Michael Vaughan Suggests New Format for Modern Test Cricket with Weekend Focus

Test cricket is a format that is considered to be slowly dying because the fans do not have much interest in it, especially with the rise of shorter formats like T20. Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan recently suggested modernizing Test cricket to attract a new audience, proposing a shift from the traditional five-day format to a four-day one.

Vaughan believes this change would align with the current trend where Test matches often conclude within three or four days. He suggests that matches could start on Thursdays and finish on Sundays, making it easier for fans to follow. According to Vaughan, the current style of play, which emphasizes faster results, has made extended five-day matches less relevant. He said:

It’d start on a Thursday and finish on a Sunday. It would be easy for everyone to understand that Test cricket starts every Thursday and finishes on a Sunday. Let’s be honest, the way that the players go out and play their business now, they don’t play like I used to play or some of the teams back in the 80s and 90s played. They’re playing a brand of cricket which is pretty much to try and win as quick as they possibly can and put the opposition under pressure. So, I genuinely believe that the administrators around the world need to seriously consider if it’s time to go from five (days) to four.

Recent examples of shorter Test matches, like the ongoing BGT 2024-25 series, where the second Test between Australia and India ended in just three days, further support his proposal. Vaughan calls for administrators to consider this shift to appeal to younger cricket fans.