Incoming England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves has confirmed he considering a proposal to shorten Test cricket to four days.
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“Personally, I think we should look at four-day Test cricket and play 105 overs a day starting at 10.30am in the morning, and finish when you finish as all the grounds now have lights,” he told Lords.org.
“Every Test match would start on a Thursday, with Thursday and Friday being corporate days and then Saturday and Sunday the family days.
“From a cost point of view you’d lose that fifth day, which would save a hell of a lot of money from the ground’s point of view and the broadcasters… I would look at that.”
The ECB itself could not introduce four-day Test matches, however it could make a push via the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The proposals were revealed last month when a document titled ‘Strategy Conversation Summary’ was leaked.
Graves, who begins his five-year tenure as ECB chairman on May 15, says he is concerned by low Test attendances and says the game must be modernised to attract a younger fanbase.
“So long as MCC keeps modernising at the same time as the rest of the world is modernising, we can’t keep looking backwards. That’s what I keep saying to everybody,” he said.
“Let’s look forward, let’s look at what the public want because we are in the entertainment business and that’s what we’ve got to remember.”
Despite having not yet taken up his role as chairman, Graves has already caused a stir in English cricket after leaving the door open for Kevin Pietersen to return to the national setup.
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