Anil Kumble, one of the most prominent and influential voices in world cricket, is "very clear" that a Test match has to be five days long and he does not endorse the proposal to make four-day Test cricket mandatory, reports ESPN.
Kumble, who is the chairman of the ICC's Cricket Committee, has also countered the view expressed by many, including the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, that Test cricket is dying. Test cricket, Kumble said, is very much alive, but he feels the viewing habits of the fans have changed, with many following it through the television and digital mediums.
Although the ICC Board itself is split on the subject, some of the key Full Member boards want the ICC to consider making four-day Test cricket mandatory from the 2023 cycle of the World Test Championships. Trimming that one day, these administrators believe, would free up space in the cricket calendar, which has been stretched to the limits.
The player fraternity, however, is split with most favouring five-day Tests. That includes India captain Virat Kohli, who said he is "not a fan of" four-day Test cricket, and former England captain Andrew Strauss. The latter, who also sits on the ICC Cricket Committee, said it should either be "an easy sell or we shouldn't be doing it."
Kumble is in the same group as Kohli and Strauss when it comes to four-day Tests. "The sense of what I think about it is the players have given that. I mean, they don't want a four-day Test," Kumble said during The Hindu's annual thought conclave, The Huddle, which was held in Bengaluru on February 23.
"Five-day Test is what it is. And a Test it is because it is five days. If it was four days, it wouldn't be a Test.