It appears suddenly that India wants their women’s team to play more Test matches. It has come as a surprise to a lot of us. The BCCI has been criticised for how they have been running the women’s game of late. It has appeared for years that Test match cricket outside of the Ashes was consigned to the past.
It isn’t bad that women’s Test cricket has reappeared on the
radar; it has just caught many off guard, including the ECB, who are still finalising
the women’s international calendar this summer.
In 2006 I was at all four days of a Test Match between
England and India at Leicester. England declared at lunch on the last day and
were two wickets away from an unlikely win by the end.
If Test cricket is to become a part of the international
landscape, it would also need to become more of a factor at the domestic level.
This is starting to become more of a possibility in England and Australia, with
new levels of professionalism.
With the regional system in England, there are different
ways multi-day games could be scheduled. Matches between the other regions show
clear games to prove the best teams in the north, midlands, and south. Or a mix
of the best players for the north and south regions.
If you want to implement more Test matches, it will help to
get players used the format. There will be game plans developed, and skills
will be developed to the benefit of the players.
Some players have been deprived of playing what is seen by
players and commentators as the ultimate version of the game. There are players
like Laura Wolvaardt who may never get to play the format she is suited to.
Hopefully, it is just another reason why the women’s game is
the way forward.
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