ICC suggests crucial changes to improve the future of Test
At the end of the International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai, there were significant changes suggested for Test and ODI cricket in order to gain more popularity. A meeting that was led by Sourav Ganguly alongside the soon-to-be chairman of ICC, Jay Shah, focused on what the future of Test cricket holds.
As quoted by the Times of India, an inside source with ICC said, “Some countries like South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka mostly play just two Test series. Only India, England and Australia play long Test series. That doesn’t help in promoting Test cricket and the point distribution becomes very unfair. The recommendations are targeted at wiping out such disparities.”
The source further stated, “The ICC committee feels the pink-ball Tests have brought more people into the stadiums. Recently, one saw very poor turnouts in Pakistan. The three pink-ball Tests in India sold more tickets than usual. Test-playing nations must be encouraged to schedule more pink-ball Tests.”
The source also suggested a bit of tweak to the current ODI format, especially with the availability of the new ball, stating, “The recommendation will be sent to the captains. A consensus must be achieved on this. But this looks like the best option to bring reverse swing and finger spinners back into the game.”
