Connor Remains Key To Growth In Tests

Adam Collins joins the chorus of roars for more Test cricket for women, and sees a path to how more red-ball cricket can be played

Barack Obama used to make a point of clearing the diary, stopping and thinking for half an hour each day as president of the United States. The tempo of his job required scheduling downtime to process all that was going on around him to help get the big decisions right.

March serves as something of that for international cricket, falling as it does between the northern and southern summers and before the Indian Premier League. Sure, a few bilateral series continue as they always will, but if there is any time for pause, this is broadly it.

The game’s global governing bodies have used that window well this month, elevating a series of discussions into the public domain to keep the wheels of progress turning. An example of this from the ICC was their powerful chief executives committee last week hearing the calls for an underage women’s World Cup and backing for the idea.

A new Women’s Committee was also established with a wide-ranging strategic remit to double down on the enormous gains made over the last five years. The risk after any boom is that it will be followed by a bust. By throwing forward to the next challenge, the ICC are safeguarding against such a malaise. That the colossal Clare Connor is in charge of that body as chair guarantees its work will be taken seriously.

Part of their consideration from the get-go should be informed by taking a look at the survey released by the MCC the week after the ICC conference: “Test cricket’s popularity is as strong as ever,” roared the release. It revealed that some 86 per cent of respondents saw Tests as the most important format.