We have often heard that Test cricket is about to die. Many fans have
even stated dates and the year of its extinction but this format is
still alive and kicking. When ODIs came into life, they were considered a
threat to the longest version of the game. However, despite all the
worries, the red ball cricket kept its head high. The arrival of T20
cricket certainly lead to some serious thinking about the future of Test
cricket but nothing has happened to its health till now. Here, we take a
look at the reasons why Test cricket is the best form of cricket.
A test of skills and temperament
Test cricket is the best way to check the class of any cricketer as it put the players through hard fought battles, test their nerves, talent and the ability to come out of the troubled times. There is no easy way out for the players involved in the longest version of the game. They have to show their skills as a batsman, bowler or even fielder. Players have to fight it out on every ball till the last over of the day. The longer format tests a player’s attitude and level of preparedness for the highest level. Don Bradman, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and many more made their way to the top by proving themselves in a five day game. They did fail in their times but their ability to fight back is the reason why they are treated as legends. It was Test cricket which helped them in building nerves of steel, which didn’t cracked under pressure.
Pure & Simple Cricket
Why are we so crazy about cricket? The answer is that it gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy cricket in its pure and simple avatar. With the advent of ODIs and T20s, cricket has become a commodity which is sold to earn money and provide entertainment in return. However, if you ask any real cricket fanatic, they would openly discard the entertainment part from this game. Cricket is played and watched because of excitement, emotions and drama it provides to the cricketers and the spectators. Test cricket is the only format which is only about the game and not some outsourced entertainment values from the leading sports league across the globe. Cricket fans can spend any amount of money to watch Dale Steyn bowling to Virat Kohli or Michael Clarke for that matter. However, spectators are only interested in no nonsense cricket and not something like IPL where cheerleaders start dancing whenever a boundary is hit or a wicket falls.
A game of sessions
Like a real war, Test cricket is all about sessions. In a war, the parties involved decide about their strategies according to sessions. If one party is losing the plot, they go for some other mode of combat. The same could be said about Test cricket, where teams bat or bowl according to the sessions. The longest version of the game gives each and every party an equal opportunity to come back into the match even if they on few accounts. We have seen in the past that if a morning session is won by one team, the rivals have hit back in the next. This is the beauty of a five day game. You are never out of the game in a Test match. Even if the chances of winning a match are zero, you can prevent the opposition from winning it by battling for a draw. There is always hope in the longer format.
Unique Nature
Test cricket is the only format which has kept the real culture of the game alive till now. I know it is played for a long duration but the values and the ethics are
still alive. If a person is watching cricket for the first time and is following a T20 game, he could find the happenings bit strange as lot of focus is given to cheerleaders, movie songs and the wives and girlfriends of cricketers. However, if a same guy goes to watch a Test match, he is sure to be left pleased on seeing 22 players in action for the entire duration of five days in their white jerseys.
Role of pitch and the red ball
Pitch plays an important role in shaping up the results in the longest version of the game. The first session of the day more often belongs to the pacers while the next sessions are dominated by the batsmen. A day two or three pitch is a paradise for a batsman while spinners make merry on the fourth and fifth day of a match. This is the only reason why technically limited cricketers find things hard in Test matches. A cricketer needs to have all-round skills to counter all the tricks that a pitch plays. The red ball is different from the white one as it swings and spins a lot more.
Source-Cricket Today Magazine
A test of skills and temperament
Test cricket is the best way to check the class of any cricketer as it put the players through hard fought battles, test their nerves, talent and the ability to come out of the troubled times. There is no easy way out for the players involved in the longest version of the game. They have to show their skills as a batsman, bowler or even fielder. Players have to fight it out on every ball till the last over of the day. The longer format tests a player’s attitude and level of preparedness for the highest level. Don Bradman, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and many more made their way to the top by proving themselves in a five day game. They did fail in their times but their ability to fight back is the reason why they are treated as legends. It was Test cricket which helped them in building nerves of steel, which didn’t cracked under pressure.
Pure & Simple Cricket
Why are we so crazy about cricket? The answer is that it gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy cricket in its pure and simple avatar. With the advent of ODIs and T20s, cricket has become a commodity which is sold to earn money and provide entertainment in return. However, if you ask any real cricket fanatic, they would openly discard the entertainment part from this game. Cricket is played and watched because of excitement, emotions and drama it provides to the cricketers and the spectators. Test cricket is the only format which is only about the game and not some outsourced entertainment values from the leading sports league across the globe. Cricket fans can spend any amount of money to watch Dale Steyn bowling to Virat Kohli or Michael Clarke for that matter. However, spectators are only interested in no nonsense cricket and not something like IPL where cheerleaders start dancing whenever a boundary is hit or a wicket falls.
A game of sessions
Like a real war, Test cricket is all about sessions. In a war, the parties involved decide about their strategies according to sessions. If one party is losing the plot, they go for some other mode of combat. The same could be said about Test cricket, where teams bat or bowl according to the sessions. The longest version of the game gives each and every party an equal opportunity to come back into the match even if they on few accounts. We have seen in the past that if a morning session is won by one team, the rivals have hit back in the next. This is the beauty of a five day game. You are never out of the game in a Test match. Even if the chances of winning a match are zero, you can prevent the opposition from winning it by battling for a draw. There is always hope in the longer format.
Unique Nature
Test cricket is the only format which has kept the real culture of the game alive till now. I know it is played for a long duration but the values and the ethics are
still alive. If a person is watching cricket for the first time and is following a T20 game, he could find the happenings bit strange as lot of focus is given to cheerleaders, movie songs and the wives and girlfriends of cricketers. However, if a same guy goes to watch a Test match, he is sure to be left pleased on seeing 22 players in action for the entire duration of five days in their white jerseys.
Role of pitch and the red ball
Pitch plays an important role in shaping up the results in the longest version of the game. The first session of the day more often belongs to the pacers while the next sessions are dominated by the batsmen. A day two or three pitch is a paradise for a batsman while spinners make merry on the fourth and fifth day of a match. This is the only reason why technically limited cricketers find things hard in Test matches. A cricketer needs to have all-round skills to counter all the tricks that a pitch plays. The red ball is different from the white one as it swings and spins a lot more.
Source-Cricket Today Magazine
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