The slow death of Test cricket?

Like many long-suffering cricket fans, we’re getting a bit tired of the sheer amount of international one-day cricket that is being played nowadays. And so are Indian crowds judging by the empty seats we’ve seen throughout the current one-day series with England.

But what does this all mean for Test cricket? Against a backdrop of the ICC backtracking over its plans for a World Test Championship in 2013 and the ECB announcing a schedule for next summer, which sees a mind-numbing THIRTEEN one-day internationals but only a three Test series with South Africa, the omens don’t look good.

Andrew Strauss said as much in The Times this week and our column for All Out Cricket this week ponders on this very worrying issue.

So have a read of "Strauss' Test Cricket Concerns Must Be Heeded" and let us know whether you agree (or disagree) with us.

Where next?

The India vs England ODI series: Time for vengeance or an utter waste of time?

The farcical Champions League and its band of cricket mercenaries

Archie Jackson: The light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long

England are playing THIRTEEN ODI next summer. Oh joy...

Andy Flower and the curse of autobiographies

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Comments

[Christian Krämer]

Let me get this straight: there is too much one-day cricket played (agreed!) and therefor Test Cricket is dying (not understood) ... I'd rather say they kill cricket all together with all this 'let's add another tournament to this list that nobody gives a rats ass about' - so I actually think that Test Cricket is going to be the last form that will still have a meaning and 'caracter' a few years down the road. Because it is so much more fun to cheer for your country than for a franchise. It is about time the brits teach us continental Europeans how to play it and we would have a Test Euro Champs with France, Germany, The Netherlands and Ireland. That would make a football World Cup look like a tea party in the park.

[AB]

Agreed that this is alarming. Five fockin' one day internationals - what a drag.

What I also find frustrating is that here in India, majority of your average cricket fan don't bother much at all with test cricket. A top 40 tune or two is fine once in a while, but not all the time.

Pakistan vs Srilanka - 2 tests, followed by 5 odis. Well, atleast king kumar gave us a rare treat (although the pitch/stadium/conditions were depressing as hell to view).

Aus vs SA - My phone has a reminder for when the test series begins. Skip till then.

Yeah, I'm an elitist hipster!

[Ed Lamb]

I have the same no doubt daft question that I put on All Out Cricket. Why is an ODI seen as better financially than a Test match? Why is 2 extra Tests not seen as better than a dull 7 match ODI series as there will probably be more days to extract revenue?

Anecdotally there are lots of people who love cricket enough that they'll watch any format, with ODI cricket lapped up in the absence of a Test to watch. Cricket marketers hopefully realise that doesn't necessarily mean spectators want more ODIs - it just means they're buying the nearest available substitute for Test cricket.

[The Reverse Sweep]

I'm not sure Ed, but I guess that television pays per match, so five ODIs puts more cash in the till than one five day Test.