Should the coin toss be removed in Test cricket? A fan’s opinion on whether the coin toss should be removed from Test cricket
Ah, the coin toss. Such a hot topic in Test cricket. Should it be removed? Does the result rely too much on a single moment before the match even starts? Is it right that an away team’s hopes are (supposedly) significantly dashed before a tough assignment begins in foreign conditions?
With the home team often dominant in Test cricket over the past five years in particular, it begs the question: what impact will removing the toss have on the game’s most traditional format?
The case for removing the toss
In a cricket world where Test cricket needs to fight for relevancy, attention and unpredictability, skeptics worry about the dominance of home teams. Since 2013, the home team (including Pakistan in UAE and Afghanistan in India) has won 168 of 285 matches, equating to a 58.95% win rate.
This is quite a high figure when you consider draws are also part of the picture. Those supporting the removal of the toss believe that the onus will be on the home team to produce sporting pitches. Thus, the away team will compete and not be burdened by losing the toss.
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However, is removing the toss really the solution to ensuring more competitive Test cricket?
Why was 2013 chosen as the year to analyse Test results?
T20 Leagues were really starting to fly. The Big Bash League in Australia was making waves. 2013 saw the first season of the Caribbean Premier League. Bangladesh and England had their high-profile leagues formed (BPL and T20 Blast). And, of course, the IPL was a huge phenomenon.
White-ball cricket, while prominent in the 2000s, grew exponentially in the 2010s. There has been a significant shift in skill and mindset, with players all over the world trained and conditioned for nailing their skills in white-ball formats. This has often been at the expense of Test form, and you only have to look at the likes of Jonny Bairstow as examples of players whose red-ball form dipped when their white-ball form flourished.
Interestingly, from 2008-2012, the home team won 86 of 197 Test matches – a significantly lower win rate of 43.65%. The next point will explore some possible reasons in further detail as to why home teams were less dominant between 2008 and 2012 compared to 2013-onwards.
Why removing the toss is not the answer
You may remove the toss, but you won’t remove the limited skill set that teams possess abroad.
South African skipper Faf du Plessis could not help but smile as he and Temba Bavuma had no luck with the toss in India. However, their bowlers lacked control and penetration in equal measure. Also, their batsmen lost 26 wickets at 18 to seamers in a nation often considered a graveyard for such bowlers. Can this be attributed to losing the toss, or rather a wider issue that players are lacking the temperament, technique and fight to make it in challenging circumstances?
A key fact is that nations are producing fewer players that can help them win overseas. For example, in 2012, England achieved a famous series victory in India. When you dig a little deeper, India won the first three coin tosses of that series. But, England won two of those matches. Why? Because they had the dogged resistance of Alastair Cook, the sheer swagger of Kevin Pietersen, a solid middle order and Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in magnificent touch.
Four years later, England won four of the five coin tosses in India, only to lose the series 4-0. Alastair Cook was past his best, Kevin Pietersen was long gone and England’s spin attack comprised of Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Zafar Ansari and Liam Dawson. After all, it is the quality of players you have at your disposal that is most important in away games, compared to simply winning the toss.
Similar can be said of Australia in their efforts in India. Their struggles from 2008-2013 was attributed to poor technique and lack of quality in the spin department in foreign conditions. In 2017, Steve Smith was in incredible touch, and the spinners, led by Nathan Lyon, ensured it was an extremely competitive series.
Also, removing the toss removes so much of the strategy involved in the game. With the toss, teams are forced to pick a team as balanced as possible, which certainly plays a part in cricket’s beautiful, strategic nature.
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Verdict
There are so many other examples and factors that come into play, but the significant focus on white-ball cricket plays a key role in the decline of Test competitiveness in recent years.
Test cricket is exactly that. A test. A test of skill, character and fight. These days, batsmen will often look to hit their way out of trouble instead of giving the bowler an hour or two. Or push hard in front of the body against the moving ball when patience is key. Or struggle to maintain bowling consistency for long periods.
To save Test cricket, the challenge rests with Test nations in producing Test-quality players that can deliver the goods around the globe. How they go about this over the next 5-10 years could determine how competitive Test cricket will be.
For me, removing the toss is ending one of the game’s great traditions, and a band-aid solution that will still be exposed.
Thanks for reading!
