ECB join with a Test Campaign in dialogue

The ECB have invited Testing Times XI, a campaign to persuade international cricket boards and the ICC to review the balance between formats in international cricket matches,  to meet and discuss the objectives and the issues of the campaign.

Report by Testing Times XI

Testing Times is an Internet-based campaign using Twitter and Facebook to support its online petition, initially aimed at realigning the Summer fixtures in England in 2012 to deliver an additional test match to the touring South African programme.  This would be achieved by reducing the number of one-day internationals with South Africa from five to three.  A full alternative schedule has been drawn up to demonstrate how this rearranged fixture list could be achieved.

The campaign, which is looking to demonstrate support from world cricket fans, already has over 3,100 names on the online petition.  

The campaign team has further objectives beyond 2012, specifically to reinstate the postponed test championship to 2013 or soon after, instead of the current scheduling of “at least 2017” and to encourage the ICC and international boards to prevent major test series, such as the recent South Africa vs Australia series, being restricted to only two matches.

Rebecca Duffy - one of the campaign coordinators - said, “This approach shows that the ECB is willing to listen to honest concerns from cricket fans.  We don’t know at this stage whether we’ll be able to convince the ECB that they should adopt any of our proposals but the dialogue is very welcome.”

The campaign team and the ECB are scheduling a date in January 2012 for the meeting to take place at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.