Test cricket is dying, let's help save it

[Santana]

What metric is this based on? Having millions-billions of Indian followers on Social media? Most cricket fans in the other top nations like Australia, England, South Africa and NZ don't care about the IPL any more. It was cool when it started but it lost its aura years ago. The relevance of the IPL is highly skewed by the population of India.

Weird post. Most cricket fans in the world are in India so how that lessens the relevance of the IPL is beyond me.

Also South Africa & NZ aren't top cricket nations when it comes to financial importance. Not a whole lot of cricket fans in either country. Hence why most casual cricket fans wouldn't know the names of their T20 comps.

 

[netslave]

There's more skill in T20....

Are we watching the same game?

 

[Some Idiot]

Weird post. Most cricket fans in the world are in India so how that lessens the relevance of the IPL is beyond me.

Also South Africa & NZ aren't top cricket nations when it comes to financial importance. Not a whole lot of cricket fans in either country. Hence why most casual cricket fans wouldn't know the names of their T20 comps.

Put it this way, the majority of cricket fans outside of India don't know or care about who performed well in the IPL any more.

But they do know and care about who has performed well at Test level. And the fans in India know and care about both. So performing well at the highest level still holds more importance than performing in the IPL.

 

[big_e]

Are we watching the same game?

More variations from the bowlers, more thoughtfulness around tactics from both sides, plus more innovative shots like ramps, etc from the batters (and reverse sweeps before they became more widely accepted). Fielding is at a higher standard because every run counts.

 

[netslave]

More variations from the bowlers, more thoughtfulness around tactics from both sides, plus more innovative shots like ramps, etc from the batters (and reverse sweeps before they became more widely accepted). Fielding is at a higher standard because every run counts.

Those are all great but a 20 over a side agricultural yoink fest pales into comparison to a 5 day test cricket match where skills are tested on a prolonged and repeated basis and endurance comes into the equation.
Each to their own I guess.

 

[Santana]

Put it this way, the majority of cricket fans outside of India don't know or care about who performed well in the IPL any more.

But they do know and care about who has performed well at Test level. And the fans in India know and care about both. So performing well at the highest level still holds more importance than performing in the IPL.

So? Most cricket fans don't live out of India.

I'm pretty sure what is most important to most of the players at the end of the day is how much money they can make. Performing in the IPL ensures they will make a lot of it. Some of you are kidding yourselves.

 

[Gethelred]

Those are all great but a 20 over a side agricultural yoink fest pales into comparison to a 5 day test cricket match where skills are tested on a prolonged and repeated basis and endurance comes into the equation.
Each to their own I guess.

Think they were saying that T20 is more skillful than baseball, not test cricket...

 

[Jibroni]

So? Most cricket fans don't live out of India.

I'm pretty sure what is most important to most of the players at the end of the day is how much money they can make. Performing in the IPL ensures they will make a lot of it. Some of you are kidding yourselves.

Problem is 80% of the games revenue comes from India.

 

[Voice of the G]

Still say T20 and 1 day cricket has ruined Maxwell,s career as a test cricketer.Should have played more tests but never given the opportunity because he was robbed of pushing his test claims because of virtually no involvement in shield cricket for the last few seasons.But money comes from T20 cricket and I am sure Maxi would have plenty of that now.

 

[netslave]

Think they were saying that T20 is more skillful than baseball, not test cricket...

If that was the case then I completely agree although I'm sure some baseball fans would have some strong arguments against

 

[big_e]

Think they were saying that T20 is more skillful than baseball, not test cricket...

I wasn't. Test cricket is about mental toughness, T20 is more skillful.

This isn't to say I prefer T20 to test cricket, in fact it's the opposite. It's the different storylines that unfold during a test, the tension that rises after a couple of maiden overs.

In Test cricket, you can leave balls outside of off stump, or block all day, waiting for the bowler to mentally break and bowl you something where you want it, so you can play the shot you want. Vice versa for the bowlers - keep bowling in the same area and wait for the batter to do something stupid. Batters are often dismissed by being worn down rather than something particularly funky by the bowler. That kind of play is skillful, but it's the same skill repeated again and again.

T20 requires both batters and bowlers to be more inventive. Bowlers have more variations than ever before. A batter who faces three balls outside off-stump will find a way to get themselves in the right spot to score off the next one, rather than wait for the bad ball.

I love that a test unfolds over (up to) five days, but that's also why it's in trouble. Money drives all sport these days, and a T20 game completed in 3.5 hours is a far easier sell to broadcasters, even potential players, in the 21st century.

 

[Gethelred]

I wasn't. Test cricket is about mental toughness, T20 is more skillful.

This isn't to say I prefer T20 to test cricket, in fact it's the opposite. It's the different storylines that unfold during a test, the tension that rises after a couple of maiden overs.

In Test cricket, you can leave balls outside of off stump, or block all day, waiting for the bowler to mentally break and bowl you something where you want it, so you can play the shot you want. Vice versa for the bowlers - keep bowling in the same area and wait for the batter to do something stupid. Batters are often dismissed by being worn down rather than something particularly funky by the bowler. That kind of play is skillful, but it's the same skill repeated again and again.

T20 requires both batters and bowlers to be more inventive. Bowlers have more variations than ever before. A batter who faces three balls outside off-stump will find a way to get themselves in the right spot to score off the next one, rather than wait for the bad ball.

I love that a test unfolds over (up to) five days, but that's also why it's in trouble. Money drives all sport these days, and a T20 game completed in 3.5 hours is a far easier sell to broadcasters, even potential players, in the 21st century.

I cannot disagree strongly enough, despite your well made argument. T20 cricket is as much a dice roll as skill, because for all your variation it is not done with as much thought as - for example - someone like Herath might've put in 4 overs worth of deliveries to drag your front leg slowly across your stumps in order to get you out LBW with his arm ball.

You vary it up for no other reason than it makes you harder to hit, contrasted with using pinpoint accuracy and mastery of your craft to slowly bring about an error. Being able to do 6+ variations as is required in T20 is noteworthy, but it is different to a bowler who can and will remove someone who refuses to budge.

They're different skillsets, but I'd prize test match skills over sheer variety alone.

 

[Gibbke]

More variations from the bowlers, more thoughtfulness around tactics from both sides, plus more innovative shots like ramps, etc from the batters (and reverse sweeps before they became more widely accepted). Fielding is at a higher standard because every run counts.

T20 creates a black hole which irretrievably sucks away bowling skills. If variation in the bowling means rank full tosses and straight half volleys, then yes, variation is a feature of T20's. I struggle to watch the BBL because the bowling is so bad. Spin bowlers like Rashid dominate because the onus is on the batsman to smash the crap out of every ball, which isn't what happens in a longer game based upon survival with little recourse in "getting away with it" knowing your team will still probably make it to 20 overs. The balance, the contest, between bat and ball is totally gone - that right there is the reason why T20 is the compromised form of the game...

 

[Pippen94]

T20 creates a black hole which irretrievably sucks away bowling skills. If variation in the bowling means rank full tosses and straight half volleys, then yes, variation is a feature of T20's. I struggle to watch the BBL because the bowling is so bad. Spin bowlers like Rashid dominate because the onus is on the batsman to smash the crap out of every ball, which isn't what happens in a longer game based upon survival. The balance, the contest, between bat and ball is totally gone - that right there is the reason why T20 is the compromised form of the game...

Bowling isn't worse in t20 just different. Look at Bravo's collection of deliveries at tell me there's no skill

 

[Gibbke]

Bowling isn't worse in t20 just different. Look at Bravo's collection of deliveries at tell me there's no skill

Watch any T20 comp and tell me the bowlers haven't taken a backward step. The bowling is worse.

 

[Leeda]

Just wondering how far I can take this…before tanking is irrelevant

 

[PhatBoy]

Bowling isn't worse in t20 just different. Look at Bravo's collection of deliveries at tell me there's no skill

There’s plenty of skill in it but give most good international level bowlers the practice he has had and they would probably be able to master similar variations. I don’t think Bravo could ever master the skillset of Anderson or Philander or other bowlers of that ‘cunning’ demographic.

Similarly there are dozens upon dozens of batsmen around who could smash the same ball to three different areas of the field in t20.

Of the elite t20 players I only see really Kohli and De Villiers as being capable of doing that and then turning around and seeing off a seaming swinging first day ball in a Test match against a good attack. Yes part of that is simply mental skill but a whole heap of it is in the body as well

 

[juss]

More variations from the bowlers, more thoughtfulness around tactics from both sides, plus more innovative shots like ramps, etc from the batters (and reverse sweeps before they became more widely accepted). Fielding is at a higher standard because every run counts.

The one thing I love about T20 is the tactical, specialist nature of it. Every ball and rub counts and its becoming akin to baseball where a player can succeed in a really niche specific role or skill. Personally I prefer this to something like test cricket where hours of play on a particular day might be pretty uneventful and meaningless to the result, but it's more of a grind of endurance and patience.

Neither are better or worse than the other, it's just what you prefer as an individual to watch.

I have no doubt in 20 years time T20 will be the most watched and played form of cricket in the world, sport follows the money, as do players.

Domestically, T20 cricket already is the leading form. The IPL, BBL, Caribbean PL, etc. are already more popular and watched than domestic one day/test forms.

Ultimately international cricket I think will be Test and T20 as the most popular formats, but T20 will rise like a rocket in popularity worldwide.

 

[juss]

Bowling isn't worse in t20 just different. Look at Bravo's collection of deliveries at tell me there's no skill

Agree. It's pretty hard to bowl when every delivery the batsmen are trying to hit you for runs. In test cricket they aren't looking to score every ball, many players touted as world class, Pujara for example, is happy to be at 10 runs from 80 odd balls and just leave/block every delivery.

 

[PhatBoy]

Agree. It's pretty hard to bowl when every delivery the batsmen are trying to hit you for runs. In test cricket they aren't looking to score every ball, many players touted as world class, Pujara for example, is happy to be at 10 runs from 80 odd balls and just leave/block every delivery.

That in itself is the challenge though how do you get a batsman out when he’s intent on taking no risks

 

[juss]

That in itself is the challenge though how do you get a batsman out when he’s intent on taking no risks

Agree. As I said one is not necessarily better/worse, it's just what an individual prefers to watch. Sport after all as consumers is for our entertainment, I enjoy T20 more than I do Test, but I appreciate the skills of both.

 

[PhatBoy]

Agree. As I said one is not necessarily better/worse, it's just what an individual prefers to watch. Sport after all as consumers is for our entertainment, I enjoy T20 more than I do Test, but I appreciate the skills of both.

I get as big a hard on seeing Chris Gayle bash some poor bloke senseless in t20 as I do - or did when it happened at least - from watching Darren Bravo channel Brian lara in a test match hundred so I get it beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think if you divided every cricketer at the start of their career into either a test or t20 career, and then five years later swapped them all over, many more from the test arena would make it in twenty20 than the other way around

 

[Seedsfan]

Only way to save test cricket is to grow the game to do this we need more equitable distributions in funding from the ICC. The USA’s plans for full membership will be huge for the game. Excited to see where Major League Cricket can get too

 

[Drunkcat]

T20 is good for people with a small brain and are just not smart enough for test cricket, Test cricket if you love cricket is so much more interesting and only the best are good at it.

 

[Seedsfan]

T20 is good for people with a small brain and are just not smart enough for test cricket, Test cricket if you love cricket is so much more interesting and only the best are good at it.

Only the best are good at it as only the best play it regularly enough