The photo shows a Test match in progress at Trent Bridge.<\/em><\/p>\nIn Part II, Tony Wadsworth continues replying to the critics of his August 2025 article posted on
this site, doing so in the context of what he views as a resurgence of Test cricket while also being
sceptical of its present day \u201cdoomsters\u201d.<\/p>\n
He wishes to thank Peter Kettle for acting as a sounding board for this part of the project and
providing a number of useful suggestions.<\/p>\n\n
A. \u201cDon\u2019t fix something that ain\u2019t broke.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\nThis caution was issued byThala_0720<\/em> .<\/p>\nIt is a common and often accepted piece of advice when someone attempts a reform of some kind. Although it implicitly denies, or at least greatly downplays, the fact that it can be worthwhile taking advantage of opportunities to make something that happens to be satisfactory, somewhat better \u2013 as reflected in my article\u2019s title: Can Test Matches Get Even Better?<\/em><\/p>\nI agree that Test cricket is in a relatively good place these days, though it does have its \u201cdoomsters\u201d \u2013 a matter for discussion after painting a contrasting picture of its doldrums period.\u00a0<\/p>\n
B. Test Cricket in the Doldrums: the 1970s and \u201980s<\/strong><\/p>\nScoring rates were low in both relative and absolute terms during these two decades, and the frequency of draws was high \u2013 again, in relative and absolute terms.<\/p>\n
Scoring Rates<\/strong><\/p>\nFor the period 1970-89, run rates per over delivered stood at 2.9 in overall terms<\/em>, with individual counties ranging from around 2.7 to 3.1 per over. This followed the post-WW2 period of 1945-69 at a somewhat lower overall rate of 2.4 per over, and 2.7 for the inter-War period of 1920-39.<\/p>\n1970-89\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Runs Scored per Over<\/strong><\/p>\nEngland\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2.74<\/p>\n
Australia\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3.00<\/p>\n
India\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2.90<\/p>\n
New Zealand\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2.67<\/p>\n
West Indies\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3.16<\/p>\n
Pakistan \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3.13<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2.76<\/p>\n
It is revealing to look behind these averages to see the spread, especially the lower portions of the spectrum. Examining the five year period 1975-79 \u2013 when England played 11 series (featuring India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and West Indies) plus a Centenary Test against Australia \u2013 I find that, of the total of 155 team innings played in these series (ignoring uncompleted team innings of less than 60 runs):<\/p>\n
\n- Exactly two-thirds of the innings proceeded at under 3.0 per runs over, while two-fifths of them were played at no higher than 2.5 runs per over.<\/li>\n
- The number of team innings played at 3.5 runs per over and above was only 23 \u2013 ie 15%, and at 4.0 runs and above per over it was just 7 team innings \u2013 ie 4.5%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The tolerance of spectators was generally higher in those times, although borne partly out of familiarity with such scoring rates, and it would also have resulted in some suppression of potential demand for ground entry.<\/p>\n
Inconclusive Test matches (draws) stood at 45% for the 1970s and \u201980s combined (with 7 participants before Sri Lanka entered in season 1981\/82). The proportion of draws steadily reduced thereafter for the Big Eight participants (South Africa re-entering in season 1991\/92 following a 22 year absence, due to international politics); and, for the past six years, draws have been relatively low \u2013 standing at 1 in 7.5 matches (derived from ESPN match results data):<\/p>\n
Proportion of Test Draws <\/strong><\/p>\n1970s\/80s\u00a0\u00a0 44.7%<\/p>\n
1990s\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 35.1%<\/p>\n
2000s\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 28.7%<\/p>\n
2010s\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 20.6%<\/p>\n
2020-25\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 13.2%<\/p>\n
However, the twin-decade of doldrums (1970s\/80s) did have some wonderful things going for it. A smattering is given here:<\/p>\n
\n- John Augustine Snow<\/em> from Sussex made himself into a menacing fast medium bowler with a vicious bouncer. \u201cHe could look lackadaisical on the field and even in his run up, and then suddenly he would let fly balls rearing at the throat {and sometimes the head} of unsuspecting batsmen.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
He was instrumental in England\u2019s 2-0 victory in the six match Test series of 1970-71 Down Under, so regaining the Ashes \u2013 in which he captured 31 wickets at 22.8 runs apiece, amid much controversy.<\/p>\n
Having struck Graham McKenzie in the face by a short delivery during the 4th<\/sup> Test, Snow felled tail-ender, Terry Jenner in the final match in Sydney. Jenner later resuming his innings, though only after Snow had been grabbed by a spectator when fielding at the boundary\u2019s edge. Some newspapers calling it \u201can assault\u201d \u2013 which precipitated a walk-off by the England team, led by Ray Illingworth.<\/p>\nBefore finishing his Test career in July 1976, at age 34, the reflective John Snow published two compilations of his poetry about his life in cricket, including his travels: Contrasts<\/em>\u00a0(published in 1971) & Moments and Thoughts<\/em>\u00a0(1973).<\/p>\n\n- His immediate successor being JK (John Kenneth) Lever<\/em> of Essex, playing 21 Tests from December 1976 to June 1986, whose left arm fast medium seamers and in-swing (to right-handers) obtained a lot of success against India. He started with the magical figures of 7 for 46 (including all of the top six bats) followed by 3 for 24 on his debut at Delhi, this coming in a five match Test series in which he claimed 26 wickets at just 14.6 runs piece. Lever finished his career by taking 13 of India\u2019s wickets in his final three matches: two (away) in December 1981, followed by an isolated one (at home) in June 1986 when he took 6 for 166 in the match.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In order of frequency of dismissals, JK\u2019s illustrious Indian victims were:<\/p>\n
Gundappa Viswanath <\/em>\u2013 6 times; Sunil Gavaskar<\/em> \u2013 4 times (twice when on single figures); Dilip Vengsarkar<\/em> \u2013 4 times; Aunshuman Gaekwad<\/em> \u2013 3 times; Kapil Dev<\/em> \u2013 3 times; Ravi Shastri<\/em> \u2013 twice; Mohinder Amarnath<\/em> and Mohammad Azharuddin<\/em>, once each.<\/p>\n\n- A notable bowler of similar pace to JK Lever, and another left-armer, who was good enough to have earned an England cap was Doug Yeabsley <\/em>(born January 1942), having a long career with the Minor County of Devon \u2013 31 seasons in all during 1959 (at age 17) through to 1989.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ian Botham considered Yeabsley to be the second best left arm pace bowler in England after JK Lever during the 1970s. He was approached by Somerset \u2013 and some other counties \u2013 to turn professional, but they were foiled by his desire to continue teaching, as well as by the calls of rugby union.<\/p>\n
Yeabsley excelled for the Minor Counties combined team against a number of the touring Test countries:<\/p>\n
1974 vs the Pakistanis \u2013<\/em> 2\/60 and 3\/45 (all among the top 5 batsmen in the \u00a0\u00a0order).<\/p>\n1976 vs the West Indians \u2013<\/em> 3\/69 (Lawrence Rowe, Deryck Murray and Bernard Julien) and 1\/32 (claiming Viv Richards).<\/p>\n1977 vs the Australians<\/em> \u2013 2\/62 (David Hookes for 1 run and Kerry O\u2019Keeffe for 6 runs) and 2\/35 (Gary Cosier for 13 and Kim Hughes for 2).<\/p>\nThis resulting in a memorable victory for the Minor Counties team by 6 wickets, following a declaration by each side.<\/p>\n
1979 vs the Indians<\/em> \u2013 1\/67 and 2\/53 (all among the top 4 in the order).<\/p>\n1980 vs the West Indians<\/em> \u2013 2\/44 (claiming both openers: Faoud Bacchus for 7 and Desmond Haynes for 15).<\/p>\n\n- Turning to England batsmen of this period: Geoff Boycott\u2019s<\/em> dependability, and occasionally free-flowing, reign was a fixture at the top of the order. Aside from his three year self-imposed exile between June 1974 and July 1977, his 108 Test matches were only occasionally interrupted during his career, spanning the mid-1960s through to the early-1980s, retiring at age 41. Adding his suggested 5 runs per innings for opening batsmen would give him a Test career average of 52.7, to go with his 7 wickets from 158 overs of medium pace deliveries and with decent economy (2.4 runs per over).<\/li>\n
- Boycott was partly overlapped by David Gower <\/em>with his irrepressible flair at the crease during his 117 Test matches from 1978-92. Plus his love of pranks off the field, including a joy flight in a Tiger Moth biplane \u2013 buzzing play at 150 feet during the England XI vs Queensland match at Carrara Oval on the Gold Coast in mid-January 1991. Gower killing time after his brief innings of 13 runs, having exited from the middle with the score at 303 for 5 \u2013 on the way to a first innings team total of 430, in reply to Qld\u2019s 286, and a comfortable win (by 10 wickets) without requiring the scheduled fourth day. Nest morning, being hauled up before the unamused captain Gooch and tour manager Mickey Stewart for this \u201charmless bit of fun\u201d (in Gower\u2019s words) and the imposition of a one thousand pound fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cAlways playing <\/em>beautifully, until the moment he made a mistake.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>Which extended to making 18 centuries for England, including the patience to reach an undefeated 200 runs against India at Edgbaston in July 1979.<\/p>\n\n- Ian Terence Botham<\/em> rivetted the country\u2019s attention with his staggering triumphant Ashes series deeds \u2013 with ball as well as bat \u2013 in the summer of 1981. At Headingley for an England win by a mere 18 runs, and at Old Trafford for a win by 103 runs. And with an intervening spell of 5 wickets for 11 runs from his 14 overs in Australia\u2019s second innings at Edgbaston, eventuating in an England win by the slim margin of 29 runs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Until his serious back injury, sustained when playing matches in the mid-1980s, Ian Botham ranked with Imran Khan as a truly great all-rounder. It was the dreaded fast, and fast medium, bowler\u2019s stress fracture of the back, causing a reduction in his pace and sharpness of out-swing; and with it, a lasting departure from his previously stellar bowling form. It reduced his effectiveness with the bat as well. The injury requiring spinal surgery and the fusion of vertebrae, causing Botham to miss playing Test matches from early-August 1987 through to early-July 1989.<\/p>\n
\n- Mike Brearley\u2019s<\/em> astute, and highly motivating, captaincy was on display during 1977-81: achieving 18 wins, along with 4 losses and 9 draws. And not long after, giving us his lauded treatise, The Art of Captaincy <\/em>(initially published in 1985).<\/li>\n
- \u201cDeadly\u201d Derek Underwood<\/em> worked his magic, with virtually unplayable left arm spin on rain-affected drying pitches. From 1966 through to 1982, he claimed 2.0 victims per innings at 25.8 runs apiece, with a miserly economy rate of just 2.1 runs conceded per over.<\/li>\n
- And there was Phillipe Henri Edmonds<\/em>, another SLA bowler, with his well flighted deliveries and \u201can aristocratic manner\u201d \u2013 the one that Mike Brearley couldn\u2019t get on with either at Middlesex or when captaining England. Yet Edmonds hit it off with Geoff Boycott, who\u2019d cry \u201cAnother fower!\u201d<\/em> on striking one of his deliveries through the imagined covers when practising in the nets. Edmonds played 84 Tests from 1975-87, for 1.5 wickets per innings \u2013 capturing 6 or 7 wickets in a match five times.<\/li>\n
- The West Indies\u2019 batting shone brightly: the Greenidge\/Haynes<\/em> opening partnerships, the under-rated sparkling Rohan Kanhai<\/em> \u2013 his final 29 Test innings, when age 35 to 38, coming at an average of 45.0, including scores of 158 (undefeated), 105 and 157, respectively against India, Australia and against England at Lord\u2019s. In addition, the destructive shot-making of the often swaggering Viv Richards<\/em>. In parallel were Messrs Holding, Marshall and Roberts<\/em>\u2026if not one, then another of them would shoot out an opposition batsman.<\/li>\n
- The glue supplied by Clive Lloyd\u2019s<\/em> captaincy of the West Indies united the islanders. An imposing 6 foot 5 ins tall with broad shoulders, he led the West Indies from November 1974 through to the start of January 1985. Averaging in the high-forties for his 175 Test innings, with his heavy bat in the middle order from late-1966 to the end of 1984 when retiring at age forty.<\/li>\n
- Also on display was the undisputed multi-talented maestro, Garry Sobers<\/em> who played his final 28 Test innings in the first half of the 1970s, compiling five centuries: 108, 178, 132, 142 and then 150 at Lord\u2019s in August 1973 \u2013 three of these innings being undefeated. He signed off in early-April 1974, at age 37, doing so against England at Queen\u2019s Park Oval in Trinidad\u2019s capital, Port of Spain.<\/li>\n
- The complementary career of the right-arm off-spinner, Lance Gibbs<\/em> \u2013 who possessed unusually long fingers \u2013 came to a close at age 41 in February 1976 (two years after Sobers\u2019 retirement). Having begun in early-1958 (four years after Sobers\u2019 debut). Gibbs\u2019 career producing 2.1 wickets per innings: 309 scalps in all at 29.1 runs apiece.<\/li>\n
- Australia gave cricket followers the menacing high pace duo of Lillee and Thomson<\/em> as well as the sublime batting of Greg Chappell<\/em>. Their Prime Minister, Bob Hawke watched the play in the Lord\u2019s Test of June 1989. On the Saturday, sitting on the Australian dressing room balcony next to captain Allan Border, the match eventuating in a six wicket win for the visitors in a rampant series for Australia. Bob Hawke also did somecommentary on ABC radio during the December 1988 Test in Perth, and with good timing \u2013 Merv Hughes<\/em> took a hat-trick against the West Indies, clinching it with his first delivery of their second innings.<\/li>\n
- India gave spectators the gritty defiance and courage of Mohinder Amarnath<\/em> in the upper middle order: Tests from December 1969 to January 1988, playing 113 innings at 42.5. And the technical brilliance of the great opener Sunil Gavaskar<\/em> (from March 1971 to March 1987) \u2013 possessing all the shots and a \u201cvirtually unbreachable defence\u201d in playing his 214 Test innings at 51.1.<\/li>\n
- Sri Lanka produced Aravinda de Silva<\/em>, beginning his 18 year Test career in August 1984. \u201cS<\/em>trong at cutting and hooking, an unrepentant attacker,\u201d <\/em>this diminutive batsman would average in the mid-forties for his 159 Test innings.<\/li>\n
- And from Pakistan came the supreme all-rounder for this entire period, Imran Khan:<\/em> a lion at Oxford University, for Sussex and as captain of Pakistan. \u201c<\/em>Suave, erudite and monstrously talented.\u201d<\/em> His two decades of Test cricket and 88 matches extended from June 1971 through to January 1992. He would average 37.7 with the bat and claimed 362 scalps with the ball at 22.8 runs apiece. Imran\u2019s batting and bowling averages being very similar to those of the similarly gifted Keith Miller during his Test playing days: 55 matches during the decade from March 1946 to October 1956.<\/li>\n
- A sizeable uplift to the remuneration of international players occurred as an outcome of Kerry Packer\u2019s bold and highly innovative venture, World Series Cricket <\/em>with its matches staged from 1977-79.<\/li>\n
- Umpiring benefitted from the inimitable Harold Dennis (\u201cDickie\u201d) Bird<\/em>. Universally liked by players, he was able to calm down Merv Hughes during a fiery bowling spell with unwarranted verbals directed at the batsmen. Hughes retorting with \u201cDickie Bird, you\u2019re a legend!\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Dickie once arrived at The Oval ground as early as 6 am, so nervous was he about being late; and on another occasion was five-hours early to meet the Queen.<\/p>\n
\n- There was also the very popular BBC radio commentator, Brian Johnston<\/em> \u2013 an old Etonian and full of lasting schoolboy humour. Among his memorable lines:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cAnd welcome to The Oval where the bowler is Holding the batsman\u2019s Willey.\u201d<\/em> \u00a0Famously said (on 13 August 1976) during play between England and the West Indies.<\/p>\n\u201cWelcome to Leicester, where Ray Illingworth has just relieved himself at the Pavilion End.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n- Richie Benaud<\/em> did live commentary on television during his retirement from playing. \u201cM<\/em>ellow and authoritative,\u201d<\/em> he was also intermittently taciturn when nothing was called for: a valuable tip for many others! Much attention was paid by him as to which shade of beige or cream jacket he would wear on air \u2013 leading many groups of spectators to turn up to Test match grounds wearing imitations.<\/li>\n
- And there was the unmistakable Hampshire burr of commentator John Arlott<\/em> \u2013 a bottle of Beaujolais Villages invariably brought along in his brief case. Some cricket enthusiasts, at home, actually preferring it when play was held up by rain, so as to hear Arlott ad lib. On one occasion, for some twenty minutes describing, in captivating fashion, eight wheeled covers being put on and taken off by a tractor:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really a sort of cover removal spectacular\u2026umpire Dickie Bird there looking very worried, stroking his chin.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\nDavid Rayvern Allen, Arlott: The Authorised biography<\/em>, 1994<\/p>\n(Chapter 23, The Voice of Cricket).<\/p>\n
\n- Finally, a sight to gladden the hearts of English supporters: the sight of Colin Cowdrey<\/em> stepping out, when turning 42 years of age, to face Jeff Thomson (JT) and Dennis Lillee (DKL) Down Under. He had responded \u2013 without hesitation \u2013 to a request by captain Mike Denness to fill in after the 1st<\/sup> Test in that 1974-75 series, when the side was in an injury crisis. This came after a three and a half year break for Cowdrey, following his \u201cretirement.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
At Perth, on the quick, bouncy WACA pitch, Cowdrey made an obdurate 22 runs coming in at number three \u2013 facing 101 deliveries \u2013 in a team total of 208. And in the second dig, opening with David Lloyd, making 41 from 96 deliveries \u2013 putting on 62 before the first wicket fell. At one stage, saying to Lloyd (who shortly afterwards retired hurt): \u201cThis is jolly fun!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCowdrey, at number three, went on to make first innings scores in this series of 35 in a total of 242; 22 of 292; 26 of 172; and, finally, was out for 7 runs in a big team total \u2013 ironically England\u2019s only win to Australia\u2019s four (with one drawn match).<\/p>\n
For JT, this was his first Test series following an unsuccessful debut two years earlier when age 22 \u2013 finishing with overall figures for his five matches of 33 wickets at 17.9 runs apiece (missing the final match due to incurring an injury playing tennis on the \u201crest day\u201d). While his partner, DKL captured 25 wickets at 23.8 apiece in a full series, following a lay-off of 21 months recuperating from a serious injury (stress fractures of his lower back). In effect, the beginning of their highly destructive partnership.<\/p>\n
These players, commentators and events were, then, some of the gems during an otherwise somewhat dull period of Test cricket.<\/p>\n
C. The New M<\/strong>illennium: A<\/strong> Much Improved State of Test Cricket <\/strong><\/p>\nOn the two major indices \u2013 scoring rates and the frequency of positive match outcomes \u2013 the new millennium ushered in generally far better enjoyment for spectators. Though they had to endure a sluggish rate of overs delivered in a typical day\u2019s play, while time unnecessarily wasted continued to be highly irritating.<\/p>\n
Scoring rates<\/em><\/strong> rose appreciably following the 1970-99 period. It is only subsequently that run rates of the principal eight Test countries have risen beyond the high-2s per over (aside from WI, reaching 3.1 runs per over for the 1990s). These run rate entered the low-3s for the 2000-19 period, followed by a recent further upturn for 2020-25 (derived from HowStat data).<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Test Match Run Rates (per over)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 1970-89<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 1990s<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 2000s<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 2010s<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 2000-25<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n England<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.77<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.22<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.23<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.89<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.95<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.66<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.38<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.54<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n India<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.96<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.38<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.37<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.77<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.21<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.28<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.70<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.07<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.28<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.45<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n West Indies<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 3.12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.07<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.04<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 2.92<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n Pakistan<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.99<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.22<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.07<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \u00a0<\/td>\n | \n 2.86<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.31<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3.33<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n Average<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 2.91<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 2.89<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 3.24<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 3.22<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n| \n 3.37<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nThe frequency of draws<\/em><\/strong> has reduced in consequence of the faster scoring, coming down in overall terms to below 30% for the 2000s and recently \u2013 the last 6 years \u2013 falling to half that frequency (the stats being detailed earlier). As shown in the above table, the pattern across the different countries is pretty consistent. For England\u2019s home matches, I\u2019ve looked into the possibility of a long-term influence of the changing incidence of annual rainfall for the country as a whole. There has been a small overall rise, of 4.2%, between the thirty year periods of 1961\/90 to 1991\/2020 \u2013 down a little for May and September and up a little for June to August. Nothing of real significance there.<\/p>\nSecondary issues of slow over rates and various aspects of wasted time remain to be tackled, by regulatory action if necessary. Sluggish over rates<\/em><\/strong> have long been a concern, from the 1960s\/70s through to the turn of the century and beyond, with five of the leading Test countries featuring fast bowlers with lengthy run-ups in recent times. And plenty of fast-medium merchants with run-ups of lengths not to be sneezed at \u2013 unaccompanied by much regular spin.<\/p>\nThe shining exceptions in the spin department being the famed, balanced, Indian quartet spanning 1962 to 1979, and later Anil Kumble, Lance Gibbs, Abdul Qadir, Shane Warne, and Derek Underwood \u2013 plus Phil Tufnell\u2019s SLA deliveries on his best days of flighting them during his 1990-2001 Test career. There has been a dearth of top-class spinners in the new Millennium \u2013 India apart. Plus a rarely-relived diet of fast-medium bowlers, typified by the duo of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, and their trio of successors for England. This has meant continuing gripes about how few overs are typically delivered in a day\u2019s Test play. The presence of genuinely fast men \u2013 Cummins, Archer, S. and A. Joseph, Shar Afridi and Nazeem Shar, Kumara, Rabada, plus Bumrah and Siraj \u2013 are barely enough in number to bring a lot of variety to the scene.<\/p>\n When expressed as a grand average, there\u2019s been a substantial reduction in the number of overs sent down per hour in Tests since the 1960s \u2013 a drop of nearly one-quarter:<\/p>\n Overs Delivered per Hour <\/strong><\/p>\n1945-49: above 20<\/p>\n 1960s: 17.7<\/p>\n 1980s: 14.4<\/p>\n 2000s: 14.1<\/p>\n 2020-23: 13.6<\/p>\n Stats sourced from an article by Andy Bull: Grinding to a Halt: A History of Over Rates in Cricket,<\/em> contained in Wisden CA\u2019s 2024 edition.<\/p>\nTurning to the issue of wasted time<\/em><\/strong> during play in Tests: Mike Atherton recently chaired a well-informed and interesting discussion, held in the Coronation Garden at Lord\u2019s during the contest with India last summer, centred on unnecessarily slow play and slow proceedings. Shown on YouTube under the banner, \u201cThe delays have been diabolical\u2026\u201d running for 22 minutes, it features contributions from Athers, Kumar Sangakkara, Stuart Broad and Nasser Hussain.<\/p>\nThe discussion mainly covered changes of the ball and what the laws say about who should initiate scrutiny of the one in play and under what circumstances; the length of the reviews under the Decision Review System (DRS), the numerous drinks breaks, and \u201cumpires not in authority.\u201d<\/p>\n A number of seemingly sensible suggestions were put forward and debated, such as:<\/p>\n \u2013 Cut down on a \u201cmultitude\u201d of drinks breaks \u2013 eg one was held only ten minutes before the tea interval during that on-going match against India.<\/p>\n \u2013 Leave it entirely to the umpires to decide when, and whether, to check a ball\u2019s shape (using the gauge), and have a far shorter cut-off on decisions about whether to review an umpire\u2019s decision. Also, tell the person carrying out the alternative replacements of a ball and the Umpires to get a move on, instead of sauntering to meet each other as though they were either carrying a serious leg injury or are tipsy. The video clip shown was certainly comical!<\/p>\n \u2013 Reduce the time allowed for captains to call for the DRS reviews to around 5 seconds, as potential howlers can be identified in that space of time, rather than the currently allowed 15 seconds.<\/p>\n A related suggestion that I\u2019ve thought of: leave DRS reviews to the Third Umpire, which would ensure a reversion to its intended use \u2013 scrutinising really poor looking on-field umpire calls.<\/p>\n Also: why not have stiffer WTC point penalties for slow over rates, after allowance for hold-ups which aren\u2019t due to the fielding side?<\/p>\n As far as I\u2019m aware, there has been no follow-up by Atherton and company to try to persuade, or pressure, the ICC to actually act. Hence, wasted time remains a problem to be tackled \u2013 one that I might pursue in another article.<\/p>\n Spectator numbers<\/em><\/strong> at the grounds during Test matches present a mixed story. Numbers have generally been thriving in England, India and Australia in recent times, accompanied by with buoyant television viewings, with broadcasting revenue forming a predominant part of administrators\u2019 revenues.<\/p>\n\n- At ground spectator numbers for the 2025\/26 Ashes series were around 50,000 on both days at Perth; close to capacity on all except the final day at Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney; and close to capacity on both days at Melbourne. In total, nearly 860,000 spectators were on site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Yet, quite thinly populated stadiums have been common in recent times in a number of countries. Most notably: \u201cmodest and diminishing\u201d crowds in the West Indies, where a decline in team performance has had a marked impact. South Africa has suffered from the rise of T20 matches, often with as low as around 1,000 a day at major venues for Tests. New Zealand is also a victim of the popularity of the T20 format, though having some success with day-night matches, and mitigating the visual and atmospheric effects by often using Mount Maunganui and occasionally Dunedin as venues. And there\u2019s the special case of the UAE when used as a neutral venue for Pakistan\u2019s matches, its venues being sparsely populated by spectators.<\/p>\n This matter of attendance numbers relates to the threat posed to Test cricket, to which I now turn.<\/p>\n D. Many Commentators Don\u2019t Agree that Test Cricket Isn\u2019t in Strife <\/strong>(or isn\u2019t \u201cbroken\u201d)<\/p>\nA substantial, and growing, number of well-informed, respected commentators are not at one with those who consider that Test cricket is not in strife already and won\u2019t be in the fairly imminent future. There are, then, plenty of what I label \u201cTest doomsters\u201d around, the list growing by the month. A number of them were cited in my mid-August 2025 piece on this website, including (among others) those noted below:<\/p>\n James Coyne, <\/em>Melinda Farrell<\/em> and David Frith of The Cricketer<\/em> magazine; Jon Hotten of The Nightwatchman<\/em> journal; former England player and commentator, Isa Guha; Vishnu Padmanabhan\u00a0of The Economist<\/em> magazine; Greg Baum of Melbourne\u2019s The Age<\/em> newspaper; Sean Gregory of Time Magazine;<\/em> Vaneisa Baksh in the West Indies. In India, the former Test luminary turned eminent commentator,<\/em> Ravi Shastri; in South Africa, the journalist and commentator Natalie Germanos; and in South America, Hern\u00e1n Pereyra, President of Argentine Cricket Association.<\/p>\nThey all perceive, to varying degrees, an existential threat. Their belief that Test cricket is seriously threatened reflects, fundamentally, a worry over the recent and prospective further shrinking of the pool of talent available to Test team selectors in the participating countries, and how market forces are likely to play-out under alternative regulatory scenarios. This in turn, of course, reflects the in-roads that are being made by the lure of T20 Franchise Leagues around the world, now spanning virtually the whole calendar year and offering highly lucrative contracts for short stints of work.<\/p>\n The \u201cdoomsters\u201d are also acutely aware that Test match series have shrunk in length: 3-match series morphing into 2-match ones, and with 4 and 5-match series becoming increasingly uncommon. Steve Waugh became virtually apoplectic at South Africa sending what was, in effect, a Second Eleven side to play the two-match series in New Zealand in February 2024, one that included seven uncapped players with the captain among them. Thereby putting domestic SA\u2019s T20 cricket above its Test cricket. Though SA did make a contest of the second of those matches, beaten only by a second innings century from Kane Williamson.<\/p>\n More such action can perhaps be expected. Worse has happened this year in the women\u2019s game, with the West Indies cancelling a home Test against Australia, scheduled for the March-April period \u2013 stating it was prioritising preparation for the women\u2019s T20 World Cup, to be held in England during June to early-July.<\/p>\n Some of the Test \u201cdoomsters\u201d play Devil\u2019s Advocate \u2013 eg Mike Brearley\u2019s piece of March 2024 in The Cricketer <\/em>magazine, headed: Test cricket on Titanic route to disaster?<\/em>\u00a0 Some others play the role of an Agent Provocateur, while many others have plain apprehension or foreboding.<\/p>\nFrom what I\u2019ve seen written by these \u201cmany others\u201d, it is mostly rather superficial comment. Indeed, it is often akin to the utterances of current day slaves of verbal fashion, as illustrated by this snatch of conversation in a recent screenplay: \u00a0<\/p>\n Naomi: When asking a young bloke next to me in a caf\u00e9, have you got the time on you? <\/em><\/p>\nHe responded with: \u201cTime is slipping by. To be honest,<\/strong> it\u2019s 1-45.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\nPierre: It\u2019s getting to the stage, Naomi, when we\u2019ll have to assume a person is lying otherwise. <\/em><\/p>\nNaomi: If he hadn\u2019t uttered the to be honest mantra<\/strong>, he probably would <\/strong>have been <\/em>lying. In which case, he might have said: It\u2019s 2-20 or 3-35. There are so many times that aren\u2019t 1-45\u2026a myriad of them.<\/em><\/p>\n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |