Testing times (not) ahead

In a complete reversal of what cricketers would traditionally do to prolong their careers, 27 year-old Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga retired from Test cricket to focus on Twenty20 and ODIs. His is not the first case. Recently, a number of top international cricketers have given up on the longer format. Lhendup G Bhutia asks why everyone is giving up on the Grand Daddy of cricket

In a complete reversal of what cricketers would traditionally do to prolong their careers, 27 year-old Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga retired from Test cricket to focus on Twenty20 and ODIs. His is not the first case. Recently, a number of top international cricketers have given up on the longer format.u00a0Lhendup Gu00a0Bhutiau00a0asks why everyone is giving up on the Grand Daddy of cricket

ON April 22, at the young age of 27, arguably the best current fast bowler in the world retired from Test cricket. While one of the conspiracy theories doing the rounds is that Lasith Malinga wants to continue playing for the Indian Premier League (IPL), and not lose the money involved by making himself available for the Test series against England, his reasoning is simple, and one that is backed by his former captains, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. "I decided that I needed to make myself unavailable for Test cricket in an effort to prolong my career as a national cricketer for Sri Lanka," he said, in a shock announcement.


Lasith Malinga has taken 101 wickets in Test cricket

Us too
But Malinga isn't the onlyu00a0 young cricketer in recent times to have chosen the shorter versions over the longer, and what purists believe is the more respectable format of the game.

Last year, fast bowler Brett Lee, one of the chief architects of Australia's dominance in world cricket, quit Tests at age 33. One can draw parallels of his and other greats' exit with the discernible slump in Australia's Test performances.

Earlier this year, English batsman Paul Collingwood, known for his athletic fielding and dogged batting, hung up his boots at 34, saying he wanted to "prolong his career."


Paul Collingwood quit Tests at 34

Lee and Collingwood continue to play ODIs. Lee, in fact, can be seen in action for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL.

Tests used to be supreme
All of this is in sharp contrast to what cricketers, late in their careers, used to do. When the time came to choose between the various formats to prolong one's career, most cricketers chose Test cricket.

Australian stalwart Steve Waugh, in fact, quit ODIs to play Tests for another two years, becoming then with 168 appearances, the most capped player in history. Australia's Shane Warne played an ODI in January 2003 and retired from Test matches in 2007 as the first bowler to get over 700 wickets. Even Anil Kumble, India's most successful bowler in both ODIs and Tests, retired from ODIs a full year before he gave up the five-day version.

Show me the money
The question of whether these recent instances are in fact the onset of a trend is the question cricket enthusiasts are asking. Anshuman Gaekwad, former cricketer and two-time Indian national coach, believes that although it a matter of individual choice, there will be more such instances. "Earlier, it would seem foolhardy to give up on Test cricket, which was the more respectable format. But now, with the IPL, T20s are more lucrative and many young cricketers may have grown up enjoying these shorter formats."

He explains how T20 is less demanding on the body, where all a bowler needs to do is bowl four overs and not concede too many runs. "In Test matches, a bowler needs to bowl a lot more, keep runs down, and also take wickets," he adds.

'Everyone wants me to play IPL'
He may be right, as the case of Harmeet Singh proves. One of the most promising young cricketers emerging in the Indian domestic circuit, Mumbai-based Singh has played three first class matches and taken 17 wickets, with one five-wicket haul. The 18 year-old has also donned national colours for the Under-19 Indian cricket team for the 2010 World Cup in New Zealand. However, one of the best moments in his young cricketing career was being contracted for Deccan Chargers (DC) last year. Although he did not play a match, the youngster, who sat for his 12th standard exams this year, was paid a princely Rs 8 lakh for the entire season. He says, "Although it is too premature to say which format I will choose when I am older, I can understand why people want to play shorter formats. It pays well and is a lot more popular than the five-day version."

According to Singh, he received a lot more support and cheer from family and friends when they learnt he was being contracted for the DC. "Suddenly, everyone was asking me to concentrate on the shorter version and to play in the IPL."

One of India's most stylish and talented batsman, Dilip Vengsarkar, rues the fact that cricketers are forgoing the chance to play in Test matches. "This is the version which requires more skill. When you hang up your boots, it is the records in Test cricket which you will boast of."

As cricketers begin to approach their 30s, physical fitness may go down, but that doesn't impact their skill and mastery at the game, believes Vengsarkar. "It is a time when one matures as a batsman and bowler. So it will be unfortunate if cricketers stop playing Tests when they are at their best."

Revamped Test cricket?
To rekindle interest in the five-day format, the ICC's Chief Executive Committee (CEC) recently recommended the formation of a Test league and a play-off, to be held every four years, to determine the world's best Test team. There is also talk of Test matches being reduced to four-day affairs and making them day-night encounters.

Vengsarkar says, "Change is always good. Even in our days, many were skeptical about coloured clothing being introduced in ODIs, but it is the norm now. Also, most Test matches have a result in four days, anyway."

But perhaps the reason why cricketers are now quitting Test cricket for shorter formats, is because these short formats are available.

Noted cricket writer and commentator Ayaz Memon says, "All the cricketers who have quit recently have personal reasons. But it is also because short formats now exist." According to Memon, while there might be cricketers who will play only shorter formats, there will always be those who will lean in favour of Test cricket.
One can only hope he's right.

The handbook

How cricket has changed

Ever played 8 ball overs?
In England, eight ball overs were adopted experimentally for the 1939 season. But when first-class cricket resumed after the Second World War, English cricket reverted to six ball overs. Although the 1947 Laws of Cricket allowed six or eight balls per over depending on the conditions of play, since 1979, the six-ball over has been used worldwide.

>Birth of ODIs
The first limited overs international match took place at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1971 as a time-filler after a Test match had been abandoned because of heavy rain. It was tried simply as an experiment and to give the players some exercise, but turned out to be immensely popular.

>The third umpire
In 1992, the use of a third umpire to adjudicate runout appeals with TV replays was introduced in the Test series between South Africa and India. The third umpire's duties have subsequently expanded to include decisions on other aspects of play such as stumpings, catches and boundaries.

>60 to 50 overs
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987, ODI overs were reduced from 60 to 50 per innings. The tournament also saw the introduction of coloured clothing, white balls and day and night matches, along with a change in the fielding restrictions.