Keeping up with the first day of the second Test at Lords yesterday on the radio, television or internet, it was hard to believe that the long form of the game is now in serious jeopardy. A capacity crowd relished the miserably unfamiliar sight of England’s batsmen setting about the Australian attack, at least until tea. But behind the screens, many of the game’s luminaries who sit on the MCC’s world cricket committee had just spent two days deliberating on ways of saving Test cricket.
They concluded that something had to be done, fast. They are right. When even a cricket-obsessed nation like India can no longer fill its grounds for a five-day match, while the highly competitive 20-over version of the game has cash swilling into its organiser’s bank accounts, it is clear there is a problem.
I agree test cricket is on its way out and other forms like the ODI's and 20/20 will take over permanently. yes every now and than test cricket arouses interest because something special is going on but overall the interest is dwindling and it is the age when people want quick results, not a 5 day draw.
5 day draws are pretty rare now (with the exception of run-fests in Pakistan). T20 indeed is interesting, but Test cricket has become infinitely more interesting in the past decade or so, primarily because of Australia's ruthless efficiency in finishing off the games early. Even the recent Aus-Eng draw (1st Test, Ashes 2009) was a nail-biter, despite being a draw.
T20 is more suited to bring in audiences to which cricket is an alien sport. If cricket is to gain ground in USA and other countries, then T20 is the ideal format. With the attention spans getting shorter, it is extremely difficult to keep the audience's interest alive if the game lasts more than 3 hours, especially in an unfamiliar sport.
There is also a responsibility of the cricket boards to do something about the situation. Infact a lot of youngsters can be attracted to the game, by the method suggested by Sachin Tendulkar.
Let children and students be allowed free into the test matches. This is a wonderful way of filling up the stadiums and also keeps the youngsters intrested in the game. The board's revenue is not affected much as most of the money is earned by TV commercials.