Why doesn't Pakistan want to focus on Test cricket?

[Varun]

The scheduled Aus tour is 3 tests....it's not so much about fancy, it's about what makes financial sense, especially when trying to bring cricket back to Pak.

The Australia series in March was going to be 2 tests, but PCB increased it to 3.

Heh, let's see if paranoid Australia come over to play even half a test in the first place.

 

[street cricketer]

That was more due to the climate and pitch conditions rather than format of the game. T20 has much more appeal for ordinary spectators, whether the purists like it or not. Why else would the arrival of the IPL have turned traditional cricket on it's head virtually overnight? Even national cricket boards can't compete, everyone is ultimately bowing to the power of the $$, or in this case RS.

In the subcontinent, you will have huge numbers flocking to mass masala commercial films and few attending artistic films with great cinematic quality. Doesn't mean the masala movies are better. A film director's legacy is always judged by the high quality movies he has made in his career and not the number of blockbuster masala movies. A cricket team's legacy is always defined to a large extent by their success in Test cricket and in ODI cricket. T20s are for fun.

 

[James]

That was more due to the climate and pitch conditions rather than format of the game. T20 has much more appeal for ordinary spectators, whether the purists like it or not. Why else would the arrival of the IPL have turned traditional cricket on it's head virtually overnight? Even national cricket boards can't compete, everyone is ultimately bowing to the power of the $$, or in this case RS.

In the subcontinent, you will have huge numbers flocking to mass masala commercial films and few attending artistic films with great cinematic quality. Doesn't mean the masala movies are better. A film director's legacy is always judged by the high quality movies he has made in his career and not the number of blockbuster masala movies. A cricket team's legacy is always defined to a large extent by their success in Test cricket and in ODI cricket. T20s are for fun.

I understand all of these points, and I too used to consider T20s to be good fun as well. I suppose my inference was that when the content and the outcome of the matches has become so utterly predictable, then even the fun element starts to feel removed.

 

[street cricketer]

I understand all of these points, and I too used to consider T20s to be good fun as well. I suppose my inference was that when the content and the outcome of the matches has become so utterly predictable, then even the fun element starts to feel removed.

It's simple for me. Test cricket is the format where the better team is most guaranteed to win more often than not. T20 cricket is the format where the better team is the least guaranteed to win and that makes it for better fun and entertainment I guess when you can have the likes of Netherlands or Ireland beating England in a T20 but at the end of the day, it's just that, fun and entertainment. Test cricket is for serious sports following and I follow the format religiously.

 

[U$ofA]

It's simple for me. Test cricket is the format where the better team is most guaranteed to win more often than not. T20 cricket is the format where the better team is the least guaranteed to win and that makes it for better fun and entertainment I guess when you can have the likes of Netherlands or Ireland beating England in a T20 but at the end of the day, it's just that, fun and entertainment. Test cricket is for serious sports following and I follow the format religiously.

My issue with test cricket fans is that though they profess their love for the format, they do not support it by showing up to game. Either in person or on tv. I am talking about the non Big3. Actually, I would include India in this too.

There seem to be a lot of test cricket supporters on this forum, yet if there is a test match in Pakistan, the staff will easily out number spectators. Even in the current Ashes test, I see a lot of empty seats. Unless there are Covid restrictions in place to keep seats empty.

I don't think the format needs any tweaking. I hope they don't do that. Just needs a different way to market it to the fans. I would say that the ICC should spearhead the effort, since they have plenty of employees with fancy titles and salaries. But I don't think the ICC wants to touch anything to do with tests with a 10 foot pole.

 

[mastimasti]

Heh, let's see if paranoid Australia come over to play even half a test in the first place.

That's entirely different to the points you were making.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

My issue with test cricket fans is that though they profess their love for the format, they do not support it by showing up to game. Either in person or on tv. I am talking about the non Big3. Actually, I would include India in this too.

There seem to be a lot of test cricket supporters on this forum, yet if there is a test match in Pakistan, the staff will easily out number spectators. Even in the current Ashes test, I see a lot of empty seats. Unless there are Covid restrictions in place to keep seats empty.

I don't think the format needs any tweaking. I hope they don't do that. Just needs a different way to market it to the fans. I would say that the ICC should spearhead the effort, since they have plenty of employees with fancy titles and salaries. But I don't think the ICC wants to touch anything to do with tests with a 10 foot pole.

Market to who? Adults already know about tests in Aus and England. Kids there too will come along with their parents. However kids in Asia and elsewhere have no time for tests, they are busy on Tikok/Instagram/Youtube or playing games on android phone. The only time they follow cricket religiously is during national T20 leagues (IPL especially for Indians).

Marketing won't make the kids and young adults watch a 5 day long match.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Argh, T20s (especially IT20s) are not on my Christmas list this year. The T20 World Cup in the UAE ended up being a bit ludicrous — basically whoever won the toss would choose to bowl first and chase the runs & would almost always win. Predictable to the point of farce.

I'm a test match fan, and really for me that is the real man's game.

 

[MenInG]

Seeing the interest in the 1st Test, seems the good ol' days of Test cricket's popularity are back again!

 

[Amjid Javed]

Seeing the interest in the 1st Test, seems the good ol' days of Test cricket's popularity are back again!

i can see the Eng and NZ home series being popular to.

Places like rawalpindi and faisalabad always have got good grounds for test cricket in past aswell.

 

[gazza619]

i can see the Eng and NZ home series being popular to.

Places like rawalpindi and faisalabad always have got good grounds for test cricket in past aswell.

Pindi stadium always looked pretty on TV even with the 500 years old PTV cameras.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan's 27 Tests from 2023 to 2027:<br><br>2023<br>2 in S Lanka<br>3 in Australia<br><br>2024<br>2 at home v W Indies<br>2 at home v Bangladesh<br>3 at home v England<br>2 in S Africa<br><br>2025<br>2 at home v S Africa<br><br>2026<br>2 in B'desh<br>2 in W Indies<br>3 in England<br>2 at home v S Lanka<br><br>2027<br>2 at home v NZ<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1559816874938056705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Rana]

Pakistan are no longer getting the big payday they receive from an India tour hence they are cutting costs by hosting or playing less Test cricket, which obviously costs a lot to host and isn’t financially sustainable unless they have a major source of income through that India series.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Money.. What else?
There is more money to be made with T20Is and ODIs.. especially T20Is.

 

[szrana007]

Should Pakistan surrender its Test status ?

Lets be honest, Pakistan's Test team is so pathetic, it can even lose to Bangladesh at home. There is no point in Pakistan playing Test cricket, when there is no interest among the people and the team is a minnow.

I see many people here questioning Bangladesh's Test status, but I actually think Pakistan should be the one that should voluntarily surrender its Test status to save itself from more embarrassments.

What do you guys think ? Discuss

 

[Champ_Pal]

Blame the pitches. Not the team or individual players. Pakistan's best bowlers are injured too. So this is pretty much their second string bowling attack. Team definitely needs to find some good batsmen, but they are not too far from being a very good team.

 

[szrana007]

Blame the pitches. Not the team or individual players. Pakistan's best bowlers are injured too. So this is pretty much their second string bowling attack. Team definitely needs to find some good batsmen, but they are not too far from being a very good team.

Give this team any pitch, and they will find a way to lose. Only bowler missing is Shaheen Afridi. You can't rely on only one bowler.

This team is a proper minnow and its embarrassing to watch them play.

 

[RyanRyan10]

Lets be honest, Pakistan's Test team is so pathetic, it can even lose to Bangladesh at home. There is no point in Pakistan playing Test cricket, when there is no interest among the people and the team is a minnow.

I see many people here questioning Bangladesh's Test status, but I actually think Pakistan should be the one that should voluntarily surrender its Test status to save itself from more embarrassments.

What do you guys think ? Discuss

They 'can't lose to Bangladesh but haven't lost one. If BD can have test status for being poor in this format for more than 2 decades then why should Pak surrender the status?

Test cricket has always had some poor teams. BTW, this match isn't over yet.

 

[szrana007]

They 'can't lose to Bangladesh but haven't lost one. If BD can have test status for being poor in this format for more than 2 decades then why should Pak surrender the status?

Test cricket has always had some poor teams. BTW, this match isn't over yet.

Problem is Pakistan is making a mockery of Test cricket by ordering lifeless pitches, playing negative boring cricket and showing no intent to win. Better to surrender Test status IMO.

 

[FearlessRoar]

It's strange that no Pakistani player is on the list

Most Tests matches:

200 - Sachin Tendulkar
188 - James Anderson
168 - Ricky Ponting
168 - Steve Waugh
167 - Stuart Broad
166 - Jacques Kallis
164 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul
164 - Rahul Dravid
161 - Alastair Cook
156 - Allan Border

 

[Statpadder Inc]

It's strange that no Pakistani player is on the list

Most Tests matches:

200 - Sachin Tendulkar
188 - James Anderson
168 - Ricky Ponting
168 - Steve Waugh
167 - Stuart Broad
166 - Jacques Kallis
164 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul
164 - Rahul Dravid
161 - Alastair Cook
156 - Allan Border

Surprising, Miandad with 124 matches is the highest. 26 players have played more test cricket than him