Daily Times

Test cricket is experiencing a period of unpredictability that was missing from the game for many years. For more than two decades, first West Indies and then Australia dominated the Test rankings. Now it’s anyone’s guess who will be on top from one week to the next. At one point during the concurrent England v Pakistan, Australia v Sri Lanka and India v West Indies Test series recently, it was possible for any one of four teams to head the rankings. In the end it was a surprisingly resilient Pakistan who grabbed the honour. It’s definitely better for Test cricket to have the current situation, where many teams are vying for top ranking. During the period West Indies and then Australia dominated, many series suffered from being predictable, and while some of the cricket was of a high standard, much of it was one-sided.

People often complained to me that West Indies’ matches back then were boring. As I explained, “It’s hard to have batting diversity if there’s no variety in the bowling.” Their four-man pace attack was highly effective under all conditions but it didn’t leave much room for a batsman’s imagination. However, during West Indies’ reign there was occasionally some spirited opposition, with a feisty Pakistan, led by the redoubtable Imran Khan, pushing West Indies to the limit. Australia’s extended period of dominance caused the administrators such consternation that they came up with the ill-conceived plan for a one-off match against a World XI. This became a complete farce when that 2005 Test was classed as official. During their period of domination, both West Indies and Australia produced teams of such high quality that a couple of them would have to rank in the top ten of all time. The current standard is well off that pace, but the likelihood of upset victories and quick changes of fortune partly compensates for the slippage in skill level. The decline in standard is partly responsible for the regular failures of teams when they travel overseas. The ratio of away Test wins, except in the case of tours to the Caribbean, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, is extremely low. Much of the blame for these overseas failures can be sheeted home to batsmen struggling in foreign conditions. This is hard to fathom when players tour more regularly than in the past, whether it be with a national team or as T20 entrepreneurs. Then again, it is more difficult for young players to acclimatise to overseas conditions, as there are generally very few tour matches before a Test series commences. Computer rankings have never been a satisfactory method of judging teams, but during the reign of both West Indies and Australia, you didn’t need an Apple Mac to know who was No. 1. Now, with the standings changing regularly, it would be preferable to decide the Test champions by playing a dedicated series of matches. Such a championship has been discussed for nearly three decades and there has already been one false start. Hopefully, with plans being discussed to rationalise the cricket schedule, the second coming of the World Test Championship will eventuate.

If that comes to pass, the ICC must ensure it doesn’t become a farce with home-town pitches being prepared. A home-town final could result in a pitch that produces either a one-sided contest or a boring batathon, whereby a drawn match will win the Championship by default. Many Australian Sheffield Shield finals have degenerated into the latter category, with the home team only needing to draw to confirm its place at the top table. The suggestion that Lord’s be a permanent home for the final is a good one, as this should provide a fair surface and the chance of crowds worthy of such an occasion. The ingredients are in place for a worthwhile World Test Championship with so many teams staking a claim. It’s up to the administrators to make sure this much-needed promotion of Test cricket doesn’t become yet another spilled chance.

(Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is a cricket commentator for Channel Nine, and a columnist)