How to save Test cricket? – Stumped, BBC World Service

We debate how to save Test Match cricket and are joined by the women’s Bangladesh captain.

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On this week’s Stumped, Alison Mitchell and Jim Maxwell are in Sydney while Charu Sharma joins from Bengaluru to discuss how Test cricket can remain a valued form of the game. The Stumped team debate how they would save Test cricket and discuss the viability of the format after South Africa announced seven uncapped players in their 14-member squad to face New Zealand for their two-Test series next month, including captain Neil Brand. Jim also shares his honest thoughts on the World Test Championship.

Plus, women’s Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana joins us as Bangladesh prepare to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in October. She tells us what she hopes that will do for women’s cricket in the country and tells us about their domestic structure.

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Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hits  of news, features and debate from the quirky world of cricket. I’m Alison Mitchell in Sydney. Hello, it’s Jim Maxwell, I’m  somewhere else in Sydney, but I’m here, that’s the main thing. What a shame I’m not in Sydney,  I would love to have been,

But I am Charu Sharma for Akashvani  but happy to be in Bangalore. Jim, you are not alone in loving Test  cricket, but the question has to be asked how can it remain a valued form of  the game and that is valued by fans,   by players and notably by administrators.

And the viability of men’s Test cricket is  a hot topic once again, after South Africa announced a second string squad  with seven uncapped players to   tour New Zealand for two Tests next month. The captain is Neil Brand who has never  played a game of international cricket

Before and he will be thrust  into the Test captaincy as all the best players are being retained to play in South Africa’s SA20 tournament. The T20 tournament that they have in January. Former Australia Captain Steve Waugh has  already slammed Cricket South Africa, saying they ‘obviously don’t care’.

So, Jim, we know that Test cricket is the  game that tests the skill level the most, the temperament, the physical stamina the most. A lot of former players that I’ve been  chatting to this week around the Test match all agree that Tests are the  most satisfying to play in

And I’m sure for us as commentators, we find it the most satisfying  to become absorbed in as well. Do you think many players outside  of Australia, India and England love it so much or are players in  other countries being denied the chance to play it and fall in love with it as much,  

Because so many series are  just two Tests these days and there is not so much of it? Well, their love has been compromised  by the fact they have to earn a living and outside the major nations,   there isn’t the money you can earn from  cricket by playing for your country.

So it’s just a commercial reality, unfortunately. And it needs much better  administration than we’re getting at the moment from the ICC. If you’re going to have a programme  of matches, whether it’s One Dayer’s, T20’s or Test Matches on your  calendar, then you do have to fit in

With the IPL competitions and franchises,  well let’s have a programme that works. That is the problem, it is getting  more congested and South Africa have led the way by saying  in the middle of our summer, we need to be having our best  players play in the T20 competition,

Which is basically funded by  Indian money and Super sport. So that’s the way a lot of this is going to go. There will be more private ownership  in the game that will continue to compromise how it is played and  it’s just a reality and we have got the

West Indies coming here to Australia  with players we’ve never heard of. Some of them like Jason Holder  are heading off to play somewhere in Saudi Arabia in some competition. We can’t stop the avalanche, the  tsunami of franchise cricket. So we have to live with it.

So let’s try and come up with some  kind of schedule, that is not dominated by the more powerful nations  self-interest because that’s what it is. And I’m afraid India in particular,  Australia and England to a lesser extent, they are going to have to give  way a bit in terms of handing over

Some resources to people like the West Indies. That’s where accountability has to  come into it when it comes to funding. Charu undoubtedly, what has  really caught the headlines with the South Africa squad is that  this is an administration decision, to send this team and retain their best players.

You know the likes of Jason  Holder, individual players not making themselves available. That’s not so new and it’s  one or two here and there. But as the administration, this  is this is much more significant. Yeah, I mean it does border  on showing some disrespect   to Test match cricket as Steve Waugh also said.

But I would really liken this to  growth bangs within the game now. But I better very quickly mention that  I love Test cricket before I get trolled or whatever from what people say. You are allowed to love both forms and all forms. I know thanks and I love Test match cricket.

But that is a personal reaction  and a personal like and dislike. But the truth is that cricket is growing up now. It’s no longer a three,  four, five, six nation thing which it was for a hundred years and  the process of evolution in the game is leading towards more commerce coming in

Which is the hallmark of  being a professional activity. That means you get paid for what you’re doing. And you earn a living out of it. And for a hundred years people were  not able to earn a living out of sports clinging on what was  called an amateur level.

The game has changed now and will  continue to change and hopefully become more of a global game where  more countries take to it. So the whole format of Test Match  cricket and the time it takes is just not going to allow it  to grow in other countries as  

Well because it just takes too much time. And you have a Test Match competition  between 50 nations for instance, or 115. We don’t have time and the  cycle might take 40 years. Yeah I mean there are ways out surely, but I just think that the way the game is growing,

Has grown and will continue to grow, it is going to pay tribute to the  fact that commerce is coming in and commerce wishes for shorter format cricket. So if you want the game to  be commercially successful and a professional game, then  the shorter formats will win. Just because people have less time.

So it’s a very simple kind of equation. Not that we like it, we would  love Test Match cricket, but it is going to continue to be in little fits   and starts between the first eight  nations of the world and that’s it. For administrations, the Test  game has got to be seen as viable

Because otherwise countries like South  Africa who continually make a loss by staging Test matches, will do  what Cricket South Africa has done and just decide that we’ve got to keep  prioritising where we do make our money. In ten years time, you’ll be playing the Ashes,

You won’t be playing much other Test  cricket with the way this is going. You can’t stop it. You cannot stop it. Even India, they’re playing less Test cricket. Australia played thirteen tests in the  last year, India played about five or six, maybe a few more I don’t know.

But I can see outside England and Australia, most countries playing less Test cricket because there’s no money in it. Simple. Even television rights where, as you suggested, there is a heap of it in the limited over form. And if the administrators keep kowtowing to that, Test cricket is in trouble,  beyond traditional battles.

And one thing which has been flagged  on social media is the degree to which, have the bigger Test nations,  the more wealthy Test nations,   helped their counterparts by playing them? Notably being pointed which I know  Jim, you’ve pointed out on Stumped many times is that Australia  has not hosted Bangladesh

For a Test series since 2003 and has not played any Tests  against Zimbabwe since that time and has never played a Test  against Afghanistan or Ireland. So there’s something,   where the big nations do need to have  a little bit of responsibility to all.

I’ll just finish off by reading  out this. Sorry go on Jim. I’ve mentioned this before, this is  a farce this World Test Championship. South Africa is not playing a Test against  England or Australia in the next two years. Don’t worry about this New  Zealand thing, that’s bad enough.

But that’s where they are and unfortunately, that makes the whole business  over WTC, it distorts it. Because at the moment as we speak,  South Africa are number one in the WTC. It’s extraordinary isn’t it and  they’ll play so few matches. Exactly. And it is a World Test Championship where not everybody plays everybody.

Well the World Test Championship is  convoluted and there’s no doubt about it. It’s impractical. It’s impractical. Totally impractical and you’ve  got the other factor in it of penalties for slow over-rates. They’ve got to do something about  how best to administer that. England lost nineteen points in the  Ashes series from the WTC points.

So this is going to continue as well. So I don’t think it’s very well  administered and that’s a big   problem for the game if Test  cricket if it is to survive. It needs more, how do I say  it, altruistic administration for particularly the major teams. The smaller ones, well, you know,  

I don’t know how they are going to  be playing any meaningful cricket. They are going to be playing in  the B grade and not the A grade. Right, Alison, just one last word. I mean, do we want this to be a global game in the sense of games that are global

At least one hundred countries,  playing in high levels? Or do we want this to remain a game  played by six, seven, eight, nine nations and then, of course we can have  many more Test Matches because we just simply don’t have  time for more Test matches. If the number of nations are to increase,

So that’s just something that  all of us need to be aware of. And also from cricket South Africa,  they did put out a statement in response to the furore  which surrounded their squad stating that they have quotes: ‘The utmost respect for the  Test format’ and they say they

‘made every effort to find  another mutually suitable   slot for the Test series against New Zealand, but they couldn’t find a date  where they could rearrange it’. They say they ‘remain fully  committed to international cricket’, but they also say they remain committed quotes ‘to strengthening the SA20 tournament’.

That was initiated by them to help grow  and sustain their game and they say a schedule for the remainder of the  FTP, the future tours programme, that’s the World Test  Championship etc has been managed to ensure that there will  not be any further clashes   between our bilateral commitments and the SA20.

We have been discussing here on  Stumped about how men’s Test cricket has been finding itself on the back foot in a year where there is not one, but two T20 World Cups. The USA and the Caribbean will host  the men’s edition happening in June

And the women’s version is taking  place in Bangladesh in October. Bangladesh have hosted the women’s  T20 World Cup just once before, that was back in 2014. So this is a big event for the team  ranked ninth in the ICC rankings and joining us on Stumped is  Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana.

Nigar thanks for joining us. Thank you so much for having  me here. Great to see you. And how, what are you hoping  hosting the T20 World Cup will do for women’s cricket in Bangladesh? I think it is a huge honour and privilege  for the team and for us ourselves

Because it’s kind of a dream come  true for each individual because playing in front of your home crowd and  representing your country in a World Cup is the biggest thing obviously. And I never played a world  cup in a home crowd because

In 2014 I was not in the  team because I was so young. So it is kind of a new experience for me as well. So we are just looking forward to playing  good cricket in front of the people and also I think I am afraid a little bit because

Our people are expecting too much from  us and obviously they could do that. But still happy because  expectation should be our strength, obviously they are coming to support us and it could be a good motivation for the team. So there is expectation and then  there’s your realistic aims as captain.

I know that the 2023 World Cup, the  most recent one was a tough one. You did not manage to win a game there. What will you hope to achieve come October? You see the thing is we have  played five T20 World Cup’s but in 2014 we managed to win a game back then.

And in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023  we could not win a single game. So our focus should be to win at  least a game in the next World Cup and I think it would be a great thing for us.

It is Jim Maxwell in Sydney and  it is nice to be talking to you so in your last two T20 series, you  played against India and South Africa. You tied both series picked up some good wins. You beat South Africa for only  the second time in twelve matches.

So how much confidence has this given you? I think the thing is, see this is the team. We’ve been practising and we’d been  doing hard work for a long time. But the thing is we are in good  shape for a couple of months, we have played good cricket and thing is that

We believe in our game more than ever. And each individual believes that if we play   as a team and if we put 100% in  ourselves on a particular day. So we put in everything against India who are a good side, but we  managed to win against them.

And it was a great effort and opportunity  for the team to look for obviously. And we next play against Pakistan so then we beat South Africa in South Africa  which was a huge moment for us. So tell us a little bit  more about your key players.

You had a sixteen year old leg spinner who took five wickets against  South Africa recently. Yup, so I think about Shorna  (Akter), she is wonderful. She just came from the under nineteen  team and she played in the under nineteen World Cup and the thing is

I would like to thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board for actually giving her the opportunities  for the domestic and under 19 side. Even though when she started playing  cricket, she was not very confident and she was coming from a  very poor side of the country

And her family was not in the  situation to support her in cricket because we all know that cricket  is a very expensive game. And in this sport you need some financial  support and when we first saw Shorna, Shorna is staying just beside my hometown.

When I saw Shorna she was like  9 years old, this kind of age and when I saw her she was very talented. I was totally surprised seeing her bowl  at that kind of age and from then the BCB actually supported her from then to come here.

And we have given her continuous  opportunity to actually see her talent and she is very talented initially what  she did for the team was brilliant. That support is great to hear about. Can you tell us Nigar a bit more  about the structure and the set up around Bangladesh women’s cricket domestically?

The tournaments that you have  and also then the degree to which it is professional and in terms of national  contracts where you are at the moment? The thing is, it was very different  before 2018 after we won against India at the Asia Cup in 2018 everything changed in terms of people showing interest

And the interest shown towards us by the BCB also. The thing is from then, everything like  atmosphere and the outlook of the team and about so many opportunities will come now that there is so much more interest on us.

So it is improving day by day and I think  that I have to mention about the players. There are so many young, talented  players, it is increasing day by day. Now we had a new under seventeen team. We have an under nineteen team and  emerging side and the National side

So there is a lot of competition going on. Even though if we are busy at a national  tournament, then the others will play in like a division or the second division cricket. So the cricket is going on all the time  which is a very good sign for the team

Because for a country that  has a lot of young players, we have very good backup players as well. It makes our team more competitive and  it helps our team and players perform for the team because they know that if they do   not do well, then someone else  is there knocking on the door.

It actually helps the players  to be more hard working I think. Right now we have around 26 people in a contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and we are getting a very good amount  of financial support from them. Recently they increased our match fees  and everything so it was very less

Before but right now it is a very  healthy amount that we are getting. Now we actually enter the FTP (future  tours programme) after the 2021 qualifier we played our first ever 50 Over World Cup. Now we are playing a bilateral series  regularly and we get match fees on them.

We have a very good domestic  competition like a National League, a Premier Division Cricket League and  recently we started our two day competition. Two days cricket is called BCL  and it was going really well. Now the Bangladesh Cricket Board are  planning for three days because we would

Really like to play a Test Match  because last year we got Test status so we are looking forward to that. Do you think that is going to be possible for you as a women’s team to play a Test Match?

Obviously it takes time and I know that  and it is not easy to play a Test game because it needs a lot of dedication and  a lot of physical and mental work as well. We have never played a Test game and we have started by playing for two days.

Initially it was a good step by the  Bangladesh Cricket Board and hopefully if we keep going like this and  step by step keep improving, then I think hopefully one  day we can play a Test Match as well but it will obviously take some time.

Nigar thank you so much for  being with us on Stumped and good luck going forwards from here. Thank you so much. Well that’s all we’ve got  time for on Stumped this week. My thanks to Jim Maxwell and to Charu Sharma to all of you. We’ll see you again next time. Bye for now.