by from_the_stands » Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:13 pm
My personal view on this issue is that I like the idea of Ireland becoming a Test nation, and eventually, for other Associate nations to eventually follow suit. However, I also believe that Test cricket as we currently know it is in trouble, and the powers that be (Australia, England & India), need to decide what direction they want to take the game. It seems to me that the emergence of the T20 format is seeing a gradual shift away from the traditional form of the game. Sadly, I can see the day when fewer teams play Test cricket rather than more. It also seems to me that the only Test series that makes any real money these days is the Ashes, and as much as I would love nothing more than smashing the Poms on an annual basis, this just isn't good for the game.
As I've documented before, the way forward as I see it, is to scrap the concept of multi-match Test series' and move toward a league structure, where everyone plays each other once during the course of the calender year. In an age of professionalism where our teams fly all over the world for various competitions and the like, tours could last all of three weeks; a couple of ODI's, a couple of T20I's, and a Test match... and a champion crowned at the end of each year in each format, ridding our game of the stupid rankings system we currently tolerate. With such a system, the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan could be added to Test ranks, with promotion and relegation (every two years), to the Associate ranks. I reckon this could work.
Should the current system continue, where some teams lay more than others, I don't see how any other team could come into the Test family, and indeed, those playing fewer matches would eventually probably pull out. Indeed, it seems to me that we are heading for an age where the only Test teams will be; Australia, England, India, and possibly a Rest of the World team.
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