• Home
  • Cricket News
  • From 3 Test Series To Emphasis On Pink Ball Test Icc Plans To Promote Test Cricket

From 3-Test Series To Emphasis On Pink Ball Test; ICC Plans To Promote Test Cricket

Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins [Source: @ptravidwivedi/x.com]Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins [Source: @ptravidwivedi/x.com]

The ICC is planning significant changes to revive Test and ODI cricket, with the aim of making the formats more competitive and engaging for fans. One of the major proposals is to ensure a minimum of three matches in every World Test Championship (WTC), especially for non-dominant nations.

ICC is set to undergo a leadership change as Jay Shah will take over as Chairman from December 1. Ahead of his official signing, ICC have already begun working towards the betterment of Test format. The apex body formed a committee to figure out ways to promote Test cricket and as per Insidesports, the committee came up with three major suggestions.

ICC to promote Test cricket with major changes in next WTC cycle

First is to ensure a minimum of three-game Test series is played in the next World Series Championship (WTC) cycle. Currently, some teams, like South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, often play only two-Test series, which the ICC believes reduces the appeal and viewership of Test cricket. 

Only India, Australia, and England typically play longer series, leading to disparities in points distribution within the WTC.

Another key focus is the encouragement of more Day/Night (D/N) Tests with pink ball, as these matches have seen better ticket sales. The ICC feels that D/N Tests could help revitalise the format by attracting larger crowds. India, for example, has not played a pink-ball Test in two years.

In addition to Test cricket, the ICC is also considering changes in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). A proposal to limit the use of two balls to just the first 25 overs of an ODI is under consideration. This aims to address the disadvantage faced by bowlers, especially in the death overs, where the harder ball typically favours batters.

Rohit Sharma advocates for three-game WTC finals

Team India lost two WTC finals back-to-back and captain Rohit Sharma proposed changes to the format. Instead of a one-game face off, he wants to play a best of three series. Rohit believes that two years worth of hardwork vanishes in just one game which is mostly impacted by adverse weather conditions. A three-game series would help both the teams gauge the conditions more accurately.