Sometimes little modifications are perhaps not so bad if it helps increase longevity of a substance, writes Chandraboli Mitra.

"Change is inevitable. Change is constant."

This doesn't mean the need for revolutionary transformations but little modifications here and there to make things more contemporary and relevant.

But world never takes changes kindly.

Not when Galileo suggested that the world was round and not flat, unlike the prevailing notion at that time. Not when Kerry Packer founded World Series Cricket in 1977, thus changing the course of game as never before.

So, how can ICC president David Morgan's suggestions on Test cricket can go without criticism?

Morgan has three suggestions -- make the Test matches a four-day affair, turn them into a two-tier format and introduce day-night Tests to make them more lucrative and result-oriented.

While the genuine cricket lovers and the players still hold the oldest form of the game in the highest esteem, there can't be any denial that it is steadily fading away in the wake of the slam-bang version that attract more crowd.

The ICC's decision does not seem to have gone down well with the loyal fans of Test cricket. They think there is a lack of any real sense of what the traditional form of game means to its fans and any dilution would lead to the death of cricket for anyone who appreciates it in the purest and the highest form.

As for the ICC's other proposals, these may not necessarily mean the death of cricket but a sheer act of giving it a second life.

For instance, the two-tier format will surely bring in a lot more competition to the game. If a weak team like Bangladesh is barred from playing against Australia and South Africa, and instead a Test series between two strong teams take place, it will only enable the standard to go up and hence, generate more interest.

Similarly, the day-night Test matches are certainly expected to see much more spectators coming to the stadium after the day's work.

But all said and done, all these changes will only be accepted if people feel they will be able to see some fierce competition on the field. And for that there is an urgent need to introduce better over-rates and competitive pitches.

At the end of the day, it is the game itself that will make it worth.

Test cricket is the arena where a player's skills are tested the maximum. The budding cricketers still recognise the fact that the traditional format brings out the best among them and are always keen to prove their worth there. This despite doing well -- and earning hefty amounts -- in the shorter versions of the game.

In contemporary cricket too, the hype generated by the Ashes or the Indo-Pak Test series are un-matched till date. It not only has a loyal fan-following, but also gives the real flavour and essence of cricket. The level of competition is capable of dethroning all the hullabaloo of the Twenty20.

No wonder most Australian players opted out of the lucrative Indian Premier League to concentrate on the upcoming Ashes in England. And a hard-hitting batsman like Yuvraj Singh desperately hunted for a place in the India Test team for a decade, despite doing well in the other two formats.

Nonetheless, if with a few amendments, the traditional format of the game can manage to regain the popularity that it once used to enjoy, the cricket would be the ultimate winner.

But only if all these high-profile plans and suggestions are executed well!