Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Test Cricket – A Past Glory?

In this fast paced world, people do not have the time or inclination to enjoy the intricacies of test cricket. The advent of newer and shorter versions of traditional cricket designed to attract more fans have put a damper on the test series. While changes are inevitable, one has to consider the effects of changing the traditions followed for generations. It is already quite apparent that many cricketers of today are not equipped with either the skill set or the mindset that is essential to play test cricket.
Night cricket has been proposed my many to attract viewers who cannot spare their day time. The problem with this is that there are several factors that have to be considered and moreover, there are very few venues where such an event can be conducted where weather and conditions can be maintained for a fair game.
This raises the question; can tampering with test cricket be justified? Well, as far as I am concerned the test cricket as we know is already on the verge of its downfall. I do not vote for any fundamental changes to enhance the game, but what do you think of the following ideas?

100 overs a day
I do believe that better results would draw in more crowds. A draw can be quite captivating, but only when it happens rarely. By giving the players more time it is possible for them to produce better results that will be better appreciated by the viewers. My suggestion to ensure this is to set the game to be played for a minimum of 100 overs a day. If time is the constraint then you can always start the game earlier or reduce the refreshment break times.

Set limitations on the 1st innings
How about setting limitations to the number of overs to be played in the first innings of a series? While this does change some fundamental rules of test cricket, there have been so many instances in the sub-continent where the game has inevitably culminated in a draw after just 2 or 3 days of the series due to batter friendly pitches. After careful study I did find that most teams do not reach 100 overs in their first innings at all. This negates the arguments that might be put forward by some that a limitation in the innings would limit the teams.

Brush up the rules
While it is not recommended to completely change the game rules, we could definitely brush up some of them, particularly those regarding defensive fielding and wides.
Though not much needs to be done with the off side wide which can be maintained as in the current ODIs, the rules regarding leg side wides could be slightly relaxed to encourage better bowling.
As for the defensive fielding it would be much better if some sort of limitations is set as to the number of fielders who could be positioned way back near the boundaries.
Well, these are just my ideas on how to enhance the game to make it more exciting without endangering the traditions of the game.

Posted by Rokkaz at 15:45:29 | Permalink | No Comments »