Anil Kumble Not In Favour Of Four-Day Test Matches

After Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, the legendary cricketer of India, Anil Kumble has opposed the idea of four-day Test matches. The former cricketer Kumble, who picked the most number of wickets in Test cricket for India feels the four-day Test matches aren’t the need of the hour in international cricket. He believes Test cricket has still enough on offer to survive.

Among former players who want to see four-day Tests are Shane Warne, Mark Taylor and Michael Vaughan.

The ICC wants to try out four-day Tests primarily to free up space in the crowded calendar and use that time for the commercially lucrative shorter formats.

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If it was four days, it wouldn’t be a Test: Anil Kumble

However, Kumble, who is the chairman of the ICC’s Cricket Committee, has countered the view expressed by many, including the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, that Test cricket is dying.

Kumble said Test cricket is very much alive, but he feels the viewing habits of the fans have changed, with many following it through the television and digital mediums.

“The sense of what I think about it is the players have given that. I mean, they don’t want a four-day Test. Five-day Test is what it is. And a Test it is because it is five days. If it was four days, it wouldn’t be a Test. I am very clear on that,” Kumble was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

I am really glad: Anil Kumble

According to Kumble, the ICC Cricket Committee had an initial discussion on four-day Tests two years ago but it had never thought about making it mandatory for all countries.

Earlier, it was said that the ICC’s cricket committee will formally consider trimming Tests to four days from five for the 2023-2031 cycle primarily to free up the crowded calendar. If four-day Tests were held during the 2015-2023 cycle, it would have freed up 335 days of scheduled cricket.

“The [ICC Cricket] Committee and even within the ICC, I don’t think there’s any, at least in the immediate, thinking of having a four-day Test competition, which is mandatory. I don’t think there’s anything of that (nature), but I am really glad that the players believe that it is a five-day competition that they want,” he added.