The grief of not being able to win the Old Trafford Test is burning well for England. Ben Stokes came very close to victory in the fourth Ashes Test. But when the last day's game was canceled due to rain, they had to leave the field with a draw. England's chance to win the Ashes is also over as the victory that was within reach has been lost in this way.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) feels that action needs to be taken now to avoid suffering the same fate in the future. As there is no control over the weather, the ECB wants to change the schedule of Test matches. For this, an application will be made to the ICC, the governing body of cricket, said ECB Chairman Richard Thompson.
The final two days of the Manchester Test, which concluded last week, were lashed by rain. Although it was possible to play 30 overs on the fourth day, the cricketers did not get a chance to take the field on the fifth day. England led Australia by 61 runs until the end of the game. As Australia lost 5 wickets in their second innings, Stokes faced the prospect of winning by an innings or a run chase.
As the Old Trafford Test was drawn due to rain, the talk of having a reserve day in Test cricket has gained momentum again. The ECB chief was asked about this on BBC Radio 4 today. In response, Thompson said, 'There needs to be a debate about this. I will definitely speak to the ICC chairman, Greg Barclay, just to understand what England has done for Test cricket. We are taking this version of cricket forward, reinventing it as it is now. Now the excitement about Test cricket has increased, and the interest has increased.
According to the ECB chief, there is a need to think about an extra day or schedule in case of rain in Test cricket, "It (reserve day) is part of the larger discussion." More flexibility in the schedule should be ensured to deal with such (Manchester Test) odd situations. But for this, we need to sit in discussion.
Noting that if the game is not played due to rain, the ticketed spectators are also deprived, ECB chairman Thompson argued in favor of reserve days in all Tests, "We work in the entertainment business. Our goal is to make people happy. It is a good idea to have a reserve day in the World Test Championship final. But it needs to be kept in every test.
