The statistics demand five-day Tests for women after Australia and India played out a rain-affected draw

Playing four-day Tests doesn’t give enough time for a result and calls are growing for the women’s games to be equal to the men’s.

Australian captain Meg Lanning on the Gold Coast. Picture: Albert Perez / Getty Images

The odds were against a result for either team before a ball was bowled in the drawn Test between Australia and India, as calls grew louder for a move to five-day games.

In the aftermath of the early finish to the day-night Test on the Gold Coast on Sunday, both Australian captain Meg Lanning and coach Matthew Mott said one more day of play would have garnered a result.

The match was the ninth women’s Test played over the past decade and the past four have all ended in draws.

Rain interrupted the opening two days, robbing the game of significant overs. But the game was already not long enough, according to one long-time cricket statistician.

Based on average runs per wicket in women’s Test matches since 2000, renowned stats man Ric Finlay said the match, which was scheduled to have 100 overs for each of the four days, was always going to be “30 overs short”.

“In Aus since 2000, wickets in women‘s Tests have been taken at the rate of 64.44 balls per wicket. If you want a 40-wicket Test, then that requires 2578 balls – but at 600 a day for 4 days, we are 30 overs short – we need 4.3 days,” Finlay posted on Twitter.

The captains shook hands at the drinks break in the final session on Sunday night after first Australia, then India, declared their respective innings over early to try to manufacture a result.

But with Australia set 272 runs to win from 32 overs, the match was called when India snared just two wickets in the first 15 overs of the chase.

In Aus since 2000, wickets in women's Tests have been taken at the rate of 64.44 balls per wicket. If you want a 40-wicket Test, then that requires 2578 balls - but at 600 a day for 4 days, we are 30 overs short - we need 4.3 days. The same calculation for men is 4.73 days. /2

— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) October 3, 2021

Australian coach Matthew Mott said there were enough factors in the game which almost demanded a move from four-day matches to five, in line with men’s games.

“The last couple of Tests we’ve lost a full day of cricket, so you’re essentially playing a three-day game on a surface that doesn’t have any wear and tear,” he said.

“If this game had gone another day, I think you would have seen a very good Test match.

“Both teams, with an extra day’s play, would have forced hard for a result. We were working the numbers on how we could possibly get there.

“We had to nullify India by getting past the follow-on, which was a huge goal for us. Had we not done that it would have been all in their favour.

“In women’s cricket as well, we don’t get as much wear and tear on the wicket … it’s a different game from that perspective; the spinners can’t get as much in the footmarks.

Australia women’s team coach Matthew Mott. Picture: Chris Hyde / Getty Images

“Had there been more time in the game, we definitely would have tried to set up something where both teams were a chance to win and lose a game.”

Australia will take on England in a second Test match for the summer later in a few months’ time, which will also be a four-day game.

The Australian players were set for Monday and Tuesday off as a “mental freshen up” before turning their attention to the three remaining T20s which will decide the series. Game one is on Thursday.