TEST CRICKET NEEDS REFORM TO BE RELEVANT IN THE MODERN WORLD

Test cricket is in terminal decline in Australia and abroad. The shorter versions of the game, especially the 20/20 concept, are simply more exciting for spectators, more "fun" for the players themselves, and are primarily what is keeping cricket grounds commercially sustainable.

That's not to say that test cricket does not still have its place and should not continue to do so. I would not blame W. G Grace for rolling in his grave for suggesting otherwise. But for test cricket to remain commercially viable, there needs to be a few changes.

 

In particular, with due respect to tradition, the game needs to be "sped up"a bit. One option which all cricket administrators should support to achieve that is to cut the number of days test matches are played over from 5 to 4 days, like a domestic Sheffield Shield game.

 

Brisbane has lost it's "first test match of the year status" simply because there is less and less cricket fans going to the Gabba to watch the game. It highlights the peril which test cricket is in across the board.

 

Test cricket really needs to be modernized to some degree to make it the entertainment spectacle it once was, and to get a lot more people watching it and being interested it.