On Thursday, India spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur supported Test matches a five-day game, saying reducing it to the four-day game will mess up with the fabric. Arthur, who has also coached South Africa, Australia and Pakistan, joined his ICC Cricket Committee colleague Mahela Jayawardene in supporting five-day Tests as well.

“Look, five-day Test cricket is the way to go (forward). Test cricket challenges you mentally, physically and technically and a lot of a time on the fifth day (a result comes). We just witnessed a very good Test match (England versus South Africa) that finished on day five,” Arthur said before the third T20I in Pune on Friday.

“I know, we can talk about financial pressures and that type of stuff. I think the fabric of Test cricket should not be messed (up) with. You want wickets deteriorating on day five, you want (situations) where there is lot of really good exciting draws,” Arthur further added.

Read here: Mahela Jayawardene opposes the four-day Tests

Kuldeep Yadav too feels the same that existing format should be there in the longer format of the game.

“To be very honest, I would prefer five-day Test cricket. Test cricket is made for five days and I would not like to see any change in it. Something which is classic should be kept as it is,” he shared.

The cricket Committee which is led by Anil Kumble will discuss the four-day Test proposal in the next round of the ICC meetings which will take place in Dubai from March 27-31. The legends like Sachin Tendulkar, India captain Virat Kohli have also shared their disagreement with the idea of four-day Tests. The final T20I game between India and Sri Lanka will take place in Pune on January 10.