We all know that Test cricket is diving to deep dark depths of popularity, such of which have never been witnessed before. The rising of the IPL and other forms of Cricket are destroying what used to be widely considered the main form of the game. But is it just other forms of the game which is killing the serene scene of a test match? Are there other culprits involved?
In the opinion of this writer, there is TOO MUCH of the Test game being played, particulary by England. Hampshire in fact released Kevin Pietersen, of whom when on form is one of the game's best batsmen in the world because he is on England duty too much. And who blames them, they're paying the wage of a player who plays in a game once in a blue moon. There is also another problem being arisen by the overly big ammount of International games which is that spectators see that County games are just a feeding system for Countries to develop players instead of actual competition. Up until the early 1990s this wasn't a problem.
Are pitches too good for batsmen? The average test score is now about 270. As opposed to the advantageous pitches for bowlers in years gone by. This is making "dramatic matches" something of a rarity. Also rarely the bowler dominates the batsmen, which is causing less excitement in the game.
The lack of any seriousness being taken into series other than the Ashes is a huge problem.
So what awaits the test game? In the opinion of this writer, the only way Test cricket will survive is by the death of Twenty20. The ICC needs to be willing to pull something out of the fire to give life to Test Cricket. But if a knight in shining armour doesn't arrive, there will always be the Ashes...