Smith, Warner thumbs down for four-day Tests

TIL Desk Sports/ Australia captain Steve Smith and star opener David Warner say they have no desire to play four-day Tests.

At a board meeting in Auckland this month, the International Cricket Council unveiled plans for a long-awaited, nine-nation Test championship in a bid to preserve the five-day format’s status following the rapid growth of Twenty20.

Among a raft of other reforms, it also agreed to experiment with four-day Tests, with South Africa and Zimbabwe set to trial the first in December. But Smith and Warner are not keen, even if the hours and over requirements of each day are extended to reduce disparity with the traditional format.

Their comments come as a setback to international cricket chiefs who have floated the idea. “Personally, I like five so I would like to keep it at five,” Smith said in an interview.