Countdown clock among MCC proposals for Tests
Overwhelming 86% of fans still identify five-day cricket as their preferred format, survey shows
Introducing countdown clocks, a standard ball across the globe, and free hits after no-balls are some of the changes being eyed for Test cricket as the custodians of the game’s laws look to shore up its popularity amid the rise of lucrative Twenty20 leagues. The future of the longest format of the game has been a subject of debate amid dwindling crowds for Test matches outside Australia and England. It was found in a recent survey by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the sole authority on the laws of cricket since it was founded in 1787, that an overwhelming 86% of fans still identify Test cricket as their preferred format. The survey also covered some of the key challenges in increasing attendances at ground and viewership of Test matches and reads that players should show more urgency to speed up play, with slow over rates being a key concern. International Cricket Council (ICC) statistics from May 2018 show that over rates in the past year were the lowest in the 11 years that th...
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