Among the developments that dominated cricket news in the past few days, none carried more significance than the outrageous amount Star India dished out to buy IPL media rights. The whopping figure of Rs 16,347 crore for five years confirms fears that the T20 format and its premier brand IPL is going to annihilate Test cricket sooner than later. The BCCI and many lovers of IPL and the shorter format may be rejoicing, but those who value the intricate skills and the long-drawn drama that is the standout feature of Tests, should now seriously worry about its future.
As it is, India’s overwhelming superiority over Sri Lanka may have enthused the home cricket fan, but the wide gap between the two and the apparent decline of the islanders is not good news for the health of the sport. Why would anyone watch a contest if it fails to go the distance, especially when the fate of a match is sealed almost even before the match has begun! That is why the imagination and interest of Test cricket fans was reignited not by the goings-on in Sri Lanka, but what happened in Bangladesh and England.
Test cricket is struggling to stay afloat and given the widespread mushrooming of T20 and the backing it is receiving from broadcasters, it appears in a terminal decline. That is the reason when from nowhere a sluggish, disinterested team like the West Indies scripts a fairly-tale win, the world explodes in delight. The traditionalist, clutching at straws, celebrates it as victory for the longer format and of the skills that can’t be displayed in the shorter format.
Similarly, the rise of Bangladesh after much struggle, is a greater cause to rejoice. What it has been doing in the past year or so is an indication of its coming of age and proves that its win in the first Test against Australia is no fluke. Even in the second, Bangladesh caused a fright in the Australian dressing room with their resilience and fight before losing.
There is no better sight in cricket than to watch batsmen drain themselves to counter adverse conditions, be it in the shape of the moving ball or a viciously turning track. What kills the sport is the lop-sided nature of a contest, like it happened in Sri Lanka or the artificial conditions created in the shorter formats to make batsmen look like giants. However, numbers show that more and more prefer to watch the ball taking a pounding and relish getting involved in number crunching. The skills of the game are secondary to the run chase that goes to the wire and the asking rate that pumps the pounding heart like nothing else can. Since no one can fight the numbers, especially when custodians of the game believe that commercial interests are more important than preserving the skills of the sport, this battle can’t be won.
That is why the Star deal with the Indian board, which is now going to pay almost double the money for one IPL game than a Test match, should leave not even the most passionate Test fan in any delusion as to where the future of the game lies worldwide. Once the broadcasters back a product and even risk profits in the process, you can be sure that no effort will be spared to push it to the forefront of the international calendar.
For all the enthusiasm we display at West Indies’ revival or Bangladesh’s development, it is unlikely to change anything. It is bound to be a losing fight when those who control the purse strings find greater value in spending on a trimmed version than preserving the very foundation on which the game stands.