Morgan Suggest Four Day Tests; Richardson Two Tier Test Format

If the head honchos of the ICC are to be believed, Test cricket will not be played in the format that cricket aficionados have become accustomed to. It has to be the increasing pressure of the entertainment format, the Twenty20, that is forcing a revision of the longer version of the game.
The ICC President, David Morgan, has indicated that amongst the changes likely in Test cricket, one of the most prominent ones could be changing the format of the game from a five day Test to a four day Test.
The move is likely to make the players less comfortable in adapting to the change while also leaving room to accommodate the ODI and Twenty20 formats of the game in an already packed ICC calendar and FTP (Future Tours Programme).
It is likely to have its argument from cricket fans, especially those who worship the Test format, that it would dilute the game to feed the desires of the Twenty20 format. already the Twenty20 format is in overdrive, with another IPL just gone by in South Africa in April-May followed rather quickly by the second edition of the ICC World Twenty20 in England. The third edition is only nine months away in the Caribbean but before that, the IPL spin off, the Champions League Twenty20 will get off in October in India after the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. And Lalit Modi is keen on two IPLs now!
Not long ago, David Morgan expressed his satisfaction over how interesting Tests were in recent months with the South Africa-Australia series and the India-Australia series followed by England’s tour to India.
Perhaps there is a greater need to look at the issues of slow over rates, time wasting and home teams preparing dodo pitches rather than tinkering with the most elite format of the game.
With other boards, including the ECB and CA, looking to implement IPL-like ideas in their domestic Twenty20 tournaments, there is the clear and present danger of overcooking the goose. And now Test cricket could well be made the sacrificial lamb.
Recently Dave Richardson, former South African wicket keeper and now a key member in the ICC, hinted at a two-tier Test cricket format. The aim was to sift the pretenders from the contenders to ensure that the best teams played each other while other teams knew they had their work cut out in order to make it to the top rung.
How and when these plans remain to be implemented is to be seen. With day and night Test cricket also being discussed, one wonders how long Test cricket will survive in its purist format, which would be a shame.

(Do you want Test cricket to change? Do you think Twenty20 should be allowed to dictate how Test cricket should be played? Have your say, and get your voice heard. )

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