Last Update on: February 8th, 2019 at 11:08 am
Shashank Manohar, the chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC), has admitted that they have introduced the Test Championship to stop the format from dying. Meanwhile, Manohar is on a courtesy visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of BCB president Nazmul Hassan. On his second day of the visit, Manohar met the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before attending a reception hosted by the BCB.
During the press conference, Shashank Manohar said T20s are generating the most interest among viewers, particularly in terms of TV ratings and stadium audience. He also revealed that they have started Test cricket in a bid to regain interest in the longer format of the game. Manohar also admitted that they are trying every means and ways to improve the future of Test cricket.
“We are trying to see whether Test championship can generate interest,” Manohar said. “Because Test cricket is actually dying to be honest. So to improve the situation, we are trying ways and means. The [ICC] board directors came to a conclusion that if we start a Test championship, it would keep Test cricket alive and generate more interest in the game,” he added.
Manohar also noted that T20 cricket is generating more TRPs and people don’t have time to watch cricket over five days. Moreover, Shashank Manohar also added that the shortest format of the game is like watching a movie and is growing fast.
In October 2017, the ICC board approved the first two-year World Test Championship involving the game’s top nine teams. The first edition of the championship is set to begin after the 2019 ICC World Cup and run until April 2021, when the two top teams will meet in a championship final.
