the PSL now in the Feb March April window is unsustainable because of the competition from BBL, BPL, ILT20, SA T20 and IPL. PSL cannot immediately increase finances because of the pathetic state of the Pakistani economy, economic revival does not happen overnight and instead takes place in 5-10 years and the PSL does not have the luxury of time.

Therefore the next best solution is to shift the PSL window from Feb-March-April to September-November where you will have better chances of getting good foreign players at the prices the PSL can afford. If the PCB fails to convince other boards to shift the National team fixtures to another slot i.e. Feb-March-April then the PCB will have to consider filling the Pakistani side with domestic performers and leaving the top national stars for PSL.