Test matches in England could be cut from five to four days under ECB plans

Test matches in England could be cut from five to four days under ECB plans

THE traditional five-day Test, which has been a feature of the English summer for nearly 70 years, will end in 2020 if the England & Wales Cricket Board(ECB) successfully argues for the introduction of four-day matches.
The ECB is leading the push for Test matches to be reduced to four days after the 2019 Ashes summer, believing it is the best way to breathe new life into the game’s oldest format and is confident it has the support of broadcasters and host grounds.
A four-day Test would start in England half an hour earlier at 10.30am to give teams more time to bowl the increased number of overs in a day and with all venues now having floodlights, play would be extended where possible.
Sources have told Telegraph Sport the ECB will put its weight behind the switch to four-day Tests at the next board meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in New Zealand in October, which will discuss the ongoing restructuring of the game and introduction of a Test championship in 2020.

The ECB’s support for four-day Test cricket will alarm traditionalists, who already feel the game is being squeezed by too much Twenty20 with the introduction of a new league in England in two years’ time.
Reducing Test matches to four days will help the ECB and other boards schedule their domestic Twenty20 leagues and ease the workload on players.
It is understood the ECB’s new broadcast deal does not guarantee Test matches will be scheduled for five days, removing one potential obstacle for change.
A shift to four-day Tests would enable the ECB to guarantee Thursday starts for each match, which is the preferred option for Test match grounds as it allows them to maximise corporate income.

Next summer, England and India are squeezing a five-match Test series into seven weeks, forcing Trent Bridge to host a game that starts on Saturday, making the sale of corporate hospitality boxes very difficult.
Test matches have been scheduled over five days since 1973. A series that year between New Zealand and Pakistan was the last to be played over four days.
But South Africa announced last week it plans to play a four-day Test starting on Boxing Day against Zimbabwe and the ICC are set to give it approval at its October board meeting.
More experiments with four days are expected around the world over the next 12 months as the initiative gathers momentum. (Telegraph)