GEARING up for the first day’s play against the West Indies at Riverside this morning, England captain Andrew Strauss promised to play a crucial role in trying to revitalise and restore excitement to Test cricket.

While more than 4,000 advance tickets had been sold last night, sales have been slow during the build-up to the start of the second npower Test at Chester-le-Street, although there are hopes of a late rush ahead of the start of play.

The situation has done little to strengthen Strauss’s argument that the longest form of the game can survive, with West Indies captain Chris Gayle hardly helping matters either.

Gayle hinted yesterday that he is already considering how long he will continue to play Test cricket, suggesting he will at some stage prefer to concentrate on the shorter format.

Given that Strauss has already been critical of the way Gayle was allowed to delay his arrival on English soil from Indian Premier League commitments until two days before the opening Test at Lord’s, the England skipper knows that things need to change.

Strauss, an ardent fan of the Test cricket, said: “I think Test cricket is slightly vulnerable.

You look at the security situation around the world, the IPL is obviously a way of getting everyone together in one spot and from the sounds of things it’s been a very successful format.

“It’s important that we now play good Test cricket to make people aware of what a good format it is and how entertaining it can be. It’s up to the people who market the game to market it well also – there are a lot of areas where we can improve on things.

“From a players’ point of view we need to provide the entertainment – that means playing good, aggressive, positive cricket more often than not.”

Gayle said he was “misinterpreted”

in a national newspaper yesterday morning when he was quoted as saying he “wouldn’t be so sad” if Test cricket made way for Twenty20.

“It’s not an easy one to answer – it’s more Chris’ issue than anything to do with England,”

said Strauss. “I certainly feel that Test cricket is the primary form of the game – the majority of the cricketers round the world feel that, all of England’s cricketers think that as well.

“My view prior to the last Test match was that if that’s the case it needs to get the attention it deserves in terms of preparation and my views haven’t changed.”

The Riverside was yesterday baked in sunshine for much of the day. While there are sunny intervals predicted, conditions are expected to deteriorate in the next couple of days with Saturday – nearing a sell-out – expecting showers.

But last night Strauss was not thinking too much about the forecast, more the future of the Test game.

“An Ashes series will generate interest – maybe we need to get people who don’t usually have access to Test cricket involved,” said Strauss.

“We need to get them involved, give them the opportunity to get involved. Maybe then they will appreciate the subtleties of Test cricket, which I think make it a longterm better format to play in. It’s also a format where your interest and love for the game can be nurtured.

“We should look at any avenue that will bring more interest. Day-night Tests? Yes, as long as the quality of the play isn’t affected by the light. “If it means that more people watch it and the quality isn’t reduced, why not?”

Strauss is hoping the verbal jousting will drum up further interest and boost advance sales for today’s action, with Durham’s Graham Onions due to make his second Test appearance alongside teammate Paul Collingwood.

And ahead of England’s final Test appearance before the start of the Ashes Strauss wants to follow up their emphatic ten-wicket victory in the opening Test at Lord’s over the tourists.

“If people have got time off they should turn up,” said Strauss. “Over the course of the summer, the more support we’ve got the better.

“I’m confident we can repeat the first Test level of performance, but I’m not going to take anything for granted at this stage.

“We need to keep pushing ourselves harder and now is not the time for us to take our foot off the gas. We need to probably come harder at them and be even more clinical and if we do that then I think we have a good chance of winning the game.”

■ Tickets are available by calling 0844 499 4466 or online at www.durhamccc.co.uk