The traditional format of cricket is that many players are not as keen on playing Test cricket as they are on T20 league cricket. If anyone is responsible for the current situation, it is the cricket managers and no one else. They themselves are hesitant to take necessary steps to spread Test cricket and make it more popular. Some countries have come up with new ideas to turn Test cricket into a pink ball test and play it under floodlights and this has led to a slight increase in the popularity of Test cricket, but the current situation is Getting challenged.
England batsman Johnny Bairstow gave England a miraculous innings victory on the last day of the Nottingham Test against New Zealand recently. His innings confirmed what Ben Stokes had to say about the captaincy. Ben Stokes said England needed to be more aggressive. If there was as much technical failure as the England team under Root’s dubious leadership, this line was showing that a team with a stronger attitude now became more positive with the arrival of the new England captain.
Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell believes that cricket administrators tend to marginalize Test cricket. According to Ian Chell, during an interview earlier this month, when ICC President Greg Barkley was asked about the rapid expansion of T20 cricket around the world, he said there was nothing more we could do about the spread of T20 cricket. Ian Chappell is of the opinion that his statement shows his indifference towards Test cricket. Ian Chappell already considers T-20 cricket as a big threat to Test cricket.
Barclays also said that the popularity of the T-20 would hurt bilateral cricket. If T-20 cricket goes ahead, this long format of the game will suffer, according to administrators. This underscores the main problem of most cricket managers – they are largely silent on the views of current and retired players. To develop with a positive purpose, cricket administrations should work closely with FICA, the umbrella body of international players’ associations. But they don’t seem to want that. Surprisingly, India, the largest cricket nation ever, does not have an association of players.
When Australian woman captain Mag Lanning refuted Barclays’ statement, she said: “We want to be ambitious, the cricket administration is nothing but ambitious; They just follow the money and often avoid taking steps that are in the best interest of the game. Cricket administrators should have planned an inclusive discussion a long time ago to plan for the future of the Tests. The game always depends on current players and fans, not on diversity. If the modern format of Test cricket involves playing it in fewer days and providing a more aggressive approach to providing entertainment, the old brigade should not cry for it.
As a result, administrators are increasingly programming T-20 cricket. Test cricket has become limited. However, many young cricketers have publicly said that Test cricket is the best. Many players are performing superbly in the larger format. Even so, their numbers are limited. Chappell says both Test and 50-over cricket are very good formats. It provides more entertainment if played well. Nowadays in cricket there is an emphasis on power with better bats and shorter boundaries and the position of bowlers in it becomes pitiable. If people like Barkley succeed in their endeavor, T-20 cricket will expand further. If that happens, it will mean that young players will be forced to choose a technique that offers lucrative T-20 contracts rather than a good game.