Former England captain Michael Vaughan said he won’t change his stance about Test matches to be played over four days, saying it’s the right way to grow the longer format game in the future and that one has to move on with time. “I won’t change my tune. We’ve got to move with the times. Five-day Test match cricket, love it. Loved the MCG (Test). It would just happen a little bit quicker and the dramatic fifth day would become the dramatic fourth day.
“The great game, which is Test match cricket to survive, not just for our time but going beyond 50, 60, 70, 80 years, I do think it’s now a four-day product so I’m not changing my tune,” said Vaughan to SEN Radio on Monday.
Further adding to his firm stance on playing four-day Tests, Vaughan pointed towards how the recent Sydney Test between India and Australia ended inside three days. “I don’t think it was a great pitch. I looked at the batters batting and I felt sorry for them because it was just doing too much.
“In terms of the amount of overs that were bowled in the series, it’s the third lowest in a five match series in the history of a five match series. We’re looking at a series that we’ve just had where the game is moving on quicker.
“If we go back to flat pitches and teams are getting 500 (runs), of course you need five days of cricket. But if you’re going to play on pitches like this and the ball is going to continue to do just a little bit more then it has done in the past, then we’re not going to need five days that’s for sure,” he said.
He also felt that though the recent Sydney Test between Australia and India didn’t last five days, the public attending the match in stadium still had a very good time, as the Pat Cummins-led side won by six wickets to clinch the series 3-1.
“I think if you speak to any supporter over the last three days and you say to them ‘are you disappointed it finished so quickly’, every single fan that went through the gates (and it was a sell out for three days), they were all royally entertained. It was an amazing Test match. As an entertaining product (and that’s what test cricket has to be), it was brilliant. It was absolutely fantastic,” he concluded.
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