Anyone who is remotely interested in preserving the traditional form of the game would agree that Test cricket needs to undergo one fundamental change: the way the wickets are prepared.

How many times have we seen sides scoring over 600 runs in an innings in Test matches in 2009? In Karachi, 1553 runs were scored for the loss of 18 wickets over five days. At the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, only 17 wickets fell for 1628 ridiculous runs. The total in Napier was 1400 for 23 wickets. And in Ahmedabad, almost 1600 runs were scored for just 21 wickets, including eight in the final nine sessions. All these matches were played on flat featherbeds and were eventually fizzled out to be dull, boring draws. Huge individual scores – including a triple century and several double centuries - were scored, sometimes by great batsmen. But not one will make the list of all-time-great innings.

This is a growing tendency all over the world, noticeably in the sub-continent. The one and only thing to blame for the lack of contest is the pitch. Flat pitches, devoid of any life, have become a common occurrence worldwide and it is starting to make Test cricket feel like a real drag. Other than entertaining some excitable statisticians and making the TV companies happy, these matches don’t serve any purpose at all.

Persons who are responsible for preparing wickets need to go back to their roots to save Test cricket, if they have any desire to protect the most traditional form of the game. Wearing wickets are unique to Test cricket; wickets that would start with a little bit of grass or moisture to cause seam movement and then later flatten out; wickets that would change during the match, such as rough up or crack; wickets that would seam around initially, then settle for good batting conditions and eventually start turning due to wear and tear. That is the attraction Test cricket had over limited overs cricket over the years. But with flat, lifeless wickets, Test cricket has nothing over it; no special attractions.

People like to see things happen during a match, like wickets being taken and shots being played. Lively conditions assist clever batsmen and bowlers. Flat decks have brought about too many drawn matches which deter fans. Lively wickets result in so many things happening in the game all the time, which appears to be what the spectators want. It may also result in a short match, but a short match is often a good match, as there will be plenty of action and more importantly, a result. The Ashes 2005 is the best example.

That was the beauty of Test cricket. Every ground provided a different challenge and Australia was the best example of that. It has five main Test venues and each of them have offered varying wickets over the years. In years gone by, teams had to change their playing XIs to suit those conditions. But the situation is getting slightly different now. Perth used to be rock hard and later crack. It was regarded as the pace bowlers’ paradise, but now it’s a bit flat. The SCG used to spin a lot and often caused a change in the line up of teams, but now it doesn’t spin that much. Sometimes the wicket may assist swing bowling, but often it is flat. MCG would have plenty of moisture in the wicket and offer the seamers some assistance, especially early on and later it might offer some variable bounce and force the batsmen to play with a straight bat. Now, that’s all changed. The Adelaide Oval was often a place that offered good rough for the spinners and a bit of green for the seamers as well as some reverse swing. It sometimes offers some of these interesting aspects, but lately it has turned out to be a good batting track. The Gabba would be generally green, assisting swing and seam. It is perhaps one of those rare venues that has not lost its old charm that much.

One day cricket and Twenty20 cricket are seen as a batsman’s game. But lately, Test cricket has been forced into that pattern as well with flat, lifeless wickets.

Test cricket has always been a game that suited both batting and bowling evenly, but often used to suit the bowlers or a particular bowler. Test cricket made names famous such as Lillie, Thompson, Holding, Botham, McGrath, Warne, Akram, Muralitharan and Lee. Under suitable conditions, they were able to execute their skills and ability.

The message to the curators is clear: let the batsmen have limited overs cricket, but let’s give Test cricket back to the bowlers. Make it unique from limited overs cricket and give it back its charm and bring back the variation.

Simply, Test cricket needs sporty wickets - wickets that make for an equal contest and not pitches that simply favour one discipline over the other.