Amid the calls for the four-day Tests, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodians of the game’s laws, has on Tuesday (January 14) backed the current five-day format of the game, saying “it should continue to be a five-day affair”.

However, the MCC admitted that there are "some benefits" of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) proposal to trim the longest format to a four-day affair but the MCC Cricket Committee and MCC World Cricket Committee both not in favor of trimming the traditional Test cricket.

With many opposing the idea of the four-day Tests, the ICC is set to discuss the idea of making the four-day Test format mandatory as part of structuring the global calendar beyond 2023 in March.

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MCC said in a statement: “MCC has noted the recent discussion regarding the future of test cricket and the ICC’s desire to debate the introduction of four-day test cricket to replace the current five-day format in the World Test Championship from 2023.”

It further reads: “The MCC Cricket committee and MCC World Cricket committee has recently discussed the issue and although they can see some benefits that four-day Test cricket could bring, both committees believe that test cricket should continue to be played over five days.”

Noteworthy, the English, Australian, and South African cricket boards have given green signal to the ICC for the proposed concept, but the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations and lots of cricket fraternity have objected to the proposed four-day Test format.

(With Reuters Inputs)