 "Bangladesh, West Indies wins not enough to revive flagging state of Test cricket")
There are moments, both, in sports as well as in life, that bring about a sweeping change in its subject’s trajectory. Over the years, these moments — be it for a group or an individual — have completely transformed their subjects, and propelled them into dimensions yet unexplored, thus bringing about a revolution that wasn’t considered possible for a long time. Last week, Test cricket was witness to two such potentially transforming moments. [caption id=“attachment_4015119” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Bangladeshi cricketers celebrate their victory against Australia in the first Test in Dhaka. AP[/caption] First up, it was the turn of the West Indies. A team that has been in perpetual decline for a better part of this century, that outfoxed England in the second Test. A series in which no one gave them a chance to even compete, particularly after their three-day humiliation in Edgbaston, saw the West Indies do the unfathomable and level the series 1-1, with one Test to play. Within the space of a few hours, on Wednesday, Bangladesh too joined the party. Although less unexpected than a West Indies win, Bangladesh’s win over Australia — a country who shied away from touring the South Asian nation for 11 years, still ranks as one of the most significant moments in the cricketing nation’s young journey. Given the combined enormity of the two victories, it was all but natural that a large number of posts on social media would celebrate the triumph of the underdogs.
Yeah Death of Test Cricket, talk nah #ENGvsWI
— Osman Samiuddin (@OsmanSamiuddin) August 29, 2017
Test cricket getting kiss of life in the last two days!
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) August 30, 2017
Elsewhere, there were claims that Test cricket is not in danger at all, and that it is truly alive and kicking. Along with these, and many other instances that haven’t been listed here, to the uninitiated, it would seem that the problem with Test cricket revolve around it being a less thrilling, boring version of the game. That is, if it was a bit more engaging, or a bit more rivetting; as these two games were, it would bring about a wholesome change in the fortunes of the Test cricket, taking it out from the corners of obscurity to the centre of prominence. Nothing could be farther from reality. The wins by Bangladesh and West Indies should only be a catalyst for a structural change in the way problems engulfing Test cricket should be dealt. Lazily believing wins by the minnow nations as the panacea for all that is troubling with cricket’s original format is only wishful thinking; one that might lead the already struggling longest format into further irrelevance. Test cricket has generally, never had a problem of boredom or lack of competitiveness in its 150 years of existence. It has produced cricket’s most cherished contests for a very long time, even when it was a six-team world, or a 10-team one. That is to say, the nature of the contest, other than some anomalies, has never been in question. The problem, or rather a set of problems, lie somewhere else. What is the direction in which Test cricket is headed? Taking into account the step-motherly treatment of Test cricket by administrators, with T20 being their proud son, how do they see Tests fitting in the scheme of things; let’s say in 10 years maybe? As more and more IPL babies come up in different parts of the world, encroaching further upon the International calendar, where does it leave space for Test cricket? Do the powers that be wish to preserve Test cricket by playing it sparingly, as a souvenir; survived by funds ploughed back from the other format? A one-off Test, three ODIs and five T20s between two countries, is this the future of the game? Or do the cricket administrators have a different plan altogether, where it stands on its own, as a fully feasible business proposition? If that is the plan, then how does one bring crowds back to Test cricket, one of the primary sources of revenue? In the world that we live in today, it is a sad reality that watching a five-day game is not a luxury that everyone can afford, even if they wish to. Even the most ardent followers of the game do not have the time to leave their jobs and bring their family, hustling through an 8 am line, for a chance to see 22 men for five straight days. They either skimp through bits of it after work, or just read up on it. While cricket has tried to fit itself in the modern society by coming up with T20, there still remains a lot to be done to do the same with Test cricket. If the idea is to make Test cricket a standalone commodity, how it responds to the challenge of fitting into the modern world could very well determine where it ends up in the long run.
It is never about the narrative, the wonderful ebbs & flows that you & I love. It is always about commerce & that is where health is feeble https://t.co/vgOjeElveh
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 29, 2017
Other than losing some meaningless ranking points, along with some talk of this being a new low for Australia, which will be all forgotten the moment Barmy Army comes roaring in November, what exactly are the consequences of their loss to Bangladesh? Similarly, England won’t pay much for losing to West Indies, other than solidifying their reputation as a consistently inconsistent team. In another dimension, these losses would have aggravated their chances of losing out on something far more valuable than some ranking points.
Hope epic Tests are a catalyst to make Test cricket better - proper context, revenue sharing and consequences - not bumble along
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) August 30, 2017
As it stands, while the two wins by the minnows are surely historic, the fact remains that there is no change in the existing state of affairs when it comes to Test cricket. Thinking that the two wins would absolve Test cricket of all its issues is a very simplistic notion. Bangladesh and West Indies’ win were just that- truly exceptional victories by the underdogs. Let’s not burden them with the expectations of reviving Test cricket.
