Mark Taylor supports four-day Test cricket
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has come out strongly in favour of four-day Test matches and said that this can rejuvenate cricket's longest format. He has opined that this can provide a much-needed break to the players and also allow the captains to be a bit aggressive in taking decisions.
The four-day Test match concept has been making rounds over last decade without coming to fruition. It was first proposed in the year 2003 by the International Cricket Council, but opposition by many countries meant it could never be implemented. But the first-class competitions across the globe have been played over four days.
Mark Taylor, who has been a member of the Cricket Australia, supported the concept to be implemented in the International cricket to bring back the mojo to the longest format of the game.
Taylor, in a chat with SEN Radio of Australia, said, "The numbers around the world going to watch the game are dying in some countries. But that's why we have to have things like day-night Tests and start thinking more seriously about four-day Tests. It will only add to the appeal of the game and like all games, make it a bit shorter and a bit faster. That's what people of this generation want to see."
He also weighed in saying that the new concept would allow the captains to be a bit aggressive and also added that the scheduling would be favorable to the spectators.
"You do have one less day to win or lose a game so it does force captains to be a little bit more aggressive in their thinking," he said. "I also think it sits very well with the calendar because you can play Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You have your Test match finishing on a Sunday rather than sometimes on a Monday or Tuesday which happens in the schedule now.
Then you get your three days break which players seem to like between Test matches and you can start another one on the next Thursday. It actually fits into the week very well," he added.
Taylor speculated that four-day games would appeal more to the kids and young generation than five-day games.
He said, "What we are trying to do is still appeal to those traditionalists like me who love their Test cricket but also bring some of these T20 kids and families into the Test matches as well. I'm not sure that five-day Tests will appeal to them."
"Sometimes it takes you becoming a 50-year-old crusty old man like me to start thinking about where the game is going and who you're trying to appeal to," he added.