OLD-TIMERS and die-hard fans of the game have big hopes from Jay Shah, the new Chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC). The outgoing Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has vowed to restore the primacy of Test cricket in his mission statement. It has come as a fresh breath of air for the longest format of the game which is awaiting a second wind amid the storm of mushrooming Twenty20 leagues and growing interest of youngsters in the shortest form of cricket. Reviving Test cricket is a much-needed step that ICC has to consider for the sake of the future of the game.

 

The game itself is built on Test cricket. Saving the true fabric of cricket is paramount for the administrators, especially with the birth of formats like T10 and The Hundred. The ICC has already initiated programmes like the World Test Championship to keep interest in Tests alive for all member-nations. It has to be backed by a Future Programme where Boards show interest in holding more bilateral tours with a good number of Tests. This is the area where Jay Shah can make a difference by laying down a long-term programme with Tests being the focal point. The ICC, under its youngest Chairman, will have to be really mindful in sanctioning more leagues which have triggered the birth of freelancers. It is not a healthy sign for the longest format as players are seeking quick bucks by plying their trade as professionals instead of turning up for their own countries in red-ball cricket. By limiting the number of leagues and coming down on further tampering with the Twenty20 format the ICC can make a good start in revival of Test cricket. It has to lay down stricter norms for member-nations which find the escape route of holding a one-off Test in bilateral series before turning to the money-spinning shorter format.

 

A one-off Test is actually mere lip-service to the game which finds its existence in the white flannels and red ball. Keeping the heart of the game healthy is a moral duty for the ICC. One good plan that is in the pipeline is earmarking a large fund for reviving Test cricket in countries other than the Big Three (India, Australia, England). It is a welcome strategy given the large-scale exodus of players to Twenty20 leagues. TheWest Indies provide a ready example of how players are choosing league cricket by refusing central contracts or announcing retirement from Test cricket. The signs are ominous and unless a revival package is offered at par with the cash bonanza in league cricket the rot might not be stemmed. The plan also needs a steady boost to One-Day cricket which is the perfect transition platform from Tests to T20s. Keeping the relevance of ODI cricket must also form the core of the revival plan that Shah and his team is planning. The fans have high hopes.