Discretely considered, Test cricket is as lively as rarely before in its history. Most games rattle along. When and where they don't, it is because it is a game meant to be played in a range of humours and speeds. Aficionados appreciate this. Others go on to newer forms, and good for them.

Sure, Test cricket sometimes looks a bit naff, when there is no-one at the ground, for instance. That is embarrassing, like the old game has gone out forgetting to get dressed. But Test crowds always have been patchy, patchier still since other forms of the game emerged. Besides, we're all a bit prone to over-romantacisation. Not so long ago, a retired English cricketer told me that he had always been certain the ground was full the day he made his debut. Then he came across it on Youtube and saw that it was barely half occupied.

To the extent that Test cricket is dying - that is, at the rate it has always been dying - all sorts of remedies are proposed. In most, there is intrinsic merit. Instead of a toss, a prerogative for the visiting team, to counter doctored pitches. Livelier pitches in any case, since nearly all other developments in the game favour batsmen. More liberal interpretation of lbw (actually, DRS is producing this organically, giving heart to spinners).

Night games, already incubating. Here, cricket is at its most reactionary. It changes the character of the game, they cry, as if the game never has changed character. In fact, in a good series, it changes character from one game to the next.

Here's a change that hasn't been raised: Test cricket in coloured clothes. It would solve the red/white/pink ball problem at a stroke.