What else can Test cricket do to save itself?

Test cricket has already transformed itself in a short space of time yet it’s popularity is still declining. What else can be done to save the long form of the game in the T20 age?

Wondering across YouTube as one often does I found an hour long highlights of the England V South Africa series of 1998. It was a rare series win for England who came from behind to beat South Africa 2–1. While the result was unusual, England were something of a cricketing calamity in the 90s, there were many facets of the series that were typical of cricket in England during that era.

Two of the 5 tests were drawn, both teams chopped and changed there lineups, rain interfered with play, there were dubious umpiring decisions that couldn’t be remedied by DRS, there were a slew of horrendous collapses from the English middle order and runs were rarely scored at over 3 per over.

In many respects, the game has moved on lightyears since 98. England’s rain affected draw with Sri Lanka in June of this year (the British weather being an omnipotent force), was the first in a home test for England since 2014 ending a run of 13 consecutive tests with a result at home. England no longer give out debuts like they’re going out of fashion. Umpiring standards have risen in tandem with the adoption of DRS to the point where the system is used tactically more often that because the Umpire has made an obvious error. At Lords, England had a test match centurion batting at 10 in Stuart Broad and played with a tail that has often had to get them out of trouble with a stuttering and inexperienced middle order. Finally today, any inning that progresses at less than 3.5 runs per over is considered ponderous.

The acceleration of run-rates has been a key factor in the transformation of Test Cricket and should be a catalyst for further change to help save the long form of the game.

Watching the 98 series I was dumbstruck to find that South Africa, having elected to bat first in the 3rd Old Trafford test, didn’t declare their innings until into the morning session of the 3rd Day. They batted for 199.5 overs (the OCD monster within wonders why they decided to not face 1 more ball and get to 200) scoring 552 runs as 2.7 runs per over. Compare that to the 589 England scored last week in Manchester taking 152.2 overs at 3.7 runs per over and you start to wonder if the sides are playing the same game?

Runs are scored quicker, wickets are taken faster and matches are shorter. During England run of 13 consecutive results at home only 4 of those matches went to a 5th day and there were 5 Three day test matches in that period.

The ICC has mooted the possibility of shortening test matches to 4 days and increasing the number of overs bowled in a day to 100. This to me seems a logical step given the direction the game is taking organically. If matches rarely go into a 5th day then what is the point in having it?

But it is troubling to Test buffs like myself that, in-spite of all the natural innovations and evolutions Test Cricket has undertaken, the long form of the game is still waining in popularity world wide. Test Cricket is basically dead in the West Indies. Once the heroes of those islands wore white, now they ware red. The subcontinent outside of India struggles to get fans through the turnstiles and even Australia, New Zealand and South Africa battle to sell test match tickets when England aren’t touring.

The game has modernise, but the fans still turn their backs to it. I wonder what else the powers that be can do that hasn’t already happened to save this form of the game?