‘Cool’ Kohli the renaissance man
Test cricket’s endless cycle of matches wheels into Seddon Park in Hamilton where New Zealand play Bangladesh in the kind of series that probably prompted the chairman of the International Cricket Council to say last week: ‘‘Test cricket is dying.’’
Shashank Manohar was simply copying his colleagues at the England and Wales Cricket Board by putting the boot into test cricket, although he is far from alone. The news that Duanne Olivier – aged just 26 and ranked the 19th best bowler in the world – has decided to forego his international career with South Africa in favour of a lucrative three-year Kolpak contract with Yorkshire was a stark reminder of the challenges posed to the game’s longest format.
Yet the situation is not so gloomy. In many respects the game is enjoying a renaissance. More test matches are ending in positive results than ever and a competitive balance between all teams is preventing a hierarchy from developing. Teams are beating each other, it is unpredictable and Sri Lanka’s 2-0 win in South Africa shows home bias has slipped.
Manohar had test-match attendances in mind and how they pale next to Twenty20 but there was also an eye on how he will be remembered by history. The ICC launches the first test championship this summer and if the competition is a success Manohar can claim in years to come that he played a big part in saving a dying format.
But the real hero is Virat Kohli. The world’s most famous cricketer, its best multi-format batsman and pin-up for millions, has made test cricket cool in India. His love of test cricket has persuaded team-mates to stay interested, motivated members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India to resist the allure of swallowing the Indian Premier League dollar completely and ensured that a generation of young Indians is growing up wanting to play test and not just T20 cricket. Kohli has proved that to be the best you have to play test cricket and he wants to leave behind a legacy.
‘‘That will require the team to lay out certain things that need to be done and for the next lot to keep following,’’ he said. ‘‘So the next lot that comes in, they have to maintain that vision and then the people coming in will follow. I hope that continues and I will try my level best for as long as I can to keep that culture going.’’
Only a handful of fans will sit on the grass banks at Seddon Park today.
Take out the England travelling support and test grounds around the world would be ideal for growing tumbleweed. The worry for the future is that it is increasingly obvious that the Barmy Army and England travelling supporters are getting older.
But does test cricket need a big crowd? Boards outside England and Australia have given up marketing test cricket, accepting that modern lifestyles do not fit into spending nine hours at a cricket ground anymore, particularly without a definite result at the end of the day.
Instead, test cricket is followed in different ways. Broadcasters still love it because it fills schedules cheaply. The competition in the broadcast markets of England, Australia and India ensures television stations will keep bidding for cricket. Test cricket is followed online rather than in person, with clips on social media, live blogs and YouTube reaching millions. Footage of Kusal Perera guiding Sri Lanka to their stunning win in Durban last week was shared on Twitter within seconds.
Pitches are livelier, batsmen lack the technical application to stick out tough periods and warmup games are barely more worthy than middle practice – which is why in 2018 only 10.4 per cent of matches ended as draws, the lowest since the Second World War. It is also a golden time for fast bowling.
Players are also realists. The ICC will soon impose a restriction cutting to three the number of Twenty20 leagues players can appear in during a calendar year. Now they may have to play test cricket again to top up their earnings. Twenty20 has quickened the exit of ageing players, giving younger cricketers a chance, most obviously in the West Indies.
Sensible leadership from board chief executive Johnny Grave, who has promised West Indies will not schedule international cricket during the IPL, should ensure their recovery has long-term potential.
Test cricket is here to stay and the world of sport is better for it.