Afghanistan team playing Test cricket. (FILE photo)
The rumours of a two-tier system have sparked a debate about the future of Test cricket. Various former players have given their views in the days and Ian Chappell has now joined the list to give his opinions on the matter. However, Chappell’s point contrary to many others who were worried about the dire state of red-ball cricket in some of the lower-ranked teams and how much amount of Test cricket they would get if the two-tier system is introduced, Chappell on the other hand, questioned the teams attaining Test status off-late do they have the infrastructure to host the games.
“A system that includes promotion and relegation is feasible but there need to be certain criteria attached before a team attains Test status,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo. “Those should include: Do they have a viable first-class competition? Do they have legitimate grounds for holding five-day games? Do the grounds have adequate facilities? Are they financially stable?
“If a team meets those criteria – and maintains a high standard of play over a number of years – then promotion to Test status would be legitimate. However, most of the recent Test-appointed nations don’t come close to meeting any reasonable criteria. For instance, could Afghanistan hold a Test series in their strife-torn country? Does Ireland have a realistic number of Test-standard grounds?” Chappell added. “Even setting aside the Taliban’s reprehensible treatment of women, the answer to those questions is: absolutely not. Then why do they have Test status?”
In September 2023 Afghanistan’s Test against New Zealand was to be hosted in Greater Noida. However, the game did not even see a single ball being delivered because of the poor infrastructure at the stadium as the pre-match preparations were interrupted by rain. “India is our home, and when we host teams, other nations have played more cricket here. Hopefully, we will get a good venue here in India and if we restrict ourselves to one venue, it will be effective for us,” Afghanistan skipper Shahidi said.
“If you see our records in first-class, it’s good because we play at our home ground. We know those conditions. Hopefully, in the future, there will be a time when teams will travel to Afghanistan and our average will be higher. But for now, hopefully, the ACB and the BCCI will get us a good venue to play Test cricket.”
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