Dear Jayesh Bhai,
Kemchho.
I’m writing to you with a suggestion: either scrap the World Test Championship completely or extend the current cycle by another six months to accommodate more matches.
WTC Calendar Is Creating a Class Hierarchy
A structural gap has emerged as a result of the WTC.
As you can see from the table, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, and Bangladesh play just 12 to 14 Tests in an entire WTC cycle, most of them two-Test series.
On the other hand, the “Big Three”—England, Australia, and India play 18 to 22 matches per cycle. They also are the only nations that play a 5 Test series.
Fewer Tests Mean Fewer Records
Sangakkara. Kallis. Lara. Chanderpaul. Jayawardene. Murali. Steyn. Walsh.
They may well be the last players outside the “Big Three” to make it to the top 10 list of batsmen and bowlers in Test cricket.
If the current calendar continues, a decade from now there will not be a single player from these countries in those lists (except perhaps Murali). Not because there’s no talent, but because they don’t play enough games.
Fewer opportunities. Fewer Records. Fewer Heroes. Fewer crowds.Fewer revenue.
Downward spiral into a vicious cycle.
All these great cricketing nations are now set on a path to becoming a Zimbabwe.
The Joy of Getting Even Lies in Odds
We just finished another fantastic series of our lifetime. The score was tied 2–2, but the drawn series felt like a victory because we came back from way behind in a 5-Test series and achieved the impossible.
Now, do a thought experiment: what if this series had been only two Tests? A 1–1 result just isn’t the same. No build-up. No tension. No excitement. Just a flat, spice less outcome.
I understand we live in an age of reels and shorts, and that T20 has taken over. But did you notice we had a full house on a Monday morning at the Oval for what was probably going to be just a 5–10 overs session? There still remains a loyal audience for test cricket.
What Can We Do Now?
Scrap WTC
I know this sounds radical. But is a tournament that’s spread over two years the same as one that lasts 40 days? Does the excitement we witness in the T20 or ODI World Cups ever show up in the WTC? Can audiences stay engaged over such long timelines?
With a good intention to keep the Test cricket going, we are desperately trying to make WTC like a T20/T50 tournament. But it’s not. It’s like domestic league trophies that stretches over two years, ending in a one-off final. The audience simply doesn’t get the adrenaline fix that a 40 day tournament can give.
Why can’t we therefore simply scrap the WTC and return to bilateral calendars managed by the Boards themselves?
Else At Least Scrap These 2 Test Series And Aim For Equal Number of Matches By All Nations;
There is simply no joy in getting even when the series itself isn’t odd, forget about winning it.If we must continue with the WTC, then at least extend the cycle by 6 months and make every series a minimum of 3 Tests.
Also ensure every nation plays almost the same number of games. The current gap between Australia playing 22 matches and New Zealand playing only 14 is unfair.
With the above two changes you retain the excitement that only an odd series can bring as well as ensure players from countries other than Big three can continue to aspire to become cricketing legends.
Please do consider this Odd request to take the Lead and Draw an Even calendar.
Hari’s Curries
A Buffet of Reflections