Former Pakistan sTAR Shoaib Akhtar has rubbished the idea of making Test cricket a four-day affair, alleging that it is a conspiracy against Asian teams and the BCCI will not let it happen.
The ICC is considering introducing four-day Tests during the next FTP cycle between 2023-2031 in order to get more free days for the commercially lucrative shorter formats.
“Everywhere there is this conspiracy, a theory against Asian teams these days. I feel this (reduction of Test to four days) is totaly against Asian teams,” Akhtar said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
“I feel this idea is rubbish no one should be interested in it,” he added.
The 44-year-old said the ICC cannot implement the idea without the nod of world's richest cricket board, the BCCI.
He said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is a smart man and he will not let Test cricket get ruined.
“ICC cannot implement this rule without the permission of BCCI. BCCI along with all the smart cricketers are standing against this idea, specially spinners from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh who dominate and thrive in a series will not let this happen,” Akhtar said.
“Sourav Ganguly is a smart intelligent person. He will never want to see Test cricket getting damaged. He would want it to survive and see India excel in the format,” he said.
Akhtar also echoed Sachin Tendulkar's view that a four-day game will take away the advantage from spinners.
“Sachin is spot on in his criticism. What will the spinners do? Danesh Kaneria, Mushtaq Ahmed, Ravichandran Aswin, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble have taken 400-500 wickets. What will happen to them?” Akhtar questioned.
The idea of four-day Test has been met with strong opposition from current and former players alike.
India skipper Virat Kohli, Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Australian coach Justin Langar, spinner Nathan Lyon, pace legend Glenn McGrath and former captain Ricky Pointing are some of the eminent figures who have voiced their disapproval for shortening of the format.
Beets, bears, and brilliant chaos—Dwight Schrute was ready to make Schrute Farms the weirdest B&B on TVGetty Images 
Too fabulous to function—Jean-Ralphio was born to star in his own disaster-fuelled comedyGetty Images 
Omar - a prequel about his early days could’ve been HBO’s next gritty masterpieceGetty Images
Deadpan, dark, and delightful—April Ludgate’s FBI spin-off would’ve been everythingGetty Images
Sassy, spiritual, and full of secrets—Lafayette’s backstory was screaming for a supernatural seriesGetty Images
From Victorian poetry to vampire slaying, Spike’s centuries-long saga deserved its own spotlightGetty Images
Confidence, quirks, and questionable fashion—Schmidt’s next chapter could’ve been rom-com goldGetty Images
The villain we hated to love—Negan did get his spin-off, and it’s a bloody good oneGetty Images
Whimsical and wise—Luna’s magical adventures would’ve been a dreamy, otherworldly delightGetty Images
Chaotic queen energy—Gina’s influencer-era spin-off would’ve broken the internetGetty Images 
Crispello was originally launched by Cadbury in the UK in 2012B&M 