Less is More, but this less is close to Nothing

Amsterdam and Dublin consolations?

    Kagiso Rabada and fellow fast bowler Kemar Roach were at the forefront of near plaintiff calls for more Tests between the first and second games of the South Africa/West Indies series in Centurion and Johannesburg and their pleas received significant, international coverage. And empathy.

    A few days later the world watched an intriguing first day’s play with a sense of awed disbelief. Not at the return of Aiden Markram’s straight drive, or of his dismissal to a lap-sweep four runs short of a century, nor even at the innocuous magistery of Kyle Mayer’s medium pace, but at the crowd.

    There wasn’t one.

    The Wanderers, the famous ‘Bullring’, was empty. Not quite. Just less than 300 people paid for tickets to attend. Perhaps over twice that many had passes for corporate boxes and there were, obviously, the sponsors guests and player’s families and friends. So maybe 1000 or so people in a stadium to watch cricket (as opposed to serve food and drinks) which can host over 25,000.

    Does that make players’ calls for more Test cricket redundant? I think not. But making them relevant will require a different level of alternative thinking. The sugar-rush success of the SA20 was based entirely on packed stadia and  capacity crowds. Put lots of bums on seats, create atmosphere, the players will respond with their best performances and the ‘product’ will sell itself. It’s a formula which has stood the test of time since anything was televised.

     But what about snooker? It was played by millions of middle-aged men in smoky halls across the British Empire for a couple of centuries but that didn’t qualify it to become a multi-million pound industry overnight, and neither did darts. Yet today those two pastimes command a huge chunk of sport’s sponsorship pie. Live audiences and ‘atmosphere’ still play a huge role in their success but with capacity crowds of 2000 rather than 20,000.

    Test cricket in South Africa is keenly followed by hundreds of thousands of people but Cricket South Africa’s scheduling of two fixtures against the ailing West Indies starting on a Tuesday and a Wednesday, out of school holiday season, was spectacularly short-sighted. Neither provincial union was consulted and neither stood a chance of making a commercial success of their fixtures.

    The future of (successful) Test cricket may lie in adapting the ‘made-for-television’ approach of snooker and darts which also ‘fit’ perfectly onto our screens and require a fraction of the production costs of a Test match. There was no DRS or Ultra Edge required in either pastime the last time I watched. But Test cricket can still be tailored to a more comfortable fit for the majority of the viewing public with grass-banked spectators in boutique venues disavowing the TV perception that Test cricket is dead and that nobody has any interest.

    The Wanderers is a magnificent venue and, thanks to the acute business acumen and work ethic of Lions Cricket CEO, Jono Leaf-Wright, it is now, finally, able to stand on its own feet without significant subsidy from CSA. Empty corporate suites have been repurposed as rent-paying office spaces and dozens of other small businesses have become sitting tenants.

    It has been reinvented – but it is still no good, and never will be, as the host for a low-key Test match. An old comment, ‘like holding a rave in a graveyard’, comes to mind. It is unfair for the those on the ground, but not visually. The reality for those in attendance, is of warmth, sincerity and good service. But the wider perception, which matters in dollars and sense, is disastrous.

    Even for those of us who have been tracking the decline of Test cricket amongst the ‘small seven’ nations for over a decade, the harsh reality is only just beginning to sink in. Not just for South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, but also for the global game – and thereby the ‘big three’. It’s only when you see South Africa’s schedule for the third cycle of the Test Championship that reality kicks in.

    They don’t play another Test for nine months, when India (are scheduled to) arrive in December for two Tests. They don’t play another Test match on home soil for a year. 12 months without a single Test match in South Africa. The Proteas embark on three consecutive away series in 2024, all of which are just two Tests. Finally, in the summer of ’24-’25, there are four Tests scheduled at home. Two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Dec 2023 – India (2 Tests) HOME

Feb 2024 – New Zealand (2 Tests) AWAY

Aug 2024 – West Indies (2 Tests) AWAY

Oct 2024 – Bangladesh (2 Tests) AWAY

Dec 2024 – Sri Lanka (2 Tests) HOME

Jan 2024 – Pakistan (2Tests) HOME

    Two things to consider amongst this horror. The SA20 Board of Directors are currently working to move the tournament to December rather than its inaugural appearance in January. A quick glance above will tell you what might happen to the meagre Tests which are scheduled. Don’t do shocked when they are further marginalised.

    A final thought. In the event the Proteas play brilliant cricket in their 18 months of the Test Championship and win, say, nine of their starvation ration of 12 fixtures, they would almost certainly qualify for the final. Which is scheduled for SIX months later. How do you prepare for a World Cup final when you haven’t played for half a year?

    I suspect South Africa won’t win the required nine or 10 out of 12 Tests, but if they do, I propose a four-day game against the Netherlands and a Test match against Ireland as suitable preparation. A month-long tour incorporating Amsterdam, Dublin and London is one definitely worth considering. For those with interests outside bat and ball.