The Survival of Test Cricket - Part 2
Continued from Part 1...
Furthermore, stronger teams have better lineups, comprising of talented players who can offer competitive cricket. If the opposing team is a good match, the competition is expected to be a nail biter, which is what a lover of the sport would always want.
Coming towards the venue factor, yes it does matter, but only to an extent. For instance, taking in view the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, the first test match witnessed a fully packed stadium. Firstly, bigger cities are expected to have bigger crowds,
given the population, and for a cricket loving nation like India, everyone was expected to take a keen interest in the game. Secondly, England, performing well in the Test arena, think of India as the final frontier. Winning a series away from home is always
difficult, but when a team tags a country with such captions, it creates great hype amongst the followers, raising their interest in the competition.
Compared to this, if the series was to take place in England, the numbers might have been on the lower side, but with both teams being “great” in the Test arena, they would still have garnered considerable support.
Media is of further importance. Media, in the modern world, is the most important tool, and can be used both positively and negatively. A medium which shapes the general perception or opinion of a person certainly has the biggest impact in attracting support
for the game. Looking at the New Zealand’s tour to Sri Lanka, not much hype was created for the event and media coverage was average, compared to South Africa’s current tour to Australia, where media involvement is much greater. This triggers interest in the
competition, which was clearly reflected by the number of people showing up at the game between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 compared to Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Lastly, the timing of a particular series is always crucial. So many things need to be kept in mind before the right schedule for a series is announced. For instance, a few weeks earlier we saw the rainy season taking its toll in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, affecting the
ODI series between the home team and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754. Had the Test series been scheduled at the time, instead of the ODIs, the games would have washed out. Similarly scheduling a Test match in the month of June in the sub continent is never recommended, as conditions
can be quite hostile for tourists.
With a cursory analysis, we can conclude that all the above factors either independently, or together, play a major role in shaping the opinion of the audience.
However, one asks, if players and critics feel so strongly about Test cricket and its importance, why are steps not being taken by the International Cricket Council and the national boards of the countries on the domestic scene?
Continued in Part 3...
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