LEFT ARM OVER
NEIL MANTHORP: Four better or four worse, Test cricket is in for a major shift that could save the game
The only part of life that is getting longer is life itself, so it is only a matter of time before Test cricket is reduced to four days instead of five. This may upset those with a penchant for tradition, but time marches on and cricket has had more rule and regulation changes than most sports. There was a time, of course, when Test cricket imposed no time constraints on itself at all. Changing from five days to four is about as risqué as an elderly librarian taking off a cardigan, but it could have a profound effect on the game, which is exactly why Cricket SA and the England Cricket Board are at the forefront of pushes to make the change. Initially, both four-and five-day Tests will be permitted once the issue has been discussed at the ICC CEs board meetings in Auckland in the second week of October. Initially, they will agree to the change on a trial basis to iron out the practicalities of, say, adding extra overs to the mandatory 90 in order to lessen the impact of losing a full...
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