Testing times for the longer game

There are still plenty of people to fight back and say Test cricket is a much better game than any of the shorter formats, but that is just a matter of opinion, says Simon Barnes in the Australian. There is no ducking the matter - Test cricket is under threat. Its decline has begun. Perhaps extinction is inevitable.

Let's strive for a little objectivity. What does Test cricket have that the shorter forms don't? Tests last longer. A Test series is the stuff not of an afternoon but an entire summer. Its plot lines are longer and more intricate. The examination of character is more leisurely and more searching. Test cricket asks more questions. It brings us more duels.