Future of Test Cricket

It is rightly said that what is constant in this Universe is “CHANGE”. The phrase aptly applies to the game of Cricket. Since its inception on international stage in the year 1897, the form and the rules of the game has continuously reformed according to the suitability and the taste of the spectators. Every sports in this world is led by its ability to make money and not by its popularity. Sports like F1 and Golf are only limited to the esoteric class but the prize money and sponsorship is biggest for these games.

Similar is the case of test cricket. Previously it used to be a 6 days sports tournament but later reduced to 5 days. Also due to the long version of its people had to wait for good 5 days for the results outcome and that also majority of times the result was a draw. Viewers lost interest in this form of cricket. Taking up the recent survey by ICC on turnaround of people for the last year the percentage viewers has dropped down to about 20%.

No doubt Test Cricket is the real test of players cricketing acumen. In history the sports was played between nations to establish harmony, to keep alive the spirit of sports and to entertain people but times have changed sports have been commercialized where the organizers and sponsors are more inclined to make huge profits rather promoting the spirit of the game. Recent and most fantastic example has been the IPL series of T20 cricket.

With time the interest and taste of the viewers has changed. People are more interested in short form of the game. The success of T20 format of the cricket in recent times explains the whole story. In this retrospect the future of Test cricket seems to be bleak and doesn’t seem to have a promising future. Even ICC may look forward to scrap this form of cricket due to its longish, boring and indecisive nature.