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Former England cricketer Mark Butcher has called upon the ICC to intervene and bolster Test cricket’s presence beyond the dominant trio of India, England, and Australia. He expressed concerns about the diminishing significance of Test matches among other top cricketing nations. Currently, England is engaged in a Test series against the West Indies, with the second Test scheduled to commence on July 18 at Trent Bridge.
Butcher highlighted that while matches between the Big 3 remain competitive, other leading Test teams have fewer opportunities to engage in meaningful Test cricket against each other. He pointed out the waning relevance of Test cricket in regions like the West Indies, where the focus has shifted towards producing T20 specialists for global leagues.
The cricketer’s apprehensions grew after the West Indies suffered heavy defeats in the first Test, bowled out twice within three days, losing by an innings and 114 runs. Butcher emphasized the necessity of adequate preparation, advocating for warm-up matches, with the suggestion that wealthier cricket boards should fund such arrangements.
Earlier this year, England’s decision to forgo warm-up matches before their series in India and instead opt for a conditioning camp drew Butcher’s criticism. This decision preceded England’s 4-1 series loss, reinforcing Butcher’s belief in the importance of thorough preparation for Test encounters.
Mark Butcher advocates for warm-up games before Test series.
“One warm-up match – regardless of whether or not you’ve been playing or whether you haven’t been playing any red-ball cricket, even if you come into it off the back of a West Indies first-class summer – one touring match in English conditions is just simply not enough. Let alone the fact that you’ve got batters making debuts, guys who haven’t played a lot of first-class cricket, let alone Test cricket,” said Butcher on Wisden Weekly Cricket Podcast.
Butcher also urged cricketing powerhouses such as India, England, and Australia to consider revenue sharing within their boards as a means to support the broader Test cricket ecosystem. He argued that in the current landscape of Test cricket, where hosting boards bear significant expenses, facilitating warm-up matches could help level the playing field and enhance competition. This call reflects Butcher’s belief in the collective responsibility of leading cricketing nations to uphold the integrity and competitiveness of Test cricket worldwide.
“At least the ones who don’t have the finances, and that is simply because of the cost. He said that, back in the old days, I can’t remember how long ago this was now but back when I started playing Test matches, there was a revenue-sharing agreement in terms of television money whereby the touring team would pick up a percentage of what was made throughout the course of the series. That would either cover the cost or give them [the touring side] a bit of a buffer once their costs were paid for.
“But now, nothing goes to the touring team. So the cost borne by flying your team over, putting them up for however long it might be – it might be a month, it might three weeks – is all borne by the home board.
“We know that times are tough everywhere but England, India and Australia. So there are reasons behind it and I hope it didn’t come across that I mean the players don’t want to come away on tour anymore, there might be a bit of that I don’t know, but more likely it’s that the boards simply cannot afford for their side to be away for six to eight weeks and be ready to be much more competitive,” Butcher said further.
The former England cricketer emphasized that for Test cricket to retain its relevance, it must become more engaging for fans. He stressed the importance of enhancing competitiveness in the format and urged stakeholders to explore effective measures towards achieving this goal.
“There needs to be an agreement – and it’s for the good of the game as a whole – the more competitive it is the more watchable the game becomes, as it’s always been. It’s always incumbent on the people who have more to give a leg up to the people who have less.”
In his concluding remarks, he also addressed the concept of home advantage in Test cricket. He underscored the necessity for teams to have opponents to play against, suggesting that even if it requires assistance from other teams and boards, they should be willing to consider such collaboration.
“You cannot have a situation where you end up being the only show in town. You need people to play against and in order to have people to play against they need to be able to keep their heads above water. Sometimes that means they need a bit of help from someone else,” concluded Butcher.
