File image of Graeme Smith
Amid rising criticims and constant urge from veterans and current players to not tinker with the existing Test cricket format, South Africa became the first to declare their support towards International Cricket Council's (ICC) new notion of a four-day Test cricket.
ICC is set to discuss the idea of making four-day Test in a bid to ease the crammed international calendar and hence reduce workload on players. While England Cricket Board said that they will think over it after 2023, while Australia are yet to express their thought. Meanwhile, India skipper Virat Kohli, Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Australian coach Justin Langar, spinner Nathan Lyon, pace legend Glenn McGrath and former captain Ricky Pointing are some of the notable figures who have disapproved the idea.
Earlier, Britain's Daily Mail reported that South Africa too has joined the bandwagon, despite being the first nation to officially host a four-day Test, against Zimbabwe in 2017. However, Cricket South Africa opposed it in a recent statement while throwing their weight behind ICC's notion.
"In view of an unsourced and misleading report in the media this morning, please be advised that it is Cricket South Africa’s official policy to support four-day Test match cricket," Cricket South Africa said in a statement. "We, in fact, hosted the first official four-day Test match between ourselves and Zimbabwe a couple of years ago."
South Africa had defeated Zimbabwe by an innings with the match ending on day 2.
BCCI too is yet to speak on the issue, but Kohli had said, "I am not a fan. I think the intent will not be right then because then you will speak of three-day Tests, I mean where do you end?
"Then you will speak of test cricket disappearing. I don't endorse that at all."
