Beginning of a new chapter in test cricket

Oct.14 (CRICKETNMORE) - The International Cricket Council has finally been jolted to save Test cricket. There will be a Test Championship to go along with the One-Day International League. The blueprint is ready and only the modalities have to be

For over a decade, there has been loud thinking on a world Test Championship format, but nothing came of it. They even thought of scrapping the Champions Tropy, saying that each format should only have one world championship, to push through the Test championship.

The ICC retained the Championship, the 2013 edition was to be the last one, but it is now back and attracted hug crowds when India played Pakistan in the final in England.

The problem with Test cricket is that no one is willing to go to the stadium for five days as was done till a couple of decades ago as they find watching it on television with spoon-fed expert comments is more interesting from the crowd distractions at the venue.

Yet, not many oldtimers would appreciate the Test cricket being tinkered with and that is one of the reasons for the administrators not venturing into a Test Championship so far, fearing geopolitical and logistical problems. For instance, how will India and Pakistan play their home and away matches? If they have to play at neutral venues, the very purpose of the championship is defeated.

The ICC officials apparently assured Pakistan that they would get to play India either in the league or outside. Once they start playing each other, the league will truly kick off.

The are some of the hurdles which will have to be crossed if the Test Championship has to succeed.

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Veturi Srivatsa