Afghanistan story apart, Test cricket needs to expand
Test cricket has been unkind to newcomers. Barring Australia, who won the first ever contest (v England, 1877), and Zimbabwe, who drew against India (1992), all others started with a defeat.
This is understandable. Test cricket can be extraordinarily demanding on skills and technique, but rather more on temperament. Capacity to concentrate and be motivated for several hours (over days) is more a function of experience than just enthusiasm and intent.
The shorter the game, the more level the playing field because players are under lesser ‘test’ on the attributes mentioned above. It’s hardly surprising then that teams which started playing Tests in the last five decades have a far better record in limited overs formats.
The difficulty quotient for Afghanistan on debut, therefore, hardly needs highlighting. It is accentuated by the fact that India are No 1. The hosts may be without Virat Kohli, but Afghanistan’s task remains herculean.
That said, it would be grossly unfair to judge debutant Test teams only on result. There are a myriad dimensions involved in the transition which must be taken into account.
Afghanistan qualifying to this level is an inflection point in cricket, but in many ways it also reflects their journey as a nation. A report by ₹An Onlooker’ on India’s first Test (v England at Lord’s, 1932) which appeared in The Cricketer captures this aspect splendidly.
“Glorious weather, a crowd of some 25,000, and a fast pitch, greeted the Indians in their first Test match, an event, we believe, of more than mere cricketing importance,” it reads, implying how cricket had become a medium of self-determination for India against colonial rule.
Afghanistan achieving Test status is no less riveting for a war-torn country.
But while ICC must be lauded for rewarding Afghanistan’s progress, the fact that after 140 years only 12 countries play Test cricket does not leave the sport’s apex body smelling of roses.
In the last five decades, only five teams – Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan – have made the cut. And only Afghanistan is a noncommonwealth country.
This shows how damagingly conservative ICC has been. So why should it surprise anybody that Test cricket is floundering?
No two sports are alike. But it’s also true that unlike football, ICC has been guilty of trying to remain exclusive instead of becoming inclusive.
Several dynamics come into play to make a sport popular, not the least population and economy. But just those two parameters are not enough as can be learnt from other sports.
So, while India and China are the world’s two most populous countries and strongest economies, they are not in the football World Cup. Iceland, with barely 350,000 people, is.
What’s most important is how the global administrative body of the sport, its constituents and players function.
Sadly, where Test cricket is concerned, authorities have been in Rip Van Winkle mode. The spectacular Afghanistan story has been a wake-up call. Better late than never.
The author is a senior cricket writer. Views expressed are personal.