5 reasons why four-day Test cricket will not work

Test cricket is undoubtedly the ultimate format of the game. Every format has its own importance but players and various boards across the world have stated that Test cricket is paramount.

Test cricket has seen a lot of changes since its inception in 1877. There were a few timeless Tests played between 1912 and 1939. Then, a ‘rest’ day (usually a Sunday) was added – which gave players a break in between Test matches.

In 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC) also trialled a six-day Test between the then top ranked Australia and World XI (comprised of the best players from around the world). This Test finished in three and a half days and the experiment failed miserably.

Of late, a lot has been spoken about the ‘health’ of Test cricket, that is, the crowd turnout for cricket’s purest format, people’s interest and the viewership. Hence, a lot of new things are being experimented in recent times. For example, the day-night Tests played with the pink ball. It is a step taken to draw crowds to the ground to watch Test match cricket.

And now four-day Tests have entered the equation. South Africa are set to host Zimbabwe for one such encounter from December 26 at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth. It is effectively a step into the unknown.

Some boards like ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and CSA (Cricket South Africa) have been supportive of this format. However, a lot of current and former players have voiced their opinion against this.

Let us take a look at five reasons why Test cricket has to stick with the five-day format.

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#5 The grind

Steve Smith has evolved as one of the best Test batsmen in the modern era.

The grind in Test cricket is at a different level when compared to a T20 or an ODI. The pitch plays a big part and as a player, you play on different tracks with different conditions on offer.

In Test cricket in tough/tricky conditions, every batsman needs to grind it out. Rarely do you have easy runs on offer. Take the example of the first two Ashes Tests. In a tough situation, Steve Smith battled hard in the first Test to score an unbeaten 141 to help Australia gain advantage in the first innings. Shaun Marsh played a similar gritty innings (126*) to help the Aussies post a big first innings total. Or consider Cheteshwar Pujara who just grinds it out in every single game and looks rock solid.

When a four-day Test comes in, we might not witness these gritty knocks. We may not be able to see players score double tons (which has already reduced when compared earlier) due to the risks batsmen might take in a bid to increase the scoring rate. Thus, suddenly strike-rates of batsmen will become more important which is not too relevant for Test cricket.

Similarly, for bowlers (pacers or spinner), they go through a spell where they beat the bat on multiple occasions and bowl beautifully but aren’t able to take wickets. They would start getting impatient sooner than they usually do. They would start trying too much in order to get faster results.

Yes, the game to move quickly but the challenge might go down in terms of the grind and grit.

#4 The pitch cannot deteriorate in time

The 22-yard surface is playing a key role in the survival of Test cricket

The pitches used for today’s cricket have generally been good over the past 18 months across the globe. They have offered something for everyone – batsmen, pacers and the spinners at some point in the game. Hence, we are seeing some intriguing and fascinating Test matches.

However, once Test cricket is played only over four days, most home teams might start tinkering with the pitch. They might just start producing rank turners or might leave a lot of grass on the pitch in a bid to produce results.

We saw these kinds of pitches used in the Freedom Series in 2015 or when Australia toured Sri Lanka in 2016. The pitches on offer were rank turners where batsmen hardly could get substantial scores. The highest total in the former series was 334 (in the last Test) and in the latter series was 355 (again in the final Test). Also, Tests in these series ended inside three days.

Hence, it’s important to strike balance between bat and ball and the pitch is one of the main factors affecting the balance of the game.

#3 Mindset of batsmen changes

Vijay and Pujara have become Test specialists for India

In today’s world, fans love to see a Gayle-storm in any T20 game or a watching AB de Villiers go bonkers and smash the bowlers all around the park. But purists would also tell that a Murali Vijay leave outside the offside or a solid wall-like defence from Cheteshwar Pujara or Kane Williamson is as pretty a sight as the above mentioned.

But what 4=four-day cricket will do is make the players to for their shots which might result in them losing their wickets earlier than what they’re used to. They might play at deliveries which they wouldn’t in a proper 5-day game.

And the reason for this might be the shortage of time. Since there are only four days available, the teams would like to post a big score and will want to get them at a faster rate as they would need enough time to bowl the opposition out twice.

Hence, the mindset of most batsmen would change for 4-day Tests as they would tend to play more shots when they don’t need to.

#2 Keeping spinners in the game

Ashwin and Lyon are currently among the best spinners in the world

Test cricket often challenges every skill of a player. Be it a batsman or a bowler, they need to adjust to different conditions and scenarios of the game. Hence, playing spin is also a big part of the game.

Barring conditions in the subcontinent (where the pitch usually tends to turn from day three onwards), most pitches in the world deteriorate only on days four and five. Hence, those two days bring spinners of the playing teams into the game. Even tracks which offer swing and seam (or green tracks) tend to turn on the final day. With the rough created by the fast bowlers, the spinners can utilize them.

Also, a few teams, especially from the Asia, love playing spinners and they are a big part of the team. Hence, bringing spinners into the game even if it is late in the Test match is important.

#1 Excitement produced by the fifth day

The crowd turnout even for the final day was superb at the Adelaide Oval for the second Test

All five days of a Test match are equally important. And there have been cases where the games have been affected by bad weather (rain/bad light). Hence, the fifth day becomes more important in the context of the game as it allows the game to continue at its pace.

In the case of a four-day game, if one of the days is washed out, then we are only left with 3 days (294 overs) and it becomes difficult to obtain a result (at least have 3 innings) in such a short span.

You might be wondering we could start early, but to get in 98 overs the game will already begin at least half an hour early. Hence, in this scenario four-day Tests become difficult.

Even if we consider rain doesn’t have an impact on the game, the excitement of the fifth day is different. For example, take the recently concluded second Ashes Test. The game was right in the balance (with England needing 178 runs with 6 wickets in hand) and it got everyone excited.

Even the first Test in Kolkata (India vs Sri Lanka), the game went down to the wire. Even though large parts of the first two days were lost to rain, the Test match endured a thrilling finish (with Sri Lanka just about managing to hold on to a draw).

Also, if there are only four days in a Test, the possibility of a draw increases largely. Players might start to think of playing for the draw and not go for the kill. Hence, day five of a Test match is one of the most important, intriguing and exciting parts.