One-day cricket taking over

THE EDITOR: Cricket, sweet one-day cricket, like World Cup football, has now become the most popular game in the world. This gentleman’s game is however now undergoing a process of change. The one day or limited overs form of the game draws larger crowds than conventional Test Matches.

Cricket fans prefer to see ten days of one-day cricket rather than two 5-day Test Matches. Moreover, it is easier for a cricket fan to get time off to see a one-day game rather than a 5-day Test Match. And what is more, the one-day game never fizzles out into a tame draw. It almost always ends up in a close and exciting finish. Test cricket will in time quietly go out of style. Nothing can be more frustrating than a dull Test Match heading for a tame draw or being abandoned due to weather conditions. Not so with one-day cricket where the rules provide for a winner. World Cup cricket is one-day cricket and so, too, should be all international cricket if we wish to enhance the game and attract larger crowds. PS The outcome of the Test Match in St Lucia may well prove my point.

ELLIS MAINGOT
Trincity