Former England batsman and chief selector Ed Smith,now director of the Institute of Sports Humanities,watches and even as he rejoices for England,his heart sinks. “The facts are simple:some players are withdrawing from national contracts to become free agents,and national governing bodies are cancelling tours because they are focused on the success of their own T20 leagues,” he said.
“Even within international cricket,the balance of power has shifted towards T20. The price of buying the rights to broadcast a T20 international has grown exponentially in relation to the price of buying the right to broadcast a Test.
“There is a difference between a self-correcting cycle and a long-term trend. This is a trend. And we’re still waiting for a system-wide solution.”
One reason all looked so rosy in the Test garden this week is that the focus was on the three “haves” and the best performed of the “have-nots”. The glow might last all year as Australia and India play in the world Test championship final in England in June,followed by an Ashes series,then a one-day World Cup in India in October.
But in this bloom lie the seeds of the game’s own destruction. “The big three have exacerbated the problem for the others,maximising their incomes by playing among themselves more often,” said Chappell. “Test cricket outside of these countries is on life support. We will have a situation where players will be contracted to franchises for most of the year and will be released for country commitments from time to time like soccer players.”
Jack Costello is a retired judge from Adelaide who has followed the Test cricket sun around the world. “Test cricket ain’t about to die in our lifetime,” he said,“but I might be seeing it through rose-coloured glasses. From the point of view of a few nations,it is really healthy,but from the point of view of growing the game,it is dying.
“Much as it pains me,but we need to support Baz and England,because their way is the way to a sustainable Test future.”
This is where Smith’s mind is going. “Bureaucratic institutions often find decisive action hard,” he said. “But if sport teaches us anything,it’s this:a small number of determined,charismatic and unified people can get a lot done - and fast.
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“Bazball - by that I meant the triumvirate Ben Stokes,Rob Key and Brendon McCullum - has been great for the England Test team. We now need the institutional equivalent of Bazball for the whole Test match ecosystem.”
The guiding principle of Bazball is lateral thinking. Smith said it was sadly lacking at administrative level. “It is 16 years since the creation of the IPL,followed by a proliferation of franchise leagues,and still the international game has failed to come up with a coherent collective response,” he said.
Chappell fears it is too late. Though Test cricket’s obituary is written often,for the first time there is a viable - though lesser - alternative.
“It’s hard to see how Test cricket can survive this own goal,” he said. “The success of the three formats has put pressure on Test cricket.
“Unless the big three forgo some of their own profits,this story can only end one way:the steady attrition of Test cricket. I’d like to offer something more positive,but the triage team will be needed soon if we don’t act now.”
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