Questioning the Worth: Do Three-Day Test Matches Offer Justifiable Cost-Benefit?
The thrill before a Test match commencement is still prevalent. Nowadays, the climax arrives too swiftly for traditionalists. Last week, a diverse double feature of Australia versus India in Adelaide and New Zealand versus England in Wellington unfolded like a brief Pixar Short. Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins' teams battered their oppositions in less than 72 hours. Was that engaging? There are cinematic productions that are more extended. Empty seats and wasted weekends due to early concludes leave spectators yearning for additional content.
In his column for a newspaper, former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his concern that traditional five-day Test cricket is draining the game's monetary resources. “The game is played at a frantic pace, which is why I advocate for four-day Tests. I believe the fifth day is overtaxing the game financially,” the 2005 Ashes-winning captain penned in the Daily Telegraph.
Vaughan's stance disregards some of the most nail-biting end-session thrills in red-ball cricket. Without the fifth day, there would've been no dramatic Ashes finale for Stuart Broad at the Oval, or Australian debutant Shamar Joseph's destructive spell in Brisbane, or Graeme Thorpe's heroic stand in the Karachi night. Bad weather can erase entire days, hence the argument to maintain the status quo.
One method to encapsulate the best aspects of the long-form game within the context of the 21st-century 'never-sleeping city' atmosphere is through day-night Tests. Adelaide welcomed over 51,000 spectators for the match against India, the third-largest crowd in the venue's history.
However, the game didn't make it past the midway point. The outcome was already apparent once Marnus Labuschagne made it through the night session with only one wicket lost.
Australia is the only team that have mastered the pink ball in day-night Tests, holding an undefeated record of 8-0 in South Australia. India fared better this time, managing more than 36 runs, although they were still at sea. Travis Head's magnificent century of 140 was breathtaking, but it reduced the contest to a mere formality. A one-sided soccer match still runs for 90 minutes. Test match cricket, however, can stretch out for two or three days.
Jay Shah, the newly appointed chairperson of the ICC, is not a fan of day-night Test matches. "Pink-ball Tests conclude within two days in India. This results in financial losses for spectators and broadcasters. We need to consider public sentiment. As a spectator, you purchase a ticket for five days, but the game concludes within two to three days. There is no refund," Shah said to the Times of India in the summer.
India, England, and Australia are the main consumers of the Test match cake, leaving nations outside the 'untouchable trio' to endure the five-day format and suffer in quality. The South African and West Indies teams are weakened versions of their legendary past, with Jacques Kallis and Brian Lara as distant memories.
England trounced both the West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer at home. Kumar Sangakkara needed to step back onto the field rather than take up the commentary box. Lucrative T20 franchises are more enticing for those not invested in the Test match shirt.
Test matches have transformed into mini T20 arenas in certain expansive stroke-making instances. Witness Rishabh Pant's aggressive stroke off Pat Cummins at Perth. The initial objective of occupying the crease for long periods and steadfastly batting through challenges is now just a faint ember of traditional Test cricket. Labuschagne still embodies this spirit and staged a brief mini-drama at the Adelaide Oval, batting defensively against Jasprit Bumrah. It was scoreless, edgy survival cricket at its finest. However, it's not a trendy spectacle anymore.
Former England star Kevin Pietersen links the new wave of fast-forward Tests to a decline in skill and application. “Cricket is now a 'smash and grab' game and there's a disintegration of Test match batting skill. Spending hours playing against spin is the only solution,” he wrote on X in November.
The world's top-ranked batsman Harry Brook can march onto the pitch and destroy the ball from the word go. If hitting 500 in an ODI is achievable, as Eoin Morgan has speculated, then flying out of the blocks in a Test match is a feasible strategy. Stokes and England aim to save Test cricket by incorporating drama, fireworks, and self-sacrifice to be celebrated as the sport's ultimate entertainers.
In 2023, the average run rate in Tests exceeded 3.5 for the first time in a calendar year. The stats were significantly boosted by the high-octane approach of Bazball. In matches with positive outcomes, there were approximately three days of bowling action (based on a 90-over day). It's thrilling while it lasts but leaves third and fourth-day ticket holders disappointed as they miss out on the meat of the match.
The landscape has shifted. Tolerance levels are low. Modern athletic heroes dominate playing fields and perform stunts at supersonic speeds. Nobody craves for a tie following sweats and toils. During Australia versus India in Brisbane and England versus New Zealand in Hamilton, spectators won't anticipate a riveting seven-day affair. Test matches have turned into brief series instead of long-lasting episodes.
Despite the growing popularity of T20 cricket, former England captain Michael Vaughan advocates for maintaining the traditional five-day Test matches. However, some argue that day-night Tests, like Australia's undefeated record in South Australia, can better encapsulate the long-form game within modern contexts. The newly appointed ICC chairperson, Jay Shah, cautions against pink-ball Tests due to financial losses for spectators and broadcasters. Regardless, Test matches continue to evolve, with England aiming to save the sport by incorporating drama and self-sacrifice, as seen in the high-octane approach of Bazball.
