Former Sri Lanka player Mahela Jayawardene on Wednesday said that Tests should remain a five-day affair, even though the ICC will discuss curtailing the format in an upcoming meeting.
Former India captain Anil Kumble, who heads ICC’s cricket, has said that the proposal will be discussed in the next round of the ICC meetings to be held in Dubai from March 27-31.
The former Sri Lankan captain said he is against any change to the Test format.
“We will discuss it in the meeting (in March, and I don’t know what will happen after that but my personal opinion is that it should remain five days—I would not want any change,” he told PTI.
The proposal has not gone down well with most of the cricketers, with greats like Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting opposing the idea. While England and Australia cricket boards are open to the idea, the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has said that “it is too early” to talk about it.
Kohli was very straightforward in his opinion of the format.
“According to me, it should not be altered,” he said. “As I said, the day-night is another step towards commercializing Test cricket and you know, creating excitement around it, but it can’t be tinkered with too much.”
“Then you are purely only talking about getting numbers, entertainment and you know. I think the intent will not be right then because then you will speak of three-day Tests. I mean where do you end. Then you will speak of Test cricket disappearing. So I don’t endorse that at all.”
Sachin on his part explained that a four-day Test will be a big disappointment for the spinners.
“Taking away the fifth-day track from a spinner is like taking away the first-day track from a fast bowler. There is no fast bowler in the world who wouldn’t want to bowl on a fifth-day track.
“On the final session of a fifth day, any spinner would like to bowl. The ball doesn’t turn from the first day or the first session. The wicket takes time for wear and tear. The fifth day brings with it, turn, bounce and the unevenness of the surface. It doesn’t happen on the first two days,” he explained.
