<p class="title">Test cricket is "dying", the chairman of the sport's governing body warned Thursday, adding the new world championship could help save the longest format of the game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While Tests in Australia and England still draw sizeable crowds, filling stadiums and boosting interest in the five-day game has been a challenge in the rest of the cricket world for years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are trying to see whether (the) Test championship can generate interest, because Test cricket is actually dying to be honest," International Cricket Council chairman Shashank Manohar told reporters in Dhaka.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"So to improve the situation, we are trying ways and means. The (ICC) board... came to a conclusion that if we start a Test championship, it would keep Test cricket alive and generate more interest in the game."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Ashes series between arch-rivals England and Australia will kick off the World Test Championship in July, and the two top sides will face off in a final in 2021.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Manohar, who is in Dhaka to watch the final of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, said the shortest version of the game now provides maximum ratings for broadcasters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Nowadays, people don't have five days... to watch a Test match. From 10 to 5, everybody has their own job to do so it is very difficult for them to watch (Tests)," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">T20s are "over in 3.5 hours, like watching a movie. Therefore, it is picking up very fast".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Manohar, a former BCCI president, said the sport still faces challenges in its bid to become more global, including being added to the Olympics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">ICC officials in the past have expressed their willingness to submit an application for cricket to be included in the Paris 2024 Games.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But there are logistical obstacles, such as suitable venues for cricket, Manohar admitted, saying there is some way to go before it is featured on world sport's biggest stage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There are certain countries which are still not convinced whether to participate or not," he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The only time cricket was played at the Olympics was in 1900, with just two teams -- Britain and France.</p>
<p class="title">Test cricket is "dying", the chairman of the sport's governing body warned Thursday, adding the new world championship could help save the longest format of the game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While Tests in Australia and England still draw sizeable crowds, filling stadiums and boosting interest in the five-day game has been a challenge in the rest of the cricket world for years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are trying to see whether (the) Test championship can generate interest, because Test cricket is actually dying to be honest," International Cricket Council chairman Shashank Manohar told reporters in Dhaka.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"So to improve the situation, we are trying ways and means. The (ICC) board... came to a conclusion that if we start a Test championship, it would keep Test cricket alive and generate more interest in the game."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Ashes series between arch-rivals England and Australia will kick off the World Test Championship in July, and the two top sides will face off in a final in 2021.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Manohar, who is in Dhaka to watch the final of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, said the shortest version of the game now provides maximum ratings for broadcasters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Nowadays, people don't have five days... to watch a Test match. From 10 to 5, everybody has their own job to do so it is very difficult for them to watch (Tests)," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">T20s are "over in 3.5 hours, like watching a movie. Therefore, it is picking up very fast".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Manohar, a former BCCI president, said the sport still faces challenges in its bid to become more global, including being added to the Olympics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">ICC officials in the past have expressed their willingness to submit an application for cricket to be included in the Paris 2024 Games.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But there are logistical obstacles, such as suitable venues for cricket, Manohar admitted, saying there is some way to go before it is featured on world sport's biggest stage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There are certain countries which are still not convinced whether to participate or not," he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The only time cricket was played at the Olympics was in 1900, with just two teams -- Britain and France.</p>