ICC To Consider Mandatory Four-Day Tests After ICC World Test Championship 2021

The International Cricket Council likely to formally consider the four-day Test matches in the International schedule. Amidst the discussions among the top cricketing nation boards, the ICC would like to come up with 4-day Test matches as a mandate for ICC World Test Championship 2023. However, the world’s cricketers stand might not welcome the change in the form of the game.

With the increase in limited-over games and the T20 tournaments, and also with the idea of increasing the ICC events in a calendar year, the apex body is looking to cut down 5-day Test matches to 4-day games. The 4-day Test matches will give ample time for the supreme boards to arrange a few other matches.

98 overs will be played in 4-Day Test matches:

For example, the four-day Test matches rather than five-day matches during the current cycle from 2015 to 2023 would have freed up 335 days. It will also allow the boards to host matches in a Thursday-Sunday window, which will help the fans to visit venues in the weekends.

The move will also help the host-boards and the broadcasters, as there will be no need for the budget to spend on the fifth day of the Test match. Matches played over four days would likely see the increase of the minimum overs in a day from 90 to 98. Overall, the Test match will see 58 overs being lost.

Recently, the chief of Cricket Australia Kevin Roberts stated that they are seriously looking to consider 4-day Test matches. They might also host Afghanistan in 2020 to play a 4-day Test match. For the same, the board members are digging out the stats and the data from the previous games to give their final opinion.

Despite the Cricket Australia board considering the change, the skipper Tim Paine recently stated that he wishes the Test matches to remain the same. He felt that all the games during the Ashes Trophy 2019 went down to the wire to 5th day. Paine cited that they wouldn’t have got the result of the match if it was cut short to four days.