From what I can see he hasn't talked only of reducing the number of days from five to four, he is also talking of improved over rates and more bowler friendly conditions (besides the day-night affair and the colour of the ball). If the overs can be maintained to a minimum of 450 (as in a 90 over-five day match) then this might help rather than hinder the future of Test cricket. The tough bit is getting the teams to agree to and enforce the 115 overs a day limit. Its doable but requires some toughness on the part of ICC and a lot of co-operation from the teams.
We have discused similar stuff here before havent we ? . . .
Proposals to radically change Test Cricket
And I am not sure this is just to accommodate the IPL and ODI's. There must be - at least should be - a genuine concern about the future of Test cricket and a need to get larger public interest in the longer version. Since the time the Tests take and the possibility of a drawn game at the end of five full days have always been touted as the major reasons for public apathy, an attempt needs to be made to tackle both issues at the same time.
Bowler friendly conditions (maybe a slight revision in the LBW laws), strongly enforced minimum length for boundaries, a move towards not covering the batting crease to batting crease area of the wickets after the match has started, along with what is proposed could help.
Its a long drawn process and will take time to be fully implemented but I am not sure the time to make a start isn't already with us. If any thing they are a bit slow in realising that Tests may become extinct one day unless measures are initiated now when we still have fans (as all of us commenting here) who support the traditional format.
I am with all of you to avoid making major changes in the format but we have to think that we/our types themselves are an endangered species. Once we become extinct who will speak for the threatened longer version?
In any even, except for the day/night stuff (the ball colour goes with that) the rest is more 'traditional', in a way, than what we have today.
Four days (even three days) Tests preceded five dayers and upward of 125 overs a day were bowled without problems in cricket once. The LBW law was changed and can revert to some moderated version of old and new and same applies to uncovered wickets.
If all of us, who support the traditional game, become so fanatical and reluctant to change, we will finally be overwhelmed by the power of numbers and greenbacks. The fanatics who hate the longer version are not just so very many more than we realise but they have the power of the moolaah on their side and thats what could end up being the most decisive factor.