The disappearance of the five-Test series

[Mike Small]

The 2004-05 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack Australia, published today, is a history-making edition: the front image of a roaring Shane Warne is the first full-colour pictorial cover in Wisden's 141-year history. Wisden Australia mourns the modern trend towards "McCricket", calling for a stop to "back-to-back Tests, whistlestop tours, two- and four-Test series and all other dunderheaded attempts to jam Test cricket into a polystyrene carton and shove it down our throats as quickly as possible". For its first 125 years, the five-Test series was cricket's prestige forum. But Australia have played only one in the past three years and India one in the past seven. New Zealand last played a five-Test series 33 years ago, Pakistan 12 years ago and Sri Lanka have never played one. Wisden Australia's new editor Christian Ryan writes in his Editor's Notes: "Only when Australia play England are we now assured the unique thrill of a five-Test series. And beware the hardheads: with their calculators for brains and cash registers for hearts, they are plotting to take even that away from us. Cricket tampers with its own crazy, bewitching rhythms at its peril."

I always knew Australia and England were the only countries really keen on playing 5 match series, but knowing that some courtiers haven't played one for decades was astonishing, a for the greater part ridiculous.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

If you dont get anything rained off, your're asking a series to be a draw. Has anybody (Racheal, Ern !!) got any stats on the number of 4 test series that result in a 2-2 draw ?

[Ernest]

Rich,You will find them all here

http://howstat.com/cricket/Statistic...esListMenu.asp

Good hunting

Ern

PS Easy because the series are grouped by ten or more years, with the number of drawn matches for 4 natch series clearly shown.

Ern again.

[Ernest]

Well it is easy to say why we play less 5 match test series, and I am not being a clever clogs saying that.

We used to play 5 Match Tests against the West indies, I am sure, but if you cut it to 4 like they have, they shove another series in like this year with New Zealand.
Then we used to play 3 match series with India or Pakistan, and fit New Zealand in for another 3 Tests.

I am sure though with the West Indies, that was a one nation series, just the Windies, and Australia has always been 5 match series, and at times I think we played them over 6 matches.
I also think that India, Pakistan and New Zealand would all have wanted 5 match series if they could have had them.

Your question begs another question, would you rather see 7 Test Matches, like we did this year, or would you rather see just one 5 match series.
It will not matter what you think, because series are contrived to get the maximum amount of revenue, money rules these days.

Ern

[Statto]

We get 7 matches and a 5 test series next year (although 2 are against Bangladesh and should really count as Englands warm up games)

[Occasional Fan]

I haven't looked any further than my memory for this, but surely in the past we used to get one full 5-match series and one 3-match series into an English summer? And I think Ern is right: we used to play 6 against the Aussies - or at least, if it didn't happen regularly, it certainly has happened in my life time.

The reason for the shortening of the test series is simple, I think: you can only get so many Test matches in if the authorities insist on jamming the calendar with ODIs. During the WI tour in the spring, there were seven ODIs and therefore only four tests. In England this summer we had two short test series against NZ and WI, but still had a calendar jam-packed with cricket, including a triangular ODI series and the ICCCT.

Still, all is not lost. The South Africans are giving England five Tests in the upcoming tour, and we have a full five against Australia next summer (though the boys will be knackered by the time they eventually get around to them after completing the Bangladesh series - and incidentally, Statto, we can't call them warm-ups when they are against a full Test-playing nation -, the traditionally huge list of ODIs and a £%$&^*! Twenty20 game for Pete's sake!)

[Rachael]

I'm pretty sure that we've had 6 match Test series against the WI in recent years as well... as late as the mid 90s.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Rachael

I'm pretty sure that we've had 6 match Test series against the WI in recent years as well... as late as the mid 90s.

Well Rachael,
We played a 6 match series against Australia in 1993 in England. The Aussies won 4 - 1
We played a 6 match series against Australia in 1997 in England. The Aussies won 3 - 2

Yes we did play a 6 match series against the West Indied, in 1997/98. It was played in the West Indies though, and the West Indies won 3 - 1.

Ern

[Milo]

The West Indies tour to England in 1995 was a six test series. Thorpe became the only player to ever score 500 series runs without making a century.

[Robb]

We always used to have a couple of the tests in June so there was time for 6 tests against a single touring side like Australia or West Indies or 2 shorter series such as 1994 when New Zealand and South Africa both toured. On South Africa's next visit in 1998 Sri Lanka had just one test at the end of August after a short 3 side 1 day series. Nowadays the schedule seems to be fixed with a short series in May and early June, a longish 1 day series over the middle of the summer, and the main test series not starting until the end of July.
Incidentally the late June test (the one at the same time as Wimbledon) always seemed to lose a lot of time to rain, whereas this year it was the one day series that had several matches rained off. Funny that!