ONE of the great reasons to look forward to the summer - besides the occasional outbreak of sunshine - is the advent of the cricket season and in particular the test matches.

I've loved cricket from an early age and played for many years. 

Apart from the obvious drawback that I couldn't bat, bowl or field I was always keen to take part but those days are now long over.

There was nothing better than watching Gloucestershire at the Cheltenham Festival and we frequently seemed to up our game there. 

Sadly not this year - even John Light will be disappointed at our non-performance!

But it was watching and visiting the tests that really enthused me.  

Sadly the loss of cricket from terrestrial television has caused irreparable harm spoiling the excitement of many.  

Test Match Special aside there is little that can re-catalyse those emotions.

It is not just the lack of viewing that has ruined test matches.  

Nowadays they are often so one-sided that there is not really a contest.  

This is because visiting countries don't tour any more. 

They just rack up for the series and the one dayers.

Worse still opponents rarely bring their best players.  

AB de Villiers is missing from South Africa this year.  

Chris Gayle can make more in a day playing for Somerset than in five days for the West Indies and the Australians seem to be continually in dispute with their board over wages (temporarily now settled).  

Given that home nations prepare wickets that deliberately undermine opponents' chances this undermines the spectacle.

Thus test cricket is nothing like the force it used to be having surrendered to one day competitions round the world.

This is a great pity as there was something special at watching the epitome of national contests.  

I suppose we will all just have to get used to the IPL (Indian Premier League) as an alternative.

David Drew

MP for the Stroud Constituency