Not worried about duration of Test matches, reveals Brian Lara
Brian Lara has defended five day Tests saying that he is not worried about the duration of the Test matches as long as they are producing results after ICC proposed the idea of four-day Tests last year. Day/Night Tests mere “attraction” but not the way forward to popularise the Tests, he added.
West Indian legend Brian Charles Lara has joined the bandwagon of saving five day Test cricket before its demise has come out and said he is not worried about the duration of Test matches as long as they are producing results. Last year, ICC proposed the idea of making four-day Tests mandatory from 2023 as part of the World Test Championship, primarily to free up the crowded calendar.
But ex-players and current cricketers have stood as the most source of opposition to the change, with many viewing the step up from four-day first-class games to five-day Tests as a critical point of difference at the top end of the long-form game. Even iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar and India skipper Virat Kohli have openly come out in support of having five-day Tests. The stylish left-hander, also a former West Indies captain, stressed that a result would keep people’s interest in the longer format of the game.
“My only (thing) from Test cricket is that everyone that watches cricket knows the game is going to end in a result, that in itself will peak in interest. If it is five days, four days, it doesn’t matter. If every game is going to end in a result in someway or some form, I think the interest is going to be created on the first day, on the last day, as long as people know that. You listen to (an) American talk, that is something we hear always, you play for five days and sometimes you don’t have a winner, that could be a little bit of (an issue). A winner in every game should be possible,” said Lara as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Many felt the experiment of Day-Night Test has been successful as it has injected some life into Test match cricket courtesy crowds and sponsorships. Even the richest cricket board of the world, the BCCI last year finally embraced Day/Night Tests, following which India played Bangladesh in Kolkata. But the prince of Trinidad who holds the record for the highest individual score in Tests (400 not out), has contrasting thoughts as he says the Day/Night Tests are an “attraction” but not the way forward to popularise the longest format of the game.
“I think it (Day/Night Tests) is an attraction, but I don’t think it is a way forward (for) the game. I don’t think that’s going to bring anybody back. I think it (Test cricket) is something that has gone away from couple of generations and we need to get it back from a very early age. May be the ICC or Governing Body is shifting towards T20, may be little bit less concerned about Test cricket, but that is their modus operandi and I have no clue. I just know for me when you see a good Test match it is very special,” he added.