What are the rules of the new four day test matches by the ICC?

South Africa will be playing the first 4 day test match
South Africa will be playing the first 4 day test match

Internet Desk: The inaugural four-day test which will be played by South Africa and Zimbabwe in Port Elizabeth will have a minimum of 98 overs played in each day.

After the International Cricket Council (ICC) granted the status, South Africa will play the first four day test match from December 26.

Accordingly to the playing conditions the ICC claimed that a minimum of 90 overs should be played during a five-day test match therefore extra 30 minutes will be given to add the extra eight overs per day.

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A first-innings lead of 150 will be enough to enforce the follow-on in the day-night fixture in Port Elizabeth, 50 runs less than the runs needed in the five-day format.

Test matches, the game’s oldest format, have witnessed a steady decline in attendances in recent years, throwing the door open to a number of novel means to engage fans, including the introduction of day-night tests.

The format has come in for stiff competition from the game’s newer, shorter formats, such as Twenty20 internationals and domestic leagues across the globe.

Officials and former players have acknowledged the need to make tests four-day affairs instead of five, hoping it would help them become more viewer friendly.