India’s cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has given a big thumbs down to the ICC proposal to mandatory four-day Test matches from the 2023 international cricket cycle. He also urged the cricket body to not tinker with a format, where spinners come into play on the final day.
The ICC wants to change the 143-year-old format in favor of giving more emphasis on ODIs and T20Is but has met with unanimous resistance and opposition from former and current players including, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, and Nathan Lyon to name a few.
"From a purist's point of view and being an admirer of Test cricket, I don't think it should be tinkered with. The format has to be played in the way it has been played for so many years," Tendulkar told PTI.
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"The batsmen will start thinking that it is a longer version of the limited-overs match because the moment you bat till the second-day lunch, you know that there are only two and a half days to go. That changes the thinking and dynamics of the game," said Tendulkar, who is the only man to play 200 Tests.
He also felt that of the Tests are reduced by a day, spinners will become ineffective, as they come into play on a rough pitch with a worn-out ball. “Taking away the fifth-day track from a spinner is like taking away the first-day track from a fast bowler. There is no fast bowler in the world who wouldn't want to bowl on a fifth-day track. On the final session of a fifth day, any spinner would like to bowl. The ball doesn't turn from the first day or the first session. The wicket takes time for wear and tear. The fifth day brings with it, turn, bounce and the unevenness of the surface. It doesn't happen on the first two days," he explained.
He said that with the advent of shorter formats of the game, there needs to be a proper format that tests batsmanship. He said, "We first need to understand why do they want it and what are the reasons for that. That's one side of it and obviously it's got to do with the commercial side as well. Audience-friendly, yes, it is important. But for that, from Tests, we have moved to ODIs and T20s and now we even have T10s. So, there should be something for the purists and that's Test cricket.”
He further added, “The batsmen, are they being Tested in Test cricket? At least, there should be one format that should challenge the batsmen and that's why it's called Test cricket because it's not over in two sessions. You need to bat for long hours on difficult surfaces at times.”
He suggested having good and sporting wickets in Test matches to maintain the balance between the bat and the ball which provides entertainment for the viewers. "For good Test matches, you need good wickets. If the Test match pitches have quality, the game will not get boring. There are tracks where even the bowler feels that he can't get the batsman out on this surface. "For good Test matches, you need good wickets. If the Test match pitches have quality, the game will not get boring. There are tracks where even the bowler feels that he can't get the batsman out on this surface,” the leading run-scorer in Tests and ODIs said.
(PTI inputs)
