Faf du Plessis calls for more home Tests

Faf du Plessis, South Africa's stand-in captain, has added to the growing chorus calling for Test cricket to become the focal point among administrators and players. Although du Plessis is among the players who feature in T20 leagues across the world, he maintains Test cricket is his top priority.

"Test cricket is the best thing to play," he said. "That is the challenge you want. You want to sit after a day's play as a bowler…..your toenails are bleeding and you are extremely tired and you want to, for the guys that drink beer, have a sip at the end and say we gave it everything. You can't copy the feeling of winning a Test match in any other format, especially in T20s."

Du Plessis was among the first to voice his disappointment after the Durban Test was abandoned because of an unsafe outfield. Du Plessis said he respected the officials' call but rued the fact that the Centurion Test becomes a winner-takes-all affair.

"Two-test series is too short. With the current schedule, a five-Test series will be hard to slot-in going forward. For me a three or four-match series is ideal. When you play two Tests, you just get going, there's always a great match and then the series is finished. Two is just too short especially now that we've had one rained off."

Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, also called for more matches to constitute a series. "I don't know if you have too many lotteries in Test cricket," he said. "Over five days, the team that plays more consistent cricket over a period of time wins the match but it is a shame that we aren't able to play two full Tests, perhaps even more."

South Africa, currently placed sixth in the Test rankings, may also be wary of being tripped up by a familiar foe. "Definitely, there is more pressure, especially because we are a team that is very disappointed with where we are lying on the rankings at the moment" du Plessis said. "We've got much higher standards. We want to win as many Tests as possible to try and jump up that ladder again."

South Africa will have an opportunity to win Tests as they're set to play 11 Tests this season, even though it may not be as many as some of the other sides, particularly at home.

"We don't play a lot of Tests at home. If you look at India, this season they have got 15 Tests coming up in their country you want to try and make use of your own conditions and play as many Tests as possible," Du Plessis aid. "We play a little bit and then there's a big break. With the space the team is in now, we would like to play as much Test cricket as possible and try and build something. We have a mission as a team and we are trying to get there."

Du Plessis also admitted to being concerned that the administrators were not listening to the players' call for more Test cricket, but hopes the moves to resurrect the idea of a Test challenge will be one step in that direction.

"Yes, I am (concerned that the message is not getting through). When we fill those anonymous forms, the general thing that comes out is to play Test cricket. It's still the No.1 thing for international players," he said. "To create a structure for the Test championship, that's a great step in the right direction but you need to play as many Tests as possible."