Test Cricket: Recent Excitement Papers Over the Cracks

Crowd Trouble


We've seen some cracking games of Test match cricket over the last 12 months. Most notably the low scoring affair in Cape Town between South Africa and Australia, where South Africa made only 96, and then Australia 47 as 23 wickets fell on the second day. South Africa finally put together a reasonable total and made 236 to win the Test Match in tricky conditions. That was followed by Pat Cummins' heroics in Jo'berg, where two teams, evenly matched put on a real contest. That was before Cummins' hit the winning runs to go with his Aussie debut 5-for and the unforgettable reactions of Nathan Lyon, the Aussie number 11, who was next in, quite simply bricking it! Then New Zealand picked up their first victory in 26 years on their neighbours turf beating Australia 7 runs, the finest of margins thanks to a Doug Bracewell 7-for. While we are on the case of exciting matches, who will forget the Edgbaston Test of 2005?


All exciting games, but there is one fact that makes the Edgbaston Test stand about more than the others. Not it being the Ashes, not just the fact it came down to the last wicket, but the crowd. Edgbaston was packed that  day in 2005, and throughout the whole series. As the Ashes series was in 2009. Also Down Under this year, England took great support over to Australia, although the Aussie support thwarted towards the end of the series (understandably). 


The same can't be said for the other matches though, on one day (Saturday) did I see grounds in South Africa anywhere near full. It's a general problem across the globe, baring England where generally crowds are good. We've come to expect it from the sub-continent teams, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are renound for having a public who's main interest lies within the limited overs format. It's something you expect less of in South Africa, West Indies and Australia, but something that is clearly evident in all of these countries. The only time you see these grounds anywhere near capacity is when England play there, and take a significant amount of support to fill the grounds. The final day of the MCG test, when England retained the Ashes, saw a section of English fans which probably outnumbers the whole attendance for most days of a Test Match.


The purpose of this isn't to blow the trumpet of the English support, as good and as valuable as it is to the England side, but to highlight the fact crowds are very poor when outside of England or in games which don't include England. A few exciting games may have made everyone remember the back and forth of a Test Match and the tension it can bring, but it seems crowds are still not very good. Test Matches are still the pinnacle of the sport in my opinion, the skill levels across long periods are something rivaled by few sports, the concentration, the tactical battles between captains, and the duels between batsmen and bowlers across a series (think, Flintoff v Gilchrist, McGrath v Atherton) set the Test Match arena apart, but the simple facts are, there aren't many going through the turnstiles. Indian legend Rahul Dravid today described Test cricket as "the gold standard" and the form that the players most wanted to play".


So what is the solution? I think the Test Championship may have gone some way to solve the problem. In games that don't really mean anything, it's hard to attract people to watch. However, if there was a semi final game going on and a place in the final at stake, surely that would entice fans in? TV commitments for the ICC has scuppered that anyway, at least until 2017.

Day-night matches therefore, have to be considered a reasonable option. It's not 'traditional' if you like, but if the pinnacle of the sport is to survive, people need to be watching Test cricket, or they will be chasing the cash in the shorter format of the game. 


If nothing else, Test series' need to be longer, 4-5 games. Australia playing South Africa in a two Test Match series is plain stupid. Especially when we saw what great cricket they produced. After the first two Test Matches, and how close they were, I'd have expected more people through the gates in the 3rd and 4th Tests, that's if they'd have been scheduled. To achieve this, you'd have to get rid of cricket somewhere, and although there is definitely a place for 50-over cricket, it has to come from here. 7 match series are no fun for anyone, and even 5 match series can get tedious. 


However the ICC decide to do it, something needs to be done. We don't really recognise the crowd problems I don't think, as games that invovle England are generally well supported, but if you watch a game between two other nations, the plastic seats that remain empty is alarming. At least the Aussies make them different colours so it looks like there is someone there, either that or as Ian Botham said, everyone is going in fancy dress, dressed as a plastic chair, and I'm getting it wrong!