Who has the time to watch Test cricket these days?

[blackanhyellow]

It is a legitimate question.

I love cricket whether it is tests, ODIs, or t20s.

But it is hard to find time to watch Cricket for 7+ hours a day for 5 days straight.

I either end up only following the match on Cricinfo, Pakpassion, or the highlights after work.

I noticed a lot of PPers are test cricket elitests who call T20s mickey mouse cricket.

So my question is to them, do you guys actually watch all 5 days of a test match from start to finish? Or do you guys just catch the last days or the highlights like I do?

 

[aloo paratha]

Most of the time I can't watch the whole match because of time zones, I need my sleep

When new Zealand plays, it is the perfect time to watch as it starts at 5 pm, so I tend to watch while doing other things such as homework. Pretty entertaining in my opinion.

 

[blackanhyellow]

Most of the time I can't watch the whole match because of time zones, I need my sleep

When new Zealand plays, it is the perfect time to watch as it starts at 5 pm, so I tend to watch while doing other things such as homework. Pretty entertaining in my opinion.

I live in Canada too bro so I get your pain.

 

[CricFan2012]

Nobody, it's a dying format

 

[Last Monetarist]

If conditions are conducive to producing competitive test cricket and there isn't a huge gulf in talent between the teams that are playing, I will try and watch as much as I can. Of course, life gets in the way and you can't hope to watch every ball of each test due to the necessity of having to work. However, if I am at home and there's a good test match on, I generally will have the tv switched on and I will always have half an eye on how the match is progressing. That's how I followed the recent test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka or the one between Zimbabwe and the West Indies. I can't do that if the cricket being played is non-competitive, as was the case in the series between South Africa and Bangladesh or the one between India and Sri Lanka.

I don't watch most T20 or ODI matches unless there's a lot riding on the outcome or if I have nothing better to do. Even then if I have free time, I'd rather watch an alternate sport or a good film or a tv series instead. If I want to watch a slog-fest and I have a choice between a Pak-SL limited overs match, an India-NZ limited overs match, or a replay of a post-season baseball match I'd choose the baseball match every time.

 

[giri26]

I would watch it provided I have time. With work, family and timezones, it is hard to spend a full day in front of the TV. To be frank I haven't even watched ODI fully for years now.

 

[HateKiller]

I can't watch the whole match but still it is the most fascinating format. I want it to be played with me keeping track of it from time to time.

 

[blackanhyellow]

I can see why test cricket is dying.

People barely have time to consistently watch ODIs much less 5 days of cricket in a row.

Its funny when people get angry that PCB only schedule a 2 or 3 match test series because they want to see a 5 match test series. In reality people will probably only watch a few days of the series and catch the rest in highlights.

 

[Bilal7]

I watch a couple of hours when my favorite players/team are playing and rarely watch every ball of a test but even a single session of a good test makes for amazing viewing.

Test cricket is not for everyone, it's for people who enjoy the finer things in life and have a deep understanding and love for the game.

Even if no one watched it, it would still remain the purest, original and most challenging form of cricket.

 

[Sadevdesai]

Test Match Cricket is True Cricket ..... al this Bang Bang Cricket is fine ..... but nothing to beat a 5 day Test Match !!!

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Who had time to watch tests back in the day? People worked back then as well. Nobody watches full tests or ODIs for that matter. As long as you tune in for pivotal periods, you'll know what's happening.

 

[msb314]

Would rather watch an interesting Test than a T20.

Still prefer ODI's as my favorite format though.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Like everyone else,I don’t have time to watch every ball of a test match but when I’m free,I can watch a session.I usually follow the match on cricinfo or here.

 

[Watsupdoc]

I watch it here and there and try to catch last days, cause frankly the first few days are boring...

 

[Robert]

Haven’t been to a test match since 2004.

Never been to a ODI.

The nearest international ground is hours away now anyway.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I probably watch a session or two over the weekend. Otherwise i check scores on cricket websites.

 

[Hasan123]

Watch the highlights for most test series. As long as I am free I will watch a session or two. With other commitments it's difficult to watch every session for 5 days.

 

[RobinJay]

It isn't a matter of 'these days' no one has ever had the time to sit and watch every ball of five days worth of cricket. In fact, i'm sure no one even watches every ball of an ODI either. Cricket is that kind of a sport, I don't see how you can convince anyone to watch the whole thing unless you reduce it down to 10 overs.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

It's easier to watch test cricket these days: fast internet connections / a lot of streaming services etc.

It's not about time. It was never about that.

Do people watch whole NBA season? Or La Liga?

Highlights, news etc. do the job for me.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I usually watch all the Pakistan's Tests unless they are in Australia or New Zealand which makes it incredibly hard to wake up around 4 or 5 in the morning and 2 am for NZ. Otherwise matches in UAE, SL, WI, England i watch them all. Test cricket is relaxing to watch. You can easily study sitting infront of the TV.

Apart from that, I have a keen interest in watching Tests in England regardless of which team is playing unless it's a minnow, don't know why but something about Tests in England makes it difficult not to watch.

 

[Godhelpma]

I watch most of the sessions of pak test cricket ,and some sessions of India , aus , England too . Even if I don't watch sometimes , cricket websites tab is always open in my cell phone so I keep on checking score of matches from time to time that is for all matches, being played .Even I was checking the scores consistently of WI vs ziM series.Test cricket is always preferred option for me.

 

[blackanhyellow]

Test Match Cricket is True Cricket ..... al this Bang Bang Cricket is fine ..... but nothing to beat a 5 day Test Match !!!

Not saying I don't agree with you, but be honest how much test cricket do you actually watch?

Do you have time to watch all 5 days of a test match? In a 5 match test series that is potentially 25 days of cricket.

Its an impossible sport to follow. Most people watch occasionally watch a full day of test cricket but for the most part catch the highlights.

This is the point of this thread. People say test cricket is real cricket but dont watch it

On the other hand people actually watch "bang bang cricket".

 

[shane]

As other people have mentioned, I do not think time is a factor when it comes to watching Test cricket - people have always had other things to do with their time. It's about attention spans. Test cricket is an acquired taste. If you do not devvelop a taste for it then it is hard to stay awake for a session let alone a day. And the problem is that fewer people are interested in it these days. The idea is great, but actually watching it can be a chore.

 

[kingusama92]

I watch the highlights if PAK is playing or the Ashes are going on.

That's about it.