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Cricket Players‘Have a look at other teams as well…’: Hussain and Ponting question India, England and Australia's role in Test cricket
Hussain and Ponting discussed the issues of Test cricket and what possibly could England, Australia and India do to increase its popularity among other teams.
When England and Australia were dishing out a riveting contest in every department of the game in Ashes 2023 in front of packed crowds and swelled-up viewership, India and West Indies were playing a dull, lop-sided Test series in front of largely empty stands and dwindling TV and digital audience. That's Test cricket's story in a nutshell. The only ones attracting eyeballs are the ones involving England, Australia and India or to be precise, played among them, the 'top-three'.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka were also locked in a two-match Test series during the same time but their contest was neither exciting nor was it able to bring big crowds. The situation might be similar if South Africa play against Sri Lanka or New Zealand tour Pakistan. The empty stands and one-sided contests have made Test cricket the least popular of the formats. Yes, in between, you do get to see matches like the Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Test match in Christchurch that went down to the last over but overall, the picture of Test cricket is nothing to drool over.
After England staged a dramatic comeback to win the fifth and final Test against Australia to level the Ashes 2-2, former captains Nasser Hussain and Ricky Ponting discussed the problems of the oldest format of the game and what possibly could England, Australia and India do to make sure it remains popular among the other full members.
“The top three… two of the top three England, India and Australia, they have been successful. They will continue to be successful. So those three are trying to push you on but they have also got to keep an eye on the rest. It is not just about the top three,” Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.
The former England skipper said it's "dull" to see India, England and Australia play each other day in and out.
“It's all well and good me saying on commentary ‘My big moment in Headingley. The Ashes is alive. Test cricket is alive'. Have a look at other parts of the world, it’s not so alive. Yes we are proud of what we have achieved and Australia and India have achieved but it will be dull if we just see India, Australia and England month in and month out, year in and year out,” he added.
Ponting's message for ‘every team, every captain, every coach’
Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting said every team should pick players who can make the format interesting and watchable.
“I think the bottom line is every board every association every team to aspire, to achieve the level of cricket that has been played here. The last thing you wanna see is boring drawn out games of Test match cricket and I think if this can prove anything to the rest of the world as far as Test cricket is concerned, you can play four one-day games in a row and still win Test matches,” he said.
“I think every team, every captain, every coach can learn something from this, take that approach and pick the appropriate players to make the Test cricket more exciting,” he added.
