Brian Lara calls for doing away with draws in Test cricket

Brian Lara has suggested that Test cricket shouldn’t have draws. The longest format of the game has been struggling to keep crowds interested for a course of 5 days and it makes it worse if the game ends in a draw. The advent of T20 cricket was bound to make an impact on the traditional form of cricket.

Though it has led to more results, courtesy some attacking cricket played as players usually play all formats of the game, there have been the odd draws in every series. Lara, the West Indian legend and the record holder for most runs in a Test inning, was of the opinion that to keep up with the expectations of the audience, Test cricket should be evolved.

“One of the complaints by an American is, ‘how can you play a game for five days and it ends up in a draw?’,” Lara told the BBC. “I would like to maybe see results in every single Test match.”

“I know 70 per cent of the time the game takes its natural course and you get a result, (but) maybe find a way where you structure the game … you have 450 overs in five days, come up with some formula that can bring a win at the end of it,” said Lara speaking to cricket.com.au

The 47-year-old never played any T20 cricket for West Indies though he featured in the Masters Champions League T20, 2016. He featured in 131 Tests and 299 ODI’s before retiring in 2007 post the World Cup 2007 which was held in the Caribbean.

T20 cricket gathered steam in the mid 2000’s when Lara was about to end his career. He played Test matches in front of empty stadiums and said that he is a fan of T20 cricket as it brings huge crowds to the ground.

“I’m pro T20, because I played in a period where Test cricket was waning, the crowds were a bit smaller, and I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, lining up at 5am to watch a Test match in a packed house,” Lara said.

The result percentage has drastically increased over the last decade. But going by what Lara said, there might be a case of doing away with the draw altogether.

He was interested in playing the Indian Premier League and even listed him up for the IPL auctions in 2011 but failed to attract any buyers.

The elegant left-hander finished the game with 11953 and 10,405 runs in Tests and ODI’s respectively. He has 53 international centuries to his name in his 17-year career.