Rescue Test cricket from itself

What one should do is to implement a new set of rules in Test cricket. First of all, each team should mandatorily bat in both the innings. Such a measure will end negative tactics and the tendency of one side or the other to play on and on, robbing the game of a result and rendering it a prolonged bore. Normally, 90 overs should be allowed in a day. That makes 90 multiplied by 5 which makes 450 overs in five days.

The first law should be that in each innings, each team will get maximum of 115 overs. After that, the next team should come in to bat, irrespective of how many wickets may have fallen. So basically each team gets 115 overs to bat in each innings.

The second law is to ensure that if a team gets out before utilising its 115 overs, the opposing team can utilise those overs. For example, if Team 1 gets out after 60 overs in the first innings, then Team 2 gets a total of 115 plus 55, or 170 overs to bat. Then if Team 2 gets out after utilising 150 overs in their first innings, then Team 2 gets 115 plus 20, which equals 135 overs in their 2nd innings, and so on.

This will make Test cricket more of a five-day ODI, and will need each team to strategise and plan in innovative ways. Also we can introduce a rule on how many maximum overs a bowler can bowl in an innings. Now if 115 overs are divided by 5, it will equal 23 overs. So five bowlers can bowl a maximum of 23 overs in an innings. Everything else will be like an ODI. Like using the sixth or seventh bowler in case one bowler or other is not in form. This will also ensure that a bowler is not over-bowled.

If the first team gets out early and the second team has a total of 150 overs to bat, then it will be 150 divided by 5, which equals 30 overs per bowler.

I don’t know how readers will respond to these suggestions but it’s worth a shot. We need to rescue Test cricket from itself!