Dubai, Aug 23: Cricketers, fans and experts of yesteryears often feel that rising craze for shorter versions of cricket like Twenty20, The Hundred, T10 have endangered the oldest and the most concrete form of the game- Test cricket.
There are many traditional as well as modern day fans and players, who love red-ball cricket more than the white-ball bang-bang cricket. But the shorter versions are surely more entertaining, batsman dominated, crowd-pulling and revenue oriented as well. The younger generation new cricket playing nations love the shorter formats.
But to save the oldest format of the game, there has been appeals, plans and suggestions from some cricket boards as well. Cricket Australia (CA) has already suggested a few proposals. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) too has supported the CA's suggestions.
As a result of these proposals, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is mulling a dedicated fund of at least US$ 15 million for Test cricket that will help increase the players' match fee and address the migration of talent to lucrative T20 franchise leagues.
Cricket Australia was the first board to suggest the model. It also has the support of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
If Shah becomes the next ICC president, as he is tipped to be, then the plan may get fresh wings early. The three boards supporting such a proposal was reported by a section of global media recently.
As per the plan, the fund would increase the minimum match remuneration for Test players and cover the cost of sending teams on overseas tours. It would support national boards like the West Indies that currently struggle to compete with the wages offered in global T20 competitions.
But the proposed fund is unlikely to benefit the three wealthiest cricket nations - India, Australia, and England -- since they already offer substantial salaries to their players. Of course, the broadcaster revenue issue may pop up. So, it is still not concrete yet, it is learnt.
It is worth mentioning that the BCCI had introduced an incentive scheme for India's men's Test cricketers earlier this year to encourage players to prioritise Test cricket and reward consistent performances in the longest format of the game.
But will such proposals take a concrete shape? Will initiatives planned can really save Test cricket? Of course, it is indeed too early to draw any inference.
