MCC bats for Test cricket to remain five-day despite "some benefits" in four-day games

Custodians of cricket laws, the MCC, on Tuesday said Tests should continue to be a five-day affair though it sees "some benefits" of ICC's proposal to trim the longest format to four days.   "Cricket committee and MCC World Cricket committee have recently discussed the issue and although they can see some benefits that four-day Test cricket could bring, both committees believe that Test cricket should continue to be played over five days," said the MCC in a statement.  The International Cricket Council is all set to discuss the four-day Test proposal during its cricket committee meeting in March. 

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However, the feedback so far has been largely critical with top current and former players such as Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Ian Botham and Virender Shewag ridiculing the plan.

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Sehwag Compares 5-day Tests With Baby Diapers

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag delivered the 7th Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Lecture at the BCCI Awards on Sunday evening in Mumbai. The 'Nawab of Najafgarh' dismissed the idea of 4-day Tests and seconded the idea of five-day Tests remaining as they are. Sehwag joined the likes of current Indian captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri in supporting the conventional format over ICC’s proposal to reduce it to four days in a bid to make the format more attractive and lucrative. Virender Sehwag said that while he has always been supportive of change, five-day Tests for him continue to be a 'romance' and shouldn't be altered with. The former opener admitted that the T-20 game appealed to him as he captained India in their first ever T-20I in 2006 in South Africa and was part of India’s World T-20 winning team in 2007. Yet, in his trademark witty style, the former Indian cricketer claimed that innovations like names on jerseys and pink ball Tests were fine but overall, five-day Tests were like a 'diaper' which should only be changed when it's finished and cannot be used anymore.

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