Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur, who is part of the ICC cricket committee that will consider making four-day Tests mandatory as part of the World Test Championship from 2023, has shot down the proposal. Arthur has joined the likes of Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes and Vernon Philander in opposing four-day Test cricket.
“Look, I say five-day Test cricket is the way to go,” Arthur said on the eve of Sri Lanka’s third T20I against India in Pune. “Test cricket challenges you - it challenges you mentally, it challenges you physically and it challenges you technically. And a lot of the time on the fifth day, we’ve witnessed a really good Test match that wouldn’t have lasted [otherwise]” he said.
“Look, we can talk about financial pressures and that type of stuff. [But], I think the fabric of Test cricket shouldn’t be messed with. You want wickets deteriorating on day five, you want thrillers that go all the way, there are a lot of really good exciting draws where one team plays it out. So, I definitely think five-day Test cricket is the way to go without a doubt.”
