Data | The indirect impact of T20s on Test cricket Premium

Ever since the introduction of T20 matches in cricket, scoring rates in all formats of cricket have increased and coincidentally, risk-taking by batsmen has also gone up.

Ever since the introduction of T20 matches in cricket, scoring rates in all formats of cricket have increased and coincidentally, risk-taking by batsmen has also gone up. The increased risk-taking by batsmen in pursuit of quicker runs has seeped into other forms of cricket. This has, in turn, allowed bowlers to have higher probabilities of inducing mistakes and taking wickets in these formats, unlike T20s, which allow for only 20 overs and a maximum of only four overs for each bowler.

As a result, formats such as Tests, which are not as disadvantageous to bowlers as T20s, allow them greater leeway and opportunities to grab wickets, which could in turn lead to more decisive matches or conversely fewer drawn matches. There are several other factors that determine whether a Test is decisive or not — pitch conditions, for e.g., but all things considered equal, it seems that bowlers have a greater opportunity besides the ability to bowl out batting lineups and secure victories for their teams.

To verify if this hypothesis about Test cricket holds true, we divided the history of Test cricket into four eras — 1877-1939 (274 matches), 1940-1974 (476), 1975-2006 (1075) and 2007-2023 (678) and looked at the proportion of drawn Tests to the overall in each of these eras. There are specific reasons to classify Test matches based on these periods.

Between 1877 and 1939, there were more than a few “timeless” Tests played which were per force held to produce a result (although this did not always work). Tests were also played on uncovered pitches for the most part during this period, rendering an advantage to bowlers. Fully covered pitches reportedly were used in Australia from 1954-55 and went on to become the norm later in other parts of the world over a period of time.

Click to subscribe to our Data newsletter

The next era, 1940-1974, comprises of Tests played before the introduction of limited overs cricket, while the succeeding period, 1975-2006, coincided with the burgeoning of the one-day internationals (ODIs) which also saw the introduction of helmets and protective equipment and enforcement of rules such as limitation on the number of bouncers that could be bowled in an over.

Finally, 2007 marked the year when the first Twenty20 World Cup took place and within a year, the IPL bonanza began. Interestingly, 2008 was also the year when the decision review system (DRS) was introduced, which clearly has had an impact in terms of umpiring becoming more aggressive with leg-before-wicket (LBW) decisions, and therefore helping bowlers and aiding in making matches more decisive.