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West Australian
31-07-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg says scarcity still key for Test series as tier system looms
New Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg says scarcity is still part of Test cricket's charm as the sport investigates splitting its best teams from the rest. Greenberg is the nation's representative on a working group set up by the International Cricket Council to explore the proposal for a two-tier system in Test cricket. That could see Australia play arch rivals England and India on a more regular basis, with little to no series against weaker nations. The tiered system would be one of the most radical changes to the long-form of the sport in its history and would likely include the international landscape split into two divisions of six teams. Greenberg will sit on the eight-person working group — established in an ICC meeting in Singapore earlier this month — which also includes England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould and the world governing body's chief executive Sanjog Gupta. There has been a resurgence in Test cricket's interest — particularly series between its three big teams — in the past two years and this summer's Ashes series in Australia has prompted unprecedented ticket sales. Perth — which did not host a match in the COVID-ravaged Ashes of 2020/21 — has joined every other Test this summer in selling out the opening day. Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney have all sold out the first three days of their Test matches. In an interview with The Nightly, Greenberg said one of the factors being considered was the risk of overloading fans with matches between the three powerhouse nations and removing some of the mystique around those key series. 'Completely. Finding the right balance of making sure Test cricket is played with meaning and purpose and that is creating scarcity and making sure you take advantage of that,' he said. 'I think the Ashes series is a very good example of that and Test cricket as well is a very good example of that. People know this is the one opportunity — over a four-year cycle — to see this competition and you get to see it up close and personal. 'That's why I think we are seeing the volume of ticket sales we have seen.' A blow-up between Australia's two biggest rivals, England and India, during their Test series in the UK earlier this week thrust long-form cricket back into the headlines again and ramped up anticipation for the Ashes. Greenberg said Cricket Australia didn't have a clear position on the two-tier proposal but was pleased it has a 'seat at the table'. He also said creating jeopardy and meaning in all forms of cricket was one of the key goals of the new working group. That includes white-ball series outside of World Cups. 'We have got to answer some of these questions about the tiers of Test cricket and making sure we create jeopardy in T20s and ODIs going forward,' Greenberg said. 'We have certainly got jeopardy with T20s now with the Olympics in 2028 and we have made sure that every game layers up with the outcomes and qualification for the Olympics. 'I think they are all open challenges on us, but they are good challenges to have as a sport in this country. With lots of different competition from all different codes in summer and winter, we have this ability to have a global significance and as the national sport of this country what we've got to do is continue to grow.' Cricket Australia this week released the key findings from an independent report into the potential for growth in the Big Bash League. That included advice for the league's eight franchises to be opened up to private investment by selling minority stakes as well as a push for a clearer window for the domestic T20 competition to be played, allowing for Australia's Test stars to take part.
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Kohli-Rohit Test retirements set up daunting English challenge for inexperienced Indian batting unit
With batting mainstays Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket in the span of a week, India will be scrambling for resources as a five-match series in England, which kickstarts the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, looms. The new Test skipper, who will take over from Rohit, will have to tide over the challenges of fielding an inexperienced batting lineup in tough conditions, even as the team hopes to paper over the recent rut in Tests, which led to India failing to qualify for the WTC 2025 final. Though both Rohit and Kohli were a mere shadow of their best selves during India's defeat to the Kiwis at home and the subsequent Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, they still lent the team a sense of comfort and stability. Heading into the upcoming tour of England—where India hasn't triumphed since 2007 but came close in 2021-22, drawing the COVID-ravaged series 2-2—a crop of youngsters will be all at sea. In the potential top seven, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are the only ones acquainted somewhat with the British climes, having played nine Tests each in the country. They were also India's second and third best batters during the 2021-22 tour, averaging 39.37 and 38.77, respectively. However, they had the cushion of Rohit, Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane back then. This time, they will have to lead the charge. Shubman Gill, a potential captaincy candidate, is the only other batter with some experience of having batted in England, but a three-match stint is hardly enough to tap into. Four of India's possible top seven, with no experience of playing Tests in England, will be thrown at the deep end. Moreover, the four candidates—Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Sai Sudharsan—primed to fill the vacuum left by Rohit and Kohli have yet to prove themselves in the longest format, and England isn't an ideal test site. ALSO READ | Vijay Lokapally on Virat Kohli's Test retirement: He took the right decision at the right time The tour of England in 2014 was a case in point. India's first Test series in England without Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman meant Pujara, Kohli and Rahane had to shoulder the duties of an undercooked middle-order. While Rahane managed an average in excess of 33 across five matches, Pujara and Kohli had a tough initiation, averaging 22.20 and 13.40, respectively, as India suffered a 3-1 defeat, losing two of those games inside three days. At the crossroads The Indian management has made no secret of its intentions of moving on from the past and investing in the future. Rohit and Kohli were perhaps the last vestiges of the previous era, and with them gone, the management is unlikely to turn to old horses. Pujara and Rahane have kept the rust off them by consistently doing the hard yards in domestic cricket, and with three tours of England (2014-2021) under their belt, they could smooth the transition. But with a new WTC cycle beginning and two of its most celebrated players calling it a day, India is probably not contemplating stop-gap measures but an overhaul. Nitish Kumar Reddy during the Fifth Men's Test Match in the series between Australia and India. | Photo Credit:That Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Kumar Reddy were India's most successful batters in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy probably feeds into the belief that experience is sometimes overrated. Perhaps the 3-0 drubbing against New Zealand at home, during which India was out-spun, was further proof of age getting the better of a well-honed skill. Hopefully for India, the tour of England next month will be an affirmation of the next generation rather than a negation of the past.
