Is Test Cricket Financially Sustainable?

This week's World Test Championship last betwixt Australia and South Africa astatine Lord's is nan longer format's showpiece.

The fixture besides represents an opportunity to observe world cricket's historic, and astir romanticised, format.

For nan mostly of its 148-year life, Test cricket has been treasured arsenic nan pinnacle of nan sport, but complete nan past 2 decades its fame has diminished successful immoderate countries.

The maturation of shorter formats, and particularly T20, has played a portion and for immoderate nationalist boards Test cricket is seen arsenic a financial millstone amid mediocre attendances and declining interest.

BBC Sport has spoken to immoderate of nan game's elder figures to see nan cardinal fiscal challengers which look Test cricket – and whether it's imaginable to lick them.

The World Test Championship (WTC) was conceived during Greg Barclay's chairmanship of nan International Cricket Council (ICC).

Barclay, who stepped down past December aft 4 years successful nan role, said it was a basal measurement to guarantee Test cricket appealed to modern fans.

Each WTC rhythm runs for 2 years. Teams play six bid successful that clip - 3 astatine location and 3 distant - pinch 12 points awarded for winning a match, six for a necktie and 4 for a draw.

However, arsenic teams play a different number of Tests crossed their six series, nan array is classed by percent of points won.

"The format of nan WTC has sewage its critics and justifiably so, but we had to do something," Barclay told BBC Sport.

"I deliberation it's driven a batch of liking successful Test cricket. Conceptually it's been a existent affirmative summation to nan cricketing calendar.

"If you person context, relevance and a spot of jeopardy nan fans get acold much progressive successful it."

While nan WTC is only successful its 3rd iteration, location is overmuch activity to beryllium done to guarantee it has nan "sporting integrity" to thief assistance Test cricket's finances, according to erstwhile West Indies main executive Johnny Grave.

"It's not 'pure' successful nan consciousness that each squad plays adjacent games, that there's genuine jeopardy successful position of who mightiness win, cardinal marketing, gross sharing and corporate selling," Grave explained.

"All these things, successful position of nan mentation down really and why a sports convention works, don't beryllium wrong nan WTC.

"We person a WTC wherever if you're being really honest, nan astir valuable fixture - India versus Pakistan - wrong that convention ne'er happens. It's for illustration having La Liga but Barcelona and Real Madrid not playing each other."

Three countries - Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan - play Test cricket but are not successful nan WTC.

Cricket Ireland main executive Warren Deutrom said he had a "very unfastened mind" astir nan Irish joining nan WTC successful future, moreover though they presently only play Test cricket sporadically astatine nan moment.

But Deutrom acknowledged location would request to beryllium much ICC backing - Ireland presently person astir $6m a twelvemonth successful nan existent rhythm - for that to beryllium a reality.

"To beryllium very blunt astir it, if location was a was a alteration successful nan backing building past it is thing which we would springiness superior consideration," he added.

For players from England, Australia and India, playing Test cricket is financially rewarding.

Ben Stokes, England's Test captain, has a cardinal statement reportedly worthy £2.47m a twelvemonth pinch nan England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)

Not each boards person nan aforesaid extent of financial resources.

So inevitably, location has been a talent drain towards franchise cricket, often ensuring nan astir talented players are not ever disposable for Test commitments.

WTC finalists South Africa were criticised for sending a weakened squad connected a Test circuit of New Zealand truthful their prima players could play successful nan country's home franchise tournament, nan SA20.

That conception appeared to spell a measurement further this week erstwhile Nicholas Pooran, who has ne'er played a Test match, decided to discontinue from world cricket for West Indies astatine nan property of 29.

Pooran is paid $2.5m for his information successful nan IPL alone, while nan top-earning centrally contracted players pinch Cricket West Indies gain $200,000.

The thought of nan ICC ring-fencing a Test money to financially incentivise players to play nan format has been mooted successful nan past.

"It has to beryllium thing that's looked at," said Grave, who is now nan main executive of Major League Cricket successful nan USA, but an advocator for Test cricket.

"Players will make decisions astir what's bully for them and their livelihoods and their early financial security."

Deutrom believes location should beryllium a grade of a financial autonomy for nan likes of Cricket Ireland to determine really to walk nan cash.

"I deliberation nan measurement it would activity is that you would incentivise nan boards successful bid to make judge that nan players could beryllium incentivised," he said.

"Every personnel deals pinch its players differently, incentivises different formats. Obviously we are very acquainted pinch nan attack England takes successful position of nan incentivisation of its players to play Test cricket."

Barclay remains much cautious and would beryllium "loathe to spot a nonstop subsidy" to alteration Test cricket to beryllium played.

He added nan thought "wasn't earnestly discussed during my watch" astatine nan ICC but conceded "there whitethorn beryllium a somewhat different emphasis" now.

"It's a lawsuit of prioritising, utilizing resources sensibly, and accordingly," Barclay said.

"New Zealand evidently won nan first WTC. That's a state pinch beautiful constricted resources, but it demonstrates that you don't needfully request to person ample pools of money put aside."

"My dream is that successful my life I will beryllium capable to spot India and China playing against each different successful Test cricket," said Malcolm Speed erstwhile he was ICC main executive successful 2007.

BBC Sport understands nan ICC sent a delegation to China past year, but nan longer format was not portion of discussions successful immoderate general sense.

Speed's comments consciousness for illustration pastry successful nan sky, yet China ne'er had a world snooker champion until it had one. There were 34,000 snooker halls successful nan state astir nan clip Speed made his remarks - location are now 300,000.

Could Test cricket grow to caller frontiers to boost its financial sustainability?

"The ICC made some Ireland and Afghanistan afloat members successful 2017 but it did not mean it was nan extremity of nan line," Barclay said.

"Again it's nan aged adage of being observant what you wish for, because erstwhile you go a afloat personnel you move into different echelon and you person a batch of commitments that you request to make. It costs a batch of money.

"Everyone thinks that becoming a afloat personnel is this financial El Dorado, and it benignant of is. But if broadcast revenues and commercialized outcomes were to autumn away, and nan afloat members person to divided their pastry different ways, it mightiness not beryllium nan financial boost they are expecting that it is."

Nepal, USA, UAE and Scotland are each seen arsenic early Test-playing nations, moreover if location does not look a unreserved for immoderate of them to presume afloat personnel status.

BBC Sport has been told location are nary other financial incentives from nan ICC for those nations to create their home structures for red-ball cricket.

Barclay said it is "really important" to "have a ground for nan crippled and playing reddish shot cricket astatine home level".

Deutrom indicated a measurement to guarantee maturation and financial sustainability of nan format to those who person precocious travel into nan fold would beryllium to region immoderate of nan costly barriers to staging Test cricket.

"To sphere nan prestige of nan format doesn't needfully mean it should beryllium truthful exclusive arsenic to beryllium unaffordable," he added.

"Perhaps we could perchance region immoderate of nan preciousness astir really everything has to beryllium done. With 24 to 30 cameras, Super Slo-mo, DRS, etc."

In England, Australia and India, Test cricket's entreaty to broadcasters tin still move nan needle for broadcasters, sponsors and fans.

The woody betwixt nan England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Sky Sports is presently worthy £880m.

A sold-out Ashes Test, for example, tin mostly find nan equilibrium expanse of an English region side.

For nan Test-playing countries extracurricular nan alleged 'big three', attendances for matches person dwindled and broadcast revenues are considerably smaller.

Grave has agelong based on for a much moreover distribution of nan pie.

"West Indies haven't sewage unspeakable overnight astatine Test cricket. Pakistan haven't fallen down nan rankings overnight," he said.

"This has been a gradual diminution since outer TV came in, successful 2001. And nan economics of nan crippled conscionable changed, evolved dramatically complete 20 years.

"So successful bid to get up to wherever Test cricket could be, it's astir apt going to return different 20 years of changing nan exemplary earlier you're really going to spot nan benefit."

England paid a touring interest to Zimbabwe for their Test astatine Trent Bridge past period and Grave believes nan 'big three' should springiness a stock of revenues from Tests wherever they are fulfilling broadcast contracts.

"I recovered it frustrating erstwhile we would travel to England astatine a costs of $1m to Cricket West Indies and spot nary revenue," Grave added.

"We were regularly spending $25,000 connected 1 formation for 1 subordinate to Australia. The flights are tourer flights and truthful nan value is done nan roof."

There has not been a azygous three-match Test bid not involving astatine slightest 1 of England, Australia and India since 2019.

The main logic for nan truncation of a bid is that it is not imaginable to beryllium fitted successful because of nan request for 3 days of remainder betwixt matches.

Broadcasters person to supply an costly outlay for a 5th time which doesn't ever happen.

Is it clip for four-day Tests to go nan norm? Barclay thinks it should beryllium considered.

"Anything is connected nan array and if that helps successful position of nan betterment and attraction of Test cricket past perfectly we should beryllium looking astatine doing that," Barclay said.

Grave tin spot nan applicable benefits to support fans engaged.

He said: "I would person each Test matches starting connected a Thursday and finishing connected a Sunday.

"When you person a longer Test series, and you person a complete week off, that ends up for nan instrumentality being 10 days off, it's rather difficult to move connected a casual instrumentality and punctual them nan Test bid is still going on."

The erstwhile West Indies main executive moreover suggested bolder proposals to get nan crippled done wrong a four-day timeframe - including tweaking nan number of balls successful an over.

"The Hundred doesn't person six balls successful each over. So why couldn't Test cricket person 3 sessions of 25 overs and 8 balls for example?" Grave added.

"You'd person 400 overs and that's astir apt for astir Test matches, plentifulness of overs for each teams to bat doubly and person a really meaningful contest."

Test cricket's entreaty would look to dishonesty successful its marque legacy. As successful different walks of life an individual's manner choices alteration pinch property – and possibly T20 tin beryllium nan gateway to fans whose tastes change later successful life.

For Barclay nan format is "in beautiful bully fettle" contempt concerns it is facing immoderate benignant of existential crisis.

"I perfectly opportunity it's sustainable. I deliberation it's nan format of nan crippled which really represents nan principle of cricket," Barclay said.

"To let it to autumn away, aliases successful immoderate measurement beryllium compromised, I deliberation would beryllium astatine a monolithic nonaccomplishment to cricket arsenic a sport. It's incumbent connected everyone progressive successful nan crippled to guarantee Test cricket does prolong itself financially.

"The building I usage is transverse subsidisation truthful having an unabashed shape of nan crippled which is generating nan gross successful T20 enables finance backmost into [Test cricket].

"The game's ne'er been much able and much lucrative but it's ne'er needed arsenic overmuch money now arsenic it what it has truthful I conjecture you person to waste and acquisition disconnected successful position of what your priorities are."

Grave is adamant changes request to beryllium made to a "broken model" for nan format to strengthen successful monetary position different "the mostly of Test cricket will conscionable beryllium played by 3 teams".

"If nan crippled of cricket wants Test cricket to beryllium financially sustainable, I genuinely judge it is. Is it sustainable successful its existent model? Almost surely no," Grave said.

While balancing nan books weighs connected Deutrom's mind, it does nary detract from an unbridled passion for Ireland to proceed to play nan longer format.

"The chat astir Test cricket doesn't commencement pinch finance and funding," Deutrom added.

"It's a format that we each love. It perfectly symbolises and exemplifies nan travel Irish cricket has taken.

"So immoderate chat around, backing and finance has to beryllium placed wrong that discourse successful nan first instance."

During a information of interviews arsenic he embarked connected a stint astatine Middlesex, erstwhile New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson precocious said red-ball cricket was nan "soul" of nan crippled while Virat Kohli chose nan IPL last to state his heavy emotion for nan format.

Barclay's successor arsenic ICC chair, Jay Shah, is said to beryllium a instrumentality of Test cricket by those who cognize him good which would astatine slightest look to safeguard its financial early for nan contiguous word astatine least.

But possibly Test cricket is excessively valuable, sloppy of nan cost.