New ECB chairman proposes four-day Test matches
Incoming ECB chief Colin Graves hopes changes will help save Test cricket from extinction
He made his fortune as the founder of the Costcutter supermarket chain and now Colin Graves, the chairman elect of the England Cricket Board, wants to slash Test Day cricket from five to four days.
The 67-year-old Graves, who officially begins his five-year tenure at the ECB on 15 May, believes that Test cricket is in danger of extinction such is the soaring popularity of Twenty 20 cricket and to a lesser extent the 50-over game.
Only the Ashes series guarantees good crowds these days in Test cricket and in an interview with the MCC website, Graves proposed a radical solution. "Personally, I think we should look at four-day Test cricket and play 105 overs a day starting at 10.30 in the morning, and finish when you finish as all the grounds now have lights," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In Graves's vision Test matches would start on a Thursday, with that day and Friday given over to the corporate spectator, while Saturday and Sunday would be family days. "From a cost point of view you'd lose that fifth day, which would save a lot of money from the ground's point of view and the broadcasters'," he said. "[But] in reality, there's not many people who turn up and watch it on the fifth day."
Graves knows his proposal is likely to encounter stiff opposition, particularly in England, where traditionalists jealously guard against any tinkering with the Test format. But the incoming ECB chairman had this stark message for them: "You can't continue to leave Test cricket as it is." Television audiences and attendance figures are, he says, "shrinking". He continues: "Somehow, somewhere, there is a way to improve Test cricket. It's the bastion, but we've got to modernise it. We've got to jazz it up."
The proposal is incorporated into an ECB strategy document examining changes to the English game in the face of dwindling crowds to all but the top international matches. Change to Test cricket's format would require the approval of the International Cricket Council, but cricket’s governing body is likely to look favourably on the idea given that Test cricket in other parts of the world is shedding spectators at an alarming rate.
Whatever the outcome of Graves's proposal, it's another indication that his arrival at the ECB will be a breath of fresh air after a period of stagnation on and off the pitch. Early last month Graves hit the headlines by suggesting Kevin Pietersen could return to the England team. Last week, in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds, the ECB chief warned that should England fail to beat the West Indies in their upcoming Test series "there will be some inquiries of why we haven't."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'People want to understand food — but only to a point'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How do cash-back apps work and are they worth it?
The Explainer Put a percentage of the amount you spend back in your pocket
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Why NATO, Ukraine are nervous about a second Trump presidency
The Explainer A 'radical reorientation' of U.S. policy is possible
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Sturgeon slams Rangers fans over title celebrations
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Keely Hodgkinson and Bryson DeChambeau
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Klopp’s unwanted record as Liverpool lose again at Anfield
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Tiger Woods and Tom Brady
By Mike Starling Published