Overview
- Citing the rain-delayed start to Day 3 of the England–Pakistan Test at Lord’s on Saturday, Atherton set out his view that Tests are finishing much quicker now.
- Sky Sports data quoted by Atherton shows matches finishing in three days or less have risen from about 7% in the 1990s to roughly 20% today, and there have been nine two-day Tests in the last decade compared with none between 1946 and 2000.
- Atherton said the spread of T20 cricket has led batters to play with a higher-risk mindset, which increases dismissal rates and speeds up games.
- He pointed to DRS and umpiring changes as another cause, explaining that review technology both reveals marginal decisions and makes umpires likelier to give leg-before-wicket calls.
- Atherton warned the World Test Championship has changed incentives so teams favour more bowling-friendly surfaces at home, a shift that could alter selection, tactics and the spectator experience even though no rule changes have been proposed yet.