No dirges for Test cricket, and the importance of Misbah
In October last year I went to watch Pakistan play South Africa in Dubai. Never in my life have I walked into a cricket ground on the first day, or any day, of a Test match in an atmosphere so desolate. The air was still, and even the trees looked lifeless. The security staff didn't seem to care either. No metal detector, no checking of bags, not even a cursory glance at my ID. Inside the vast but sparsely populated press box, Andy Zaltzman, author of the Confectionery Stall, and Statsguru devotee, pronounced with triumphant certainty that it was the first cricket match where the number of Jews in attendance outnumbered the spectators in the stands.
Zaltzman, who had stopped over in Dubai to watch the Test, was the only Jew. Outside the press box, and barring players, umpires, officials and security men, the ground was literally and metaphorically soulless.
As play began and Dale Steyn charged in with the new ball I wondered how he felt running in in front of empty seats, or how the barrenness behind the sightscreen looked to the batsman as he looked up from his meditative pause after taking guard.
This was perhaps an extreme case - it was a working day, and most people in Dubai who might be interested in cricket don't live there for recreation but to make a living - but certainly not an isolated one. Tests were played to near-vacant stands in New Zealand, in Zimbabwe, in Sri Lanka, and in the West Indies throughout the year. In Harare only a handful watched Zimbabwe pull off the rarest of Test wins against Pakistan; in Dunedin only a few more saw Darren Bravo bat for nearly nine hours after West Indies had followed on; and in Galle, Bangladesh marched to their record-breaking total before a few hundred fans.
Through the course of 2013 I also watched Tests at The Oval, the Wankhede Stadium and the Gabba, and each ground pulsated with energy and emotion. There was a hum and buzz on the way to the ground, long queues, thorough frisking at the gates, and noise and colour in the stands. But then these Tests had two of cricket's biggest draw-cards: the Ashes and Sachin Tendulkar.
On the face of it, this was cricket's great divide, between palpable passion and stark indifference, between cricket's elites and the teams that increasingly get pushed to the margins with each passing year.
But the truth about Test cricket might be located somewhere in between. Attendance, or lack of it, at cricket grounds can no longer be considered an accurate measure of support. In most parts of the developing world, going to a cricket ground is, in fact, a luxury. Fans engage with Test cricket in different ways.
We at ESPNcricinfo know it because Test matches remain our biggest draw outside of World Cups. Not only do fans follow scores avidly on computer screens, tablets and mobile phones, they also read our match reports and analyses, and comment on and discuss them. Match Point, our newly minted live analysis show during India's Test engagements with West Indies and South Africa, easily became our most-watched video programme from its very first day, and the numbers have kept multiplying. Almost every cricket fan I know watches Test matches on TV - not in their entirety but enough to keep pace with the plot and narrative. And for broadcasters in most part of the world, Test cricket is a relatively cost-effective way to fill airtime with fairly high-quality programming.
But the bigger truth lies on the field. As the morning session wore on in Dubai, I ventured out of the press box to take one of the vacant seats in the stands. Steyn had taken a wicket off the second ball, and Imran Tahir, brought on to bowl before lunch, seemed to be taking one every over. The noise of bat and ball was resounding, you could hear players talk, and they could hear you clap. Suddenly it seemed a purer, more authentic and more intimate experience. The players seemed to be in a bubble of their own, oblivious to the emptiness around them, and consumed by the contest.
That cricketers care matters. In his lecture to kick off ESPNcricinfo's 20-year celebrations, Rahul Dravid described Test cricket as the game's life source, the trunk of the tree that bears the branches carrying the fruits. But Dravid's act is over; what if those who follow him didn't bother?
Evidence was forthcoming from India's young batsmen on the tour to South Africa. India have lost nine of their last ten overseas Tests, and once again, the thinness of their bowling stood pitilessly exposed, but in the eyes of their young batsmen was hunger and desire for Test cricket. These men are millionaires and poster boys already, and their bank balances and stardom will stay intact if they only maintain their ability to belt the ball on flat pitches. In comparison, Test cricket is hard work for much less.
But how hard they fought. Of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara it was expected. But Murali Vijay batted 375 balls, Ajinkya Rahane 442, and though the tour was a failure for him, Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 187 off 174 balls in his debut Test innings, battled for two hours in the final innings in Durban, scoring only 19 from 87 balls. Overall, a top order with a combined experience of 59 Tests had batted an average of 105 overs per innings in the series, which beat the average of their far more illustrious predecessors on recent tours to England and Australia by nearly 30 overs.
India holds the key to the future of cricket, and in their doggedness and resolve, and their stomach for the grind of Test cricket, the new generation of Indian batsmen have made a statement of reaffirmation.
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But cricket's future won't be safeguarded on the playing fields alone. Boardrooms will play a bigger role, and foresight and vision haven't been traditional virtues of cricket's administrators. Later this month, the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee is expected to submit to the ICC board a set of proposals with far-reaching ramifications.
It is futile to second-guess the proposals, but from the news that has filtered out, they will focus on scheduling, striking a balance between the three forms of the game, and on the distribution of the ICC's central pool of revenue. The committee is chaired by Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, and among its members are Alan Isaac, the ICC president; N Srinivasan, the BCCI president; Wally Edwards, the chairman of Cricket Australia; and Dave Richardson, the ICC CEO. If anything, it can't be accused of lacking heft.
The question therefore is whether their collective will and wisdom can rise above the narrow self-interest that has guided decision-making in cricket administration in recent years. There is no doubt that the cricket calendar needs fixing, that some Test-playing countries do not pull their weight, and that there is little monitoring of the use of the funds distributed by the ICC to its members.
A feeling has persisted among Indian administrators that the BCCI's clout in cricket's power structure is resented by boards that have lost their influence. That's not unlikely because grace from the disfranchised isn't common. But the time to worry about it is long gone. The BCCI's sway over cricket affairs is unquestioned, and the world, however grudgingly, recognises and bows to its pre-eminence. It is down to the BCCI what it makes of its position.
There is a case that the hand that feeds the world must look after itself. So reliant is cricket's financial ecosystem on Indian money, which in turn relies on the devotion of millions of Indian fans, that it is in the interest of world cricket to keep the Indian fan happy. So yes, India must carve out its own home season; it must invest in finding talent. There can even be a case made that given the size of its player base and the fact that it generates most of the ICC's money, it has a bigger claim on those revenues than relatively smaller countries like England and Australia.
But it also falls on the leader to demonstrate a concern for the well-being of the game, a spirit of generosity and accommodation, and a long-term vision. It was disappointing that the BCCI let its petulance, however legitimate, over Haroon Lorgat being appointed CEO of Cricket South Africa, restrict India's tour of South Africa to two Tests. Lorgat's record as the ICC's chief executive was chequered, but fans care more about quality cricket than the egos and machinations of administrators.
Cricket needs strong leadership, and only the BCCI has the wherewithal to provide it. But to be able to do it, it must first acquire the will, and also the credibility. Fires at home must be doused first. The IPL continues to rake in the cash, but it also brews a fresh controversy every season, and this year a sword hangs over the BCCI's head in the form of an enquiry commission appointed by the Supreme Court. It would be hard to find a more twisted example of "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown".
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Over the years, cricket hasn't been able to make up its mind about the Champions Trophy. It has been played in a knockout format, as a round robin, as a short tournament to start with, then a long one, then short again. And just when it seemed to find its bearings, it was done away with altogether. But don't bet on it not coming back.
The treatment of the Champions Trophy is symptomatic of the administrative dithering over one-day cricket. The one-day game, which remains the biggest cash earner for the ICC and for many of the national boards, has suffered from constant chopping and changing and from mindless scheduling.
The Champions Trophy was instituted in 1998 to save the ICC from bankruptcy, and till the World Twenty20 materialised, it remained the second-biggest money earner for the ICC. When the idea of a Test championship came about, the rationale, sound in principle, was do away with the Champions Trophy to give each form a trophy tournament.
There are two problems with this, though. However worthy it may be, the practicality of the Test championship has never been clear. The formula of deciding a winner on the basis of a couple of matches played in conditions that might favour one team excessively is somewhat incompatible with the idea of Test cricket itself. Plus, no satisfactory solution has been offered for how to deal with the possibility of a stalemate in one of the semi-finals. But what might ultimately scupper it is the ICC's reluctance to bear the financial implications, because TV rights to a Test championship will inevitably attract a smaller bid.
The Champions Trophy needn't have gone in the first place. If anything, one-day cricket needs less legislation and more meaning. A two-week tournament where every match counts is infinitely more watchable and memorable than the bilateral fare that's piled up thoughtlessly. Five ODIs after the Ashes? Bet Alastair Cook can't wait for them to begin.
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Our composite ODI XI for 2013 drew a few angry responses over Misbah-ul-Haq's omission. With good reason, it can be argued. Misbah was the year's highest run-getter in the format, with 1373 runs at nearly 55. But there was also good reason why he didn't make it. The batsmen who kept him out - Virat Kohli, Kumar Sangakkara, AB de Villers and George Bailey - all scored over 1000 runs at a comparable average but at significantly higher strike rates. And they all churned out hundreds. Misbah had none.
In other words, he was the model of consistency without ever being spectacular. And he was exactly what Pakistan needed him to be. And that counts for far more than making it to a fantasy XI.
As Osman Samiuddin wrote, Pakistan were Pakistan all year. Magnificent one moment, miserable the next. It is the ability to keep the fans at the edge of their seats that has been among the most appealing aspects of Pakistan cricket, and to loyalists also the most frustrating. But Misbah is the antithesis of Pakistan cricket, and for that Pakistan cricket must be grateful.
Most Pakistani captains have been either inspirational or mercurial, or both. But Misbah, in charge of a team bereft of many world-class players, has been their anchor and their rock. With 22 scores above 50 in Tests and ODIs, he was cricket's most consistent batsman in 2013, but numbers alone can't describe his value to his team. With a smile and a straight bat, he has been both their shield and their shepherd. He is my cricketer of the year.
Read part one here
Great article and I think pretty representative of cricket followers in general. Test, by far, remain the benchmark for cricket in general. Ask Rohit Sharma which he would hold in higher regard, an ODI 100 in SA or a test 100 in SA. I would happily trade an loss in an ODI series for a win in a test series and long may it continue. Watching live test cricket is an amazing experience and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the recent Ind/SA series. Steyn vs. Rahane - awesome.
yes yes yes pakistan the best
yes yes yes Misbahulhaq is The cricketer of the year.ICC would b foolish to ignore Misbah..Singlehandedly he transformed the Unpredictable Pakistan into a world class team. forget his "tuk tuk' style.What else could he do ? When there was Harakiri at the opposite end he was Napoleonic
I think the biggest problem plaguing test cricket is the scheduling. For examplt, test matches in India are usually played between 9:30 A.M and 4:30 P.M, when most people are either working or commuting to work. Bring in day/ night tests and you'll see the crowds increasing.
empty stands in test matches. Well I am a test lover but lets be realistic. Test matches begin at 10 am and end at 6. People leave for work at 9 am and arrive at 5pm. People don't like tests. No. It interferes with their work life. Australia always generated good crowds for tests but thats because: 1. they were during school holidays and 2 they began on thursday/friday. So u have most of the weekend for the testmatches. U also have the one week christmas break for MCG and SCG tests. Fact is one: tests are currently poorly scheduled and 2. it interferes with the professional / school life. Time to introduce day night tests.
In my opinion Misbah deserves the praise. We have seen new PAK talent emerge in the last two series (SA & SL). We should hope that the selectors keep giving chances to these youngsters.
Nice article... I get why Misbah may not be featured in the Annual ODI XI. The existing batsmen in that team like Kohli, De Villiers, Sanga have had exceptional performances too. But as Mr. Bal has said, Misbah's performance was incredible in the context of his team. He has led from the front. But Misbah's greatest achievement is the sense of calm that he has brought outside the field. You just have to remember the situation when he was give the captaincy. Spot-fixing, Political maneuverings of Malik, Yousuf... but he just shut the door on that. There are no stand-offs with any player. There seem to be no factions within the team. No matter the turmoil within the PCB, the players appear relaxed. That to me outweighs any other achievement. You don't get into Fantasy XIs for that, you just become a legend.
To your question, what happens if Test championship semi-finals are stalemated, here's a suggestion. Make both semis (and the final) 2 matches each ie home and away for both teams. In case the two teams are tied after the two matches, go with whoever has the the higher overall aggregate. If the Champions League (football) can do it, why cant the cricket Test championship?
Cricket very clearly has a format problem. Its most interesting format (tests) is unwatched. At least it is not watched enough to generate any revenue outside of the Ashes and maybe two or three test grounds in India.A lot more people are interested in watching and financially supporting (just look at the ad revenues) t20 matches. Cricket should very quickly change its focus to improving the quality of the t20 format so that it captures the essence of what is good cricket while staying entertaining in a very short format. I think this writer and many others are in denial about this and are very soon going to drive all of international cricket into the ground.
The audience for the shorter format, especially T20, is growing. The IPL season directly competes with other modes of entertainment like movies.
Tests probably have a declining audience. The ad rates for Tests are probably significantly lower than premier one-day and T20 tournaments.
It would be really nice if cricinfo could put out some numbers. I checked out Alexa rankings and the audience seems to be mostly from India, Pakistan and USA (expats from Ind/Pak I presume).
This growing popularity is neither visible nor easily monetizable. The opposite is true for the other formats where stands are full and the boards make all their money by selling ad rights etc much before the tournament even starts.
In this case it is hard to fault a business-oriented organization like BCCI to not prioritize Tests.
Good time for cricinfo to monetize the game via mobile/video/internet and lure the boards to promote tests?
I was sleepy when i started reading it and it felt like a bedtime story in a very soft and gentle voice and pure .Written very softly indeed a very good one.
I have to agree with Mr Bal. For the T20s, often the headlines sufficed, although once in a while I glanced over the scorecards. For the one-dayers, I went over the score cards, reports and sometimes even the previews.
But for the tests, I went over score-card, reports, previews and used statsguru to dig up stats for my own curiosity, and watched the extended highlights of many of the tests.
Test cricket is alive. Maybe not in the stands, but definitely alive and present in a new avataar.
But Highveldhillbilly is't not like Rohit Sharma had any 100s in SA (ODI or test) to trade off against each other!
I agree, excellent article. I do think that fairer scheduling is critical. Most commentators are citing too much cricket as the No 1 reason for England's failure in Aus, and it's probably a fair reason. But who can justify Ashes happening in 2013, 2013/2014 and 2015! That's 3 5 test series in 2 years!
Also, the only teams that seem to have ever have a series of more than 3 tests are series between England, Australia and India. SA are the number 1 team in the rankings (and have been undefeated in 16 successive series now) by a long way, yet have to endure 2 and 3 test series even against the big 3! That's ridiculous.
Yeah ...........Miisbah deserves to be player of the year..............moreover i think its time for misbah to come up in the order for tons to be made............
Authorship of the highest class Sambit! I too think that Misbah needs more recognition from the cricket pundits.
nice article. test matches were good in 2013. there might be less crowd in uae because whatever you say, the fact is that its not like being in lahore for pakistan. also, the flatness if wickets also effect people to come and watch
regarding misbah, i agree that was just a team of few people's own choices. so it really doesnt matter much. misbah was consitent enough throughout the year. he scored in every series pak played unlike few who just piled runs in 1 or 2 series and poor every where else. he has been slow and for that you have to see how many runs top4 who cane to bat before him scored. some 1 mentioned that because of him people get out, i would like to know how others got out and how many balls remaining. just in the last 2 series vs SL and SA, out top order scored some runs otherwise they had really poor year.
Brilliant article, and although one poster talked about the 91,000 at the MCG, that's a rare occurrence aided by an Australian public justifiably exulting in their team's emphatic revenge victories. England and Australia are the only countries where Test matches draw crowds. The situation is not helped by the abysmal conditions for paying fans in countries like India where only the rich and famous can watch a Test in relative comfort, sadly, it is more an occasion to see and be seen for most of these well-heeled patrons rather than their love for the Test match genre.
Kudos to Misbah not only for his remarkable consistency and Captain Cool characteristics but also for the thoroughly gentlemanly demeanor that he displays in all forms of the game, I don't know of any other captain or player who comes remotely close to him in this respect. Under him, the Pakistan team is bound to develop, but he is pushing 40 and could be pushed out by officialdom.
All the articles published in the 2013 uear-end review and the ESPNCricinfo 20-year anniversary appear wierd- and I am talking about the visuals not the content. The content is exellent but the way the articles show up on Internet Explorer really puts me off. It's high time your tech team "cransk it up".
Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece from Sambit.
A good article, but don't agree with the writers comments about empty stands in the UAE. Sure the stadium was not full but over a thousand spectators were in the ground, it reads bad when the writer compares crowd attendances between Pakistan and the likes of Bangladesh, they are in a different league. Also Pak play all their matches abroad, i would love the writer to go to Pakistan and see how well attended are the local matches. Once cricket returns to Pak, it will be a different story. India got good crowds in 2013 due to Sachins last matches, don't think they will be able to sustain the same enthusiasm going forward.
As usual superbly composed piece, Sambit. The most heart warming thing of 2013, was indeed the grit, determination and huger shown by the Young Indian Batsmen in South Africa in combating a world class pace attack. That alone gives great hope that Test Cricket will live on in decent health for the foreseeable future.
good one sir g. one of the very best articles
I loved reading this article of Sambit. I have not seen a writer of his caliber in Indian sports writers. most importantly so neutral.
So you judge a player by the number of hundreds not by the number of matches he won single handedly????
Great read. Would have loved it if a few suggestions thought of or received by the author on sensible structuring of the test calendar had been included. let us wait and see what the committee comes up with.
Who said Test Matches doesnt get the reception thats due to them???
Did anybody notice that in the recent ashes, the 4th Test match recorded the highest ever attendance for a cricket match (91,000 Spectators!!)
Mr. Samit - I feel that this piece of article written by you is simply one of your best. I'm Puneet from India and a hardcore 'good' cricket fan.
Let me start with Misbah - I agree that he is the cricketer of the year. He may not be flamboyant but he surely anchored the pakistani innings in their success and failures.
Talking about BCCI - These people should get a life and let cricket grow instead of their bank reserves. Unfortunately its a dream far from coming true. At least in the next 5-6 years....Cmon its INDIAN POLITICS !
Champions Trophy - It should come back. It was the next most exciting thing after World Cup. With it we have ODI Champs. T20 gives us T20 Champs and WC gives us World Champs - Titles Decided.
Test Championship - Instead of having a tournament why cant we have a system like the Barclays Premier League type system wherein all Test playing nations play equal numbers of Tests in a year and the team with the maximum points at the end of the season are Test Champs
after all the reasons you gave it is the consistancy that matters for which i want Misbah to be in Fantasy team of 2013. pak lost wicket around him and he cannot score 100
Misbah is a bond for team, very patriotic, there was a time when many peoples criticize his batting and Captaincy, even majority of peoples in Pakiatan criticize Misbah on his Captaincy and Batting but time has shown that Misbah is a right man... he stood as a wall when Pakistan need him... i think after Imran Khan he is the most succesive captain of Pakistan.. Now here , many critics of Misbah are the Fan of Misbah, now there are very very less criticizer of Misbah, Now he is well known in good words in others cricketing counteries...thats a very good sign, people aware that he plays for country not for himself!!
Misbah plays slow because the top order fails to deliver most of the times. He can play faster if the top order batsmen start to perform well which would provide a safe platform to middle order batsmen to play freely!! But considering the number of matches we get to play in a year I think Pakistan has done a good job!! More test matches shud be given to Pakistan which will enable them to improve thr performance!!
Super Sambit. what a good read! Why dont you write more often. Yours is the one voice thats so articulate, yet full of clarity, objectivity and refined. We need much more of this nuanced stuff than some of the more jarring, biased undertones in some of the others' words. Continue the good work. cricinfo is the soul of cricket in the digital universe. what a yeomen service!!
Loved the bit on Misbah in the end. A very well-deserved homage to the Pakistan Captain who was a model of consistency throughout the year. A good article overall.
Nice touch on Misbah. In the day of instant gratification, one of the sane cricketers considering the chaos in Pak cricket. With a little more consistency on the batting front, Misbah would be leading a very competitive team.
an article talkin sense once in a while! test cricket still continues 2 b d most relevant form of cricket 4 a fan! eg: when india lost 3-0 in ODIs in SA i personally & my friends & collegues in office didn't care much but d 2 test series was debated passionately during lunch breaks wid dhoom 3, arvind kejriwal & surprisingly ladies discussing an aussie quick's moustache! a test loss hurts more than a meaningless ODI or T20! we all remember greats 4 their test performances & in imp. ODI tournaments like WC, aus TRI-series,etc.. 4 ppl across d border, misbah is ur moses! at 40, when cricketers r in commentary boxes, misbah is burdened wid captaincy of a not so talented pak team compared 2 past teams led by imran, waqar, wasim,etc... in my humble opinion, he is d best since imran!
ok i know misbah have done well with the bating, but non of his ining helps pakistan in wining match. misbah won only 5 MOM in which one match was tie. and often due to his slow scoring other batsman lost their wicket.
If his contribution Misbah that is, was so much greater, then I fail to see how you cricket experts, who pick the Xi missed him, please do not patronize the already suffering people, we are done taking pity remarks.
cricket dont owe anything to selfabsorbed and at times out of line India.thank you
Test cricket matters because the result matters. There is so much ODI and T20 that not many people can remember results of the past, but most fans remember results of previous test series.
liked the part on Misbah. certainly he did well in 2013 without getting any appreciation from critics & fans.
Good article Sambit, I liked the Misbah part :)
Last part was the best. But its above the understanding of an average Pakistani fan. They want flashy inconsistent performances at an average of 23.
Considering a player's value to his team, there is none more valuable than Misbah. And sadly, there is none more underappreciated.
@Sambit Bal: You, sir, have earned my utmost respect for reaching out to us hyper-emotional cricket deprived pak fans. Thank you.