Ashes euphoria aside, few takers for Test cricket
The recent Ashes series were a smash hit but for most Test nations five-day cricket has become an expensive pursuit
England’s battle to wrest back the urn that has remained with Australia since 2017 didn’t succeed in the end, but the just-ended Ashes series captivated the cricket world. There was hardly a dull moment in the oldest cricketing rivalry and 5,45,000 people watched this year’s five Ashes Tests – it was eight percent more than the drawn 2019 series and 14% more than the 2005 classic which hosts England won.
England’s Bazball brand of aggressive Test cricket saw their roaring comeback from 0-2 down though they fell short of sealing a series win, but the drama meant broadcaster Sky’s average viewership zoomed by almost 50% from the 2019 series, setting new peak viewership records.
Players and experts involved in the series sang paeans to Test cricket’s revival. “This is what Test cricket needed”, gushed England skipper Ben Stokes. Australia coach Andrew McDonald said “two-Test series should be put on the back burner for a minimum of three Test matches,” referring to the growing trend of playing truncated series.
Sourav Ganguly, former India skipper and BCCI president, tweeted: “rethink everyone and get this best format at its best”.
The Ashes no doubt was intense and entertaining. But this is a product driven by history, for an audience habituated to watching Test cricket. Those who feel that this series would resuscitate Tests globally and have players queuing up again to become Test cricketers though may not be getting the clear picture.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting felt the onus was on “every board, every association, every team to aspire to achieve the level of cricket played” (in Ashes 2023). But as spectacular as the Tests were, they won’t change Trent Boult’s career choice made last year. Despite his 317 Test wickets, the New Zealand fast bowler at 33 refused a national contract, risking a possible end to his Test career for being a T20 freelancer.
England batter Alex Hales, predominantly a white-ball specialist, called time on his international career on Friday aged 34. It no longer raises an alarm. Two years ago, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock quit Test cricket aged 29.
When all-rounder Kieron Pollard refused a West Indies national contract in 2010 though, it caused a stir. But Pollard was clear; he felt financially secure with his $7,50,000 IPL contract over the $80,000 annual national retainer, for a year’s efforts across formats. He saw a future with Mumbai Indians. It’s been 13 years; Pollard still serves as player-coach for the franchise across multiple T20 leagues.
“These cricket boards (NZ, WI) seldom get to host ICC events because of unfavourable time zones and remain heavily dependent on ICC’s revenue share,” a former ICC executive said. “When their players choose the franchise route, they can’t afford to match their lucrative salaries.”
SA’S MONEY MOVE
Cricket South Africa (CSA) is making efforts to stay relevant. Its T20 league, SA20 – all teams belong to IPL franchise owners - ran to packed houses in the first year and will fetch CSA over $100 million in 10 years from media rights. With salaries of over $2mn per team on offer, it features the best players from the South African circuit.
But it comes at a price. A cricketing powerhouse since their return to the international fold in the early 90s, Test cricket is no longer South Africa’s priority. They may be unable to send their best Test team to New Zealand early next year as the tour clashes with SA20.
South Africa play only six two-Test series in the current cycle, the bare minimum mandated by the World Test Championship. “It is and continues to be a difficult decision, especially for a Test-loving country such as ours. But the reality of the shrinking international calendar for bilaterals and the cost of hosting a Test influenced the decisions of most members, us included,” CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said in an email response.
With Test attendance dwindling by the day in many traditional South African Test venues, they did what they thought was best. “It is interesting to note that for the current FTP cycle, 70% of Test series (for all members) will be made up of 2-Tests,” Moseki added.
In the 2023-27 cycle, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka will play 32, 28, 27 and 25 Tests respectively as against the 43, 40 and 38 England, Australia and India respectively will. The Big Three are the only Test nations competing in five-Test series, among themselves.
LUKEWARM RESPONSE IN INDIA
Unlike England and Australia fans, Indian supporters aren’t exactly enthused by Test cricket. With little imagination in scheduling, Tests in India often draw sparse crowds. BCCI’s media-rights tender for bilateral cricket for the new cycle has been floated, but there is hardly the buzz IPL tenders generate.
“To its credit, BCCI has still scheduled more Tests, subsidised by IPL riches. If India played less, we wouldn’t complain,” said one Indian broadcaster.
On the bottom rung of the Test ladder, Zimbabwe and new entrants Afghanistan and Ireland collectively played only 18 Tests in the four-year span of the last two WTC cycles.
Recently, the cricket committee of Marylebone Cricket Club – custodians of the game's laws – led by former England skipper Mike Gatting recommended creating a Test cricket fund. ICC has left the issue untouched.
ICC is happy with its expanded white-ball events programme. “We’re fortunate in some respects that we’ve got other forms of the game that can help us sustain, particularly financially, Test cricket because with the exception of maybe one or two series, it is effectively loss making for member boards,” ICC chairman Greg Barclay told BBC last year. “It may well be that there’s less Test cricket, and some countries will just have to make room and play less Test cricket.”
Well, they already have.
England’s battle to wrest back the urn that has remained with Australia since 2017 didn’t succeed in the end, but the just-ended Ashes series captivated the cricket world. There was hardly a dull moment in the oldest cricketing rivalry and 5,45,000 people watched this year’s five Ashes Tests – it was eight percent more than the drawn 2019 series and 14% more than the 2005 classic which hosts England won.
England’s Bazball brand of aggressive Test cricket saw their roaring comeback from 0-2 down though they fell short of sealing a series win, but the drama meant broadcaster Sky’s average viewership zoomed by almost 50% from the 2019 series, setting new peak viewership records.
Players and experts involved in the series sang paeans to Test cricket’s revival. “This is what Test cricket needed”, gushed England skipper Ben Stokes. Australia coach Andrew McDonald said “two-Test series should be put on the back burner for a minimum of three Test matches,” referring to the growing trend of playing truncated series.
Sourav Ganguly, former India skipper and BCCI president, tweeted: “rethink everyone and get this best format at its best”.
The Ashes no doubt was intense and entertaining. But this is a product driven by history, for an audience habituated to watching Test cricket. Those who feel that this series would resuscitate Tests globally and have players queuing up again to become Test cricketers though may not be getting the clear picture.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting felt the onus was on “every board, every association, every team to aspire to achieve the level of cricket played” (in Ashes 2023). But as spectacular as the Tests were, they won’t change Trent Boult’s career choice made last year. Despite his 317 Test wickets, the New Zealand fast bowler at 33 refused a national contract, risking a possible end to his Test career for being a T20 freelancer.
England batter Alex Hales, predominantly a white-ball specialist, called time on his international career on Friday aged 34. It no longer raises an alarm. Two years ago, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock quit Test cricket aged 29.
When all-rounder Kieron Pollard refused a West Indies national contract in 2010 though, it caused a stir. But Pollard was clear; he felt financially secure with his $7,50,000 IPL contract over the $80,000 annual national retainer, for a year’s efforts across formats. He saw a future with Mumbai Indians. It’s been 13 years; Pollard still serves as player-coach for the franchise across multiple T20 leagues.
“These cricket boards (NZ, WI) seldom get to host ICC events because of unfavourable time zones and remain heavily dependent on ICC’s revenue share,” a former ICC executive said. “When their players choose the franchise route, they can’t afford to match their lucrative salaries.”
SA’S MONEY MOVE
Cricket South Africa (CSA) is making efforts to stay relevant. Its T20 league, SA20 – all teams belong to IPL franchise owners - ran to packed houses in the first year and will fetch CSA over $100 million in 10 years from media rights. With salaries of over $2mn per team on offer, it features the best players from the South African circuit.
But it comes at a price. A cricketing powerhouse since their return to the international fold in the early 90s, Test cricket is no longer South Africa’s priority. They may be unable to send their best Test team to New Zealand early next year as the tour clashes with SA20.
South Africa play only six two-Test series in the current cycle, the bare minimum mandated by the World Test Championship. “It is and continues to be a difficult decision, especially for a Test-loving country such as ours. But the reality of the shrinking international calendar for bilaterals and the cost of hosting a Test influenced the decisions of most members, us included,” CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said in an email response.
With Test attendance dwindling by the day in many traditional South African Test venues, they did what they thought was best. “It is interesting to note that for the current FTP cycle, 70% of Test series (for all members) will be made up of 2-Tests,” Moseki added.
In the 2023-27 cycle, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka will play 32, 28, 27 and 25 Tests respectively as against the 43, 40 and 38 England, Australia and India respectively will. The Big Three are the only Test nations competing in five-Test series, among themselves.
LUKEWARM RESPONSE IN INDIA
Unlike England and Australia fans, Indian supporters aren’t exactly enthused by Test cricket. With little imagination in scheduling, Tests in India often draw sparse crowds. BCCI’s media-rights tender for bilateral cricket for the new cycle has been floated, but there is hardly the buzz IPL tenders generate.
“To its credit, BCCI has still scheduled more Tests, subsidised by IPL riches. If India played less, we wouldn’t complain,” said one Indian broadcaster.
On the bottom rung of the Test ladder, Zimbabwe and new entrants Afghanistan and Ireland collectively played only 18 Tests in the four-year span of the last two WTC cycles.
Recently, the cricket committee of Marylebone Cricket Club – custodians of the game's laws – led by former England skipper Mike Gatting recommended creating a Test cricket fund. ICC has left the issue untouched.
ICC is happy with its expanded white-ball events programme. “We’re fortunate in some respects that we’ve got other forms of the game that can help us sustain, particularly financially, Test cricket because with the exception of maybe one or two series, it is effectively loss making for member boards,” ICC chairman Greg Barclay told BBC last year. “It may well be that there’s less Test cricket, and some countries will just have to make room and play less Test cricket.”
Well, they already have.
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