There is a lot of talk about Test cricket that the oldest format is now slowly dying, as South Africa has recently selected a team whose captain has not even debuted in Test cricket. This has been done because South Africa’s prominent players are going to engage in the board’s T20 league.
In such a situation, Cricket Australia has decided that they will put forward that the Test series played under the ICC World Test Championship i.e. WTC should be at least three matches. So far several countries have been focusing on the only two-match Test series.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has acknowledged that South Africa’s decision to send a very weak team to New Zealand is a wake-up call for this format and signifies the challenges within the dual-paced structure of Test cricket.
He maintained the belief that other countries apart from Australia, England, and India had the responsibility to keep this format alive. Under the rules of the WTC, there is a minimum two-match Test series, but Nick Hockley wants that at least a three-match Test series should be organized.
Currently, A two-match Test series is being played between South Africa and India. Earlier, Team India played a two-match Test series in the West Indies. West Indies’ upcoming series is with Australia, consisting of two Test matches. However, the Australia vs Pakistan Test series consists of three matches.
Apart from this series, Excluding India, England, and Australia, no other country played a three-match Test series in 2018-19, when the Pakistan team visited South Africa. Such a situation raises a significant question mark on this format.
“The priority is to have at least three Test matches,” Nick Hockley was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. So we will continue to advocate and support it. I believe further work has to be done on the FTP (Future Tours Programme) and it is indeed about strengthening the World Test Championship.
Cricket Australia is advocating a minimum of three-Test series. He has also mentioned that the T20 league is essential for revenue, but that competition should be designed so that no other countries have problems.
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