Do it for Test cricket’s sake

There are two big questions that appear to be overlooked by those in charge How many teams should be playing Tests And why arenrsquot administrators working with the players in a partnership to ensure the future of the gameTest cricket is a tough but rewarding game and players deserve the opportunity to participate in the format if that is their choice However Tests are also steeped in culture and that requires the countries involved to have a strong firstclass infrastructure Not many teams have or can afford to build such infrastructure as it costs money rather than bringing a return on investment T20 leagues which produce a healthy return are much more acceptable to administratorsIf there is still a desire to spread Test cricketrsquos reach some thought could be given to eventually including combination teams composed of interested players who represent nonTest status teamsTeams should still have to fulfil infrastructure and financial requirements to qualify for Test status This would require a secondtier competition where teams that perform well could state their case for Test status qualificationAlso Read Why did Rohit do itThe whole cricket structure especially the schedule is in need of a thorough but positive inquisition with the gamersquos future in viewThere is also the glaring matter of the lack of partnership between players and administrators Surely it shouldnrsquot bemdashas it is currentlymdasha matter of the administrators deciding the programme without any input from international players If the international programme evolved as a result of consideration from such a partnership then it would be much more palatable than the abomination that is the current schedule T20 leagues are popping up faster than weeds in summer and an already implausible programme is headed for an almighty implosionT20 leagues now clash with each other and star players are signing longerterm contracts with expanding IPL clubs These contradictions mean there will be a growing problem of how to produce greater numbers of marketable cricketers In the current environment some leagues wonrsquot be able to sign the limited number of star players available and this could eventually damage the ability to remain financially viableThese are all matters that need urgent attention but the big one is to ensure the players have a voice in the gamersquos futureLast year as the Test season recommenced the formatrsquos two longestserving teams promoted the game in entirely different ways In Perth against the West Indies the Australian team indulged in the timeworn practice of grinding the opposition down with relentless runscoring Meanwhile in Rawalpindi England sprinted to a mindbending 506 on the first day of a recordsetting run rampage against PakistanThis variety of effort came at a time when Test cricketmdashunder siege by popular infatuation with T20shymdashneeds all the help it can muster The fact that Englandrsquos record firstday Test score passed the previous one created by Australia in 1910 should dampen the enthusiasm of those who think helterskelter rungetting is a recent phenomenonAs England captain Ben Stokes has done much to not only markedly lift his teamrsquos performance but also raise the profile of Test cricket Stokes has decreed that England players bat freely but he also has fans anticipating something akin to a T20 run rate in the fiveday format This massive change of approach has come at a time when Test cricket like the 50over game is suffering at the hands of the junior format Despite Stokesrsquos highly commendable approach the game still requires answers to some difficult queriesItrsquos great that Stokes and the England team have raised the Testmatch bar at a time when the game requires extensive promotion However alongside their sterling efforts we also require the strong input of a quality partnership between the players and administratorsIan Chappell a former Australia captain remains one of the leading voices in the gameClayton Murzellorsquos Pavilion End will be back next weekSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper