Not Enough Test Respect, or Too Much?

On the face of it, Australia have been long-time champions of Test cricket. Generations of players and administrators have spoken of the primacy of the format and the ‘baggy green’ has been the most cherished item in a players’ kit bag. Australian captain, Pat Cummins, has spoken of his desire to play every one of the country’s record-setting 20 in the next 12 months, 21 if they reach the final of the WTC.

He is also, nominally, the ODI captain but very rarely plays 50-0ver cricket for his country, unless it’s a World Cup. He doesn’t play T20 cricket for his country but is available to captain the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Apart from being a brilliant cricketer, Cummins is a very smart man. He has things worked out.

“The era of randomly scheduled bilateral series has to come to an end because countries will not be able to sustain cricket without context, culture, competition and competitiveness, which require significant investment of resources, both financial and non-financial,” said the ICC’s Chief Executive, Sanjog Gupta, last week. Another very smart man.

Gupta, inevitably, was asked about the future of Test cricket: “Every time there is conversation around the commercials of Test cricket, the passion, pride and legacy tend to override the conversation around the economics. I don’t think the answer is necessarily binary, and I don’t think it’s a question solely for Test cricket to answer but one which must be asked of all our products across formats and events,” he said.

As with many clever people, Gupta-speak can be riddle-laden. If he meant that everyone who cares about Test cricket should do their bit to protect it, then he makes a good point. Like Australia do. No?

By the time you read this Australia may have lost the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin. But at least they’re doing their bit by hosting them. For the first time in 23 years. Since Test status in 2000, Bangladesh have played 158 Tests. Six of them against Australia, two in Australia – before the current series. Only Afghanistan and Ireland have played them less, for obvious reasons. India and England have played Bangladesh 25 times between them.

The diffidence goes back a long way. In the first 44 years of New Zealand’s Test history, their Antipodean neighbours played them…once. England played 45 Tests against them. In India’s first 50 years as a Test nation Australia competed in nine series against them. England played them in 18. Australia have yet to play Afghanistan or Ireland in a Test. And probably never will.

South Africa sent a ‘C’ team to New Zealand for a Test series a couple of years ago which was, rightly, perceived as a gross disrespect to Test cricket. But it wasn’t out of ‘choice’. The financially constrained administration had cornered themselves into a legal cul-de-sac by selling their domestic T20 competition to the IPL which, contractually, would have been jeopardised if the best players weren’t available.

Many of CSA’s administrators remain ambivalent (or ignorant) of Test cricket’s importance but the positive after-effects of winning the last WTC final have convinced them to follow head coach Shukri Conrad’s determination to prioritise Test cricket this summer. The eight Test matches, against Australia, Bangladesh and England, will enjoy complete preference over the ODIs against all three countries.

The three T20Is against Bangladesh, scheduled across four days while England are playing a warm-up game just a week before the first Test, are as inconsequential as the Proteas have ever played. At home, anyway. But not for the people of Kimberley and Benoni who rarely enjoy the opportunity to watch international cricket.

The fixtures may be ‘content’, or ‘stuff’, but they have relevance to locals. And they will turn up – whoever plays. Which is a counter argument to Gupta’s sensible assertion. If full internationals involving ‘A’ teams can sustain themselves in smaller venues, then it’s a go. Except, commercially, they lose money. Gratifying a crowd of 4000, however enthusiastic, makes no financial sense.

Finally, back to the second Test against Bangladesh from November 23-27, Monday to Friday, at Centurion. During school time. Sorry to bore those who have read previous columns on the subject, but – make it day/night! The final three hours of each day’s play will attract thousands of local families…

“It’s not actually something we’ve considered or even talked about,” Enoch Nkwe, CSA Director of Cricket, told me. “My focus is on doing everything possible to win games, in the best conditions which suit us and we take every Test very seriously. Pink ball cricket isn’t something we have really talked about.”

But what about the Titans union losing R2million hosting a Test in an empty stadium? Are you really so worried about unusual conditions and Bangladesh’s pace attack that you don’t back Kagiso Rabada etc to come out on top?

“I will be talking to the team next week. It’s honestly not something I’ve ever thought about, but I hear you. Let’s talk next week.”

Sadly, it won’t happen. Unlike Australia, South Africa does, in fact, have too much respect for Test cricket to think outside the box. Not too little.