IT is simple to regard West Indies’ thrashing of Bangladesh over the past month as nothing more than an embarrassing mismatch. Given the victories in the three ODIs and those by 10 wickets and 296 runs in the Tests, that was, indeed, what it was.
A contest between teams, along with Zimbabwe, at the bottom of the ICC’s rankings would appear to have only a negative bearing on the overall state of Test cricket. The sprinkling of spectators barely visible, or audible, in stands usually filled for the abbreviated formats, offered further evidence of the dwindling interest in the traditional game.
The situation should have been of interest to the ICC. The sport’s world governing body repeatedly trumpets its commitment to the primacy of Test cricket, above its populist limited-overs offshoots; instead, it grudgingly offers inadequate opportunities to
