As India prepare to play yet another series in Sri Lanka, it might be time to bow to the inevitable.
T20 is here to stay (or stay as long as it is the game’s cash cow), and Test cricket is the sport’s unique flag-bearer. It is time to abolish the in-betweener, 50-over cricket.
Cricket is a game between the red ball and the white. T20 works best as a domestic league — as the IPL, Big Bash, Carribbean Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, Pakistan Super League and others have shown. South Africa haven’t given up on the Global T20 League, England will have a league in 2020.
These are domestic leagues with a foreign flavour that affect all cricket boards. They call for a common regulatory body that not only standardises conditions and guarantees player welfare, but also has a window set aside so they do not interfere with Test cricket.
The success of the T20 domestic leagues, has, ironically, become a problem for cricket as a whole. It is draining away young talent, leading players to retire early, and often forcing them to choose.
Even those who sing the praises of Test cricket and see it as the highest form of the game are enticed by the greater amount of money they get for less work that is T20’s main attraction. There is too the lure of playing to packed stadiums.
The trick is not to ban T20 (which would be impossible), but to integrate it into the calendar. And this is what the West Indies have proposed. With sensible rules and a pragmatic approach, Tests and T20 can co-exist without eating into each other. The loser in this, as was anticipated a decade ago when the IPL entered the scene, has to be 50-over cricket.
A gradual pull-out is indicated. The 50-over World Cup will be held in England next year, and four years later, it will be India’s turn. In 2021 India host the Champions Trophy, the other 50-over tournament. A decision taken today can come into effect only some years later as it involves television rights, and seeking the opinions of stake holders.
Domestic T20 leagues are not regulated, so there is no guarantee that the moneys made are ploughed back into the game. There is the possibility of fly-by-night operators working in non-Test nations with international names. Players in whom the national bodies have invested ignore the call for red ball cricket and turn out for T20 leagues. It is time for the International Cricket Council to step in.
According to a report in The Guardian , the West Indies have put forth a plan that envisages the following: A maximum of three domestic T20 tournaments for players under 32, regional T20 windows that leave six months of the year free for international cricket (from the year 2023), 20% of a player’s contract value to be paid to his home board, and limiting the number of overseas players in each league.
The CEOs of the national boards are set to meet in Kolkata in April to discuss this. The Indian Premier League already follows some of these rules.
Where’s the blueprint for cricket’s future? The question is asked periodically by players, columnists and fans. Ian Chappell raised the issue in a recent column, even going so far as to say that India, who should be taking a lead role, are being held back by the cricket board as well as the Committee of Administrators (CoA).
Forget a long term plan to save Test cricket, the BCCI only has a short term plan — to save its own members. The CoA continues to micromanage while the Supreme Court, which has its own problems, does not see cricket administration as a priority. It hasn’t thought to replace the two members who quit the CoA, nor has it seen fit to bang heads together (metaphorically speaking) to get the associations to follow its rulings.
India are the No. 1 Test team in the world, and given the financial joy they bring to the other cricket boards, ought to be conscious of the big picture. There are two points on which the cricket world seems to be agreed: Test cricket is in trouble, and something needs to be done.
Properly handled, cricket could thrive with just two formats. The trick then would be to strike a balance, which is what the ICC should be working on. There will be players who don’t see themselves as Test material but feel well suited for the T20 leagues. If Test players are paid more, and T20 leagues are regulated, then cricket can have the best of both worlds. Given the numbers, the odds of fitting into a T20 squad somewhere in the world are obviously greater than the chances of making it into the Test team.
T20 can help Test cricket provided the domestic leagues are regulated and one format is not seen to be in competition with the other. The road to prosperity is paved with inclusiveness.
