As franchise leagues kidnap the game, Test cricket must find windows: Mark Nicholas Premium

Mark Nicholas, president of the MCC and renowned cricket commentator, discusses the future of Test cricket and the importance of the MCC's role in the game.

Mark Nicholas wears many hats. The latest one is that of the president of the MCC. He is among cricket’s finest commentators — he succeeded the legendary Richie Benaud as anchor of Channel Nine’s cricket coverage — and a perceptive writer on the game. He never played for England, but skippered its ‘A’ side. For a decade he was captain at Hampshire, where he led the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge, David Gower and Robin Smith. He spoke to The Hindu at Cape Town during the second Test between South Africa and India. Excerpts:

Are you concerned about the future of Test cricket, as many people are?

I think Test cricket is going to have to find windows. As the franchise tournaments continue to almost kidnap the game, in a way, and then demand ransoms, probably the best thing everybody can do is find a couple of windows a year, maybe Christmas and New Year into January and June and July, maybe July and August, where you play Test match cricket.

Test cricket is very important because the skills that you develop to be a Test player are the skills that make you an attractive short-form player. So if every short-form player is only developed on batsmen clearing their left side and being able to score 360, and bowlers having a variety of balls to contain batsmen that includes yorkers and into-the-pitch slower balls, the great skills of the game, the cover-drive and the out-swinger and the in-swinger and the back-cut... all those things will be compromised over time.

How important is the MCC’s role today?

Well, I think it needs to be more important again. There is a need for some global relevance, not a power grab, not at all. And what India has done for cricket is remarkable, too many people question it because they like zoning in on the fact that India makes all the money, but India makes all the play.

You know, India is the country that sets everybody else up. So, I have no problem with that. What I do think is that the game could receive more pastoral care. And the ICC could make a better thought of sharing its annual income. The MCC can have a global ambassadorial role. It can connect people. It can maybe bring the game together.