Sumathipala pushes for four-day Tests

While expressing mixed sentiments about the ICC’s decision to withdraw the proposal for two-tier Test cricket, the Full Member boards have welcomed the discussions opened up at Wednesday’s chief executives’ meeting to come up with ways to sustain the longest format of the game. Thilanga Sumathipala, the SLC president, called for boards to market Test cricket more vigorously, and suggested four-day Tests as a step towards increasing the excitement around the format.

“[Withdrawing the two-tier proposal is] a very wise decision as far as SLC is concerned,” Sumathipala said. “It’s going to give us more time to revisit and to see how, while we are maintaining our top 10 Test-playing nations, we could allow emerging Test-playing nations to join, while making sure that the tournament effect is taking place. We’re going forward together in this. I’m happy with the new-line of thinking, and I’m happy we are not pursuing the 7-5 two-tier system.”

Sumathipala said SLC had opposed the two-tier system because of how hard Sri Lanka had fought to achieve Test status.

“Test status was a hard-earned status for us,” he said. “We were ICC champions in 1979. We’ve played more than 100 years of cricket – Test status didn’t come to any of us overnight. We gained it through sheer hard work. The game has a challenge to face, but we should look at the economic and commercial side of things.”

Elaborating on this, Sumathipala pushed for four-day Tests.

“Our thinking is that we need more effort to sustain Test cricket in the decades to come,” he said. “We have to …

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