WCC research: Declining Test attendances
In October 2009, MCC commissioned research into the reasons attendances at Test cricket were declining in parts of the world.
1,500 cricket fans surveyed in India, New Zealand and South Africa shows:
Cricket fans and their favourite forms of cricket
In India, 81% of cricket fans are at least regular followers of Test match cricket. The favourite format of cricket in India is International T20 (58%), which includes the IPL, with its international cricketers. Test match cricket is the favourite format of the game for only 7% of cricket followers in India.
Pakistan won the ICC World T20 at Lord's The IPL’s international profile provides access to an array of international figures. Indian cricket fans no longer need to go to Test matches to get their fix of major stars such as Pietersen, Ponting and Flintoff.
In New Zealand, 56% of cricket fans are at least regular followers of Test match cricket. The favourite format of cricket in New Zealand is One Day Internationals (61%). Test match cricket is the favourite format of the game for 19% of cricket followers in New Zealand.
In South Africa, 76% of cricket fans are at least regular followers of Test match cricket. The favourite format of cricket in South Africa is One Day Internationals (51%). Test match cricket is the favourite format of the game for 12% of cricket followers in South Africa.
Whilst a high proportion of cricket fans had attended a Test match in the past, just one in four had attended again recently, dropping to fewer than one in five in New Zealand.
In India, the emergence of Twenty20 cricket has had a significant impact on interest in Test match cricket, with almost three in five acknowledging that fact.
Twenty20 has had a less dramatic effect in New Zealand and South Africa, but has still slightly eroded the Test match fan base.
Amongst the cricket fans in the least engaged segments in India and South Africa, there is clear openness towards the prospect of T20 sparking an interest in the wider game of cricket outside the twenty over format. This suggests that there is an opportunity to exploit the buzz and interest around T20 to reinvigorate interest in the longer forms of the game.