Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
By Sajid Sadiq
The existence of Test cricket seems to be temporal, as if a dark void engulfs a piece of it every passing second.
It is forced into submission by the cannibalistic nature of its distant cousin, T20 cricket. But perhaps this is the way the Gods intended it to be. It serves as a reminder that nothing in this world should be taken for granted. It shows how everything we are surrounded by is temporary, and that in order for us to thrive in this world, we must conquer over the things that can threaten our entire existence. Cricket in its current climate is trying to do the same thing. The irony is that it’s a threat to itself.
Cricket is stuck between trying to reach new audiences while pleasing the subset of fans that are infatuated with the longer format. It is trying to evolve, but it is stretched too thin at the same time.
Saying that Test cricket and T20 cricket are like two sides of the same coin is extremely deceptive. On a macroscopic level, the statement holds merit. They are played under largely the same set of rules, governed by the same laws and are observed by in large by the same governing body, the ICC.
But the deeper we dig, the clearer the conflict of interest between stakeholders is evident. They all face the same conundrum, which is whether cricket should stay true to its roots and preserves the right to be called a “gentlemen’s game” and not tarnish it’s pedigree, or rather move on to the more lucrative “mickey mouse” format which has the ability to attract more stakeholders and fans, all the while having a better chance to thrive for longer periods in the future.
The latest story to spiral out of the cricketing world is Adil Rashid’s decision to put first-class cricket on hold in favour of white-ball cricket.
The short of it is that despite having a decent Test record, he wants to focus on white-ball cricket in the near future as he enjoys white ball cricket more. Despite this decision, he claims that he isn’t quitting the format for good. Rashid isn’t the only one to think alongside similar lines, as within a week of Rashid’s announcement, Alex Hales announced he will also only be signing up to a white-ball contract with his county Nottinghamshire. He also wishes to focus on the shorter formats till at least the 2019 world cup.
These two players have reasonable reasons for putting their future in the longer format on hold, but their decisions highlight the conundrum at the heart of every player’s mind in modern day cricket. How do they nail the balancing act between playing as much cricket as possible, for as long as possible and keep their bodies injury free?
Test cricket is known to be taxing on the body and soul. It is aptly named in that it tests the players to their mental and physical limits. Not many players are able to perform at a consistent basis in all three forms of the game and keep their bodies fit.
There comes a time when players have to make key decisions regarding their workload and prefer their area of expertise over their weaker formats.
Perhaps the hardest part about dropping a format is not dropping the actual format, but to deal with the stigma attached with giving up on it. There is a pre-conceived notion that players who stop playing four-day or Test cricket in favour of other formats are lesser players than those who put the hard yards in the longer format. That their decision to drop the longest format is one driven by money and a desire to earn more while playing less when playing in T20 leagues. I personally don’t agree with that school of thought.
Players are entitled to decide what format they want to pursue, and if their decision is one that is driven by financial incentive, then so be it. There is certainly no shame in dropping one format of the game to focus on others, and the sooner we are able to get rid of this stigmatisation, the better.
While the news is quite sudden, it has definitely happened in the past as well. Many would still remember how Shahid Afridi decided to call it quits in the Test arena after captaining the side in just one game since being appointed captain. Shoaib Malik perhaps decided the best time to bow out of the longer format, as he did so right after being recalled into the Pakistan Test team in 2014 and scored a double hundred against England.
There are too many West Indians who have given up on the format to list here. MS Dhoni, perhaps one of the best prolific captains in LOI history, was struggling to manage his workload of playing all 3 formats, so he bowed out of Tests in the most Dhoni-esque fashion. No flashy announcement in the post-match presentation of the 3rd Test match, just a press release from BCCI. The point being, cricketers, like the rest of us, prefer doing what they are good at for as long as possible, instead of trying to meet a superficial standard that we as a cricketing fraternity have established.
Whether we like it or not, Test cricket is under distress. The amount of players turning their back on the format is more than the one’s embracing it with open arms. It’s hardly surprising, since interest in Test cricket is dwindling all over the world. Only England and Australia are able to sustain packed houses for most of the days in a Test match.
Globally, Test matches don’t generate as much revenue as the shorter formats, and under the current model they are unlikely to rectify these issues. The overseers need to do more to preserve the legacy of Test cricket and provide it with the hope of a better future. Day-night Tests seemed to be the first right step taken towards solving such problems, but we simply need more of them than we currently have scheduled in the cricketing calendar to come to a conclusion about how beneficial they are. Four day Test matches should also be experimented with to see if they yield games that can be more interesting for audiences.
The recently announced Test Championship will add some much needed context behind all games, and hopefully that will be more engaging for audiences and players alike. The list goes on and on, and it’s the ICC’s job to treat both the longer and shorter formats fairly so that one of them doesn’t cannibalise the other.
I believe that gossiping about money being the reason players stop playing the longest format isn’t a productive and worthwhile conversation. We as fans have to put our money where our mouth is. If we put the collective effort to go watch Test matches, watch them for longer at home, and make a conscious effort to promote the matches to friends and family, then eventually, more money will flow into the system and the message will be loud and clear to the cricketers and to the ICC.
We want Test cricket, we will pay for Test cricket, and we breathe Test cricket.
https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/6368/sadiq-speaks-cricket-facing-its-biggest-test
The existence of Test cricket seems to be temporal, as if a dark void engulfs a piece of it every passing second.
It is forced into submission by the cannibalistic nature of its distant cousin, T20 cricket. But perhaps this is the way the Gods intended it to be. It serves as a reminder that nothing in this world should be taken for granted. It shows how everything we are surrounded by is temporary, and that in order for us to thrive in this world, we must conquer over the things that can threaten our entire existence. Cricket in its current climate is trying to do the same thing. The irony is that it’s a threat to itself.
Cricket is stuck between trying to reach new audiences while pleasing the subset of fans that are infatuated with the longer format. It is trying to evolve, but it is stretched too thin at the same time.
Saying that Test cricket and T20 cricket are like two sides of the same coin is extremely deceptive. On a macroscopic level, the statement holds merit. They are played under largely the same set of rules, governed by the same laws and are observed by in large by the same governing body, the ICC.
But the deeper we dig, the clearer the conflict of interest between stakeholders is evident. They all face the same conundrum, which is whether cricket should stay true to its roots and preserves the right to be called a “gentlemen’s game” and not tarnish it’s pedigree, or rather move on to the more lucrative “mickey mouse” format which has the ability to attract more stakeholders and fans, all the while having a better chance to thrive for longer periods in the future.
The latest story to spiral out of the cricketing world is Adil Rashid’s decision to put first-class cricket on hold in favour of white-ball cricket.
The short of it is that despite having a decent Test record, he wants to focus on white-ball cricket in the near future as he enjoys white ball cricket more. Despite this decision, he claims that he isn’t quitting the format for good. Rashid isn’t the only one to think alongside similar lines, as within a week of Rashid’s announcement, Alex Hales announced he will also only be signing up to a white-ball contract with his county Nottinghamshire. He also wishes to focus on the shorter formats till at least the 2019 world cup.
These two players have reasonable reasons for putting their future in the longer format on hold, but their decisions highlight the conundrum at the heart of every player’s mind in modern day cricket. How do they nail the balancing act between playing as much cricket as possible, for as long as possible and keep their bodies injury free?
Test cricket is known to be taxing on the body and soul. It is aptly named in that it tests the players to their mental and physical limits. Not many players are able to perform at a consistent basis in all three forms of the game and keep their bodies fit.
There comes a time when players have to make key decisions regarding their workload and prefer their area of expertise over their weaker formats.
Perhaps the hardest part about dropping a format is not dropping the actual format, but to deal with the stigma attached with giving up on it. There is a pre-conceived notion that players who stop playing four-day or Test cricket in favour of other formats are lesser players than those who put the hard yards in the longer format. That their decision to drop the longest format is one driven by money and a desire to earn more while playing less when playing in T20 leagues. I personally don’t agree with that school of thought.
Players are entitled to decide what format they want to pursue, and if their decision is one that is driven by financial incentive, then so be it. There is certainly no shame in dropping one format of the game to focus on others, and the sooner we are able to get rid of this stigmatisation, the better.
While the news is quite sudden, it has definitely happened in the past as well. Many would still remember how Shahid Afridi decided to call it quits in the Test arena after captaining the side in just one game since being appointed captain. Shoaib Malik perhaps decided the best time to bow out of the longer format, as he did so right after being recalled into the Pakistan Test team in 2014 and scored a double hundred against England.
There are too many West Indians who have given up on the format to list here. MS Dhoni, perhaps one of the best prolific captains in LOI history, was struggling to manage his workload of playing all 3 formats, so he bowed out of Tests in the most Dhoni-esque fashion. No flashy announcement in the post-match presentation of the 3rd Test match, just a press release from BCCI. The point being, cricketers, like the rest of us, prefer doing what they are good at for as long as possible, instead of trying to meet a superficial standard that we as a cricketing fraternity have established.
Whether we like it or not, Test cricket is under distress. The amount of players turning their back on the format is more than the one’s embracing it with open arms. It’s hardly surprising, since interest in Test cricket is dwindling all over the world. Only England and Australia are able to sustain packed houses for most of the days in a Test match.
Globally, Test matches don’t generate as much revenue as the shorter formats, and under the current model they are unlikely to rectify these issues. The overseers need to do more to preserve the legacy of Test cricket and provide it with the hope of a better future. Day-night Tests seemed to be the first right step taken towards solving such problems, but we simply need more of them than we currently have scheduled in the cricketing calendar to come to a conclusion about how beneficial they are. Four day Test matches should also be experimented with to see if they yield games that can be more interesting for audiences.
The recently announced Test Championship will add some much needed context behind all games, and hopefully that will be more engaging for audiences and players alike. The list goes on and on, and it’s the ICC’s job to treat both the longer and shorter formats fairly so that one of them doesn’t cannibalise the other.
I believe that gossiping about money being the reason players stop playing the longest format isn’t a productive and worthwhile conversation. We as fans have to put our money where our mouth is. If we put the collective effort to go watch Test matches, watch them for longer at home, and make a conscious effort to promote the matches to friends and family, then eventually, more money will flow into the system and the message will be loud and clear to the cricketers and to the ICC.
We want Test cricket, we will pay for Test cricket, and we breathe Test cricket.
https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/6368/sadiq-speaks-cricket-facing-its-biggest-test
