What a day of Test cricket we enjoyed today! This is the perfect example of what Test cricket means to many in the cricketing world. Two tests played 9450 km apart evoke the same feeling among players and fans participating in them. A day filled with happiness and anguish—the highest of highs and lowest of cricket—test cricket at its best.
What transpired today will be remembered for a long time. Two underdogs (the West Indies and England) toppled heavy favorites at their own homes (Australia and India). If that wasn’t enough, both sides came back from the unlikeliest of positions to become the victors, not only in the match but in the hearts of cricket fans all over the world.
5 reasons why Test is still the King of Cricket
The better team always wins
Unlike the shorter formats of the game (ODIs and T20Is), in Test cricket, one short spell or one knock can’t win you matches. You have to be at the best of your abilities throughout the match.
In Hyderabad, after falling on the first day itself, England kept crawling back. Despite being 137-6 in the first inning and 163-5 in the second, they went on to score 89 and 257 runs, respectively.
At the Gabba, the West Indies remained the better team in the first two days but went under the hammer in the later part of the third day. Come the crunch time on day 4, they upped their game again and won their first match in Australia after 27 years.
An equal contest between bat and ball
In both of these matches, we saw big runs being scored. In Gabba, we saw exactly 1000 runs scored at over 3 runs per over. But we also saw some incredible spells from the bowler, with Shamar Joseph being the standout performer (8/124).
In Hyderabad, we saw 1304 runs scored at over 3.5 runs per over. But it was spin that remained a force throughout the game. And much like at the Gabba, it was the new gun who was the best performer, Tom Hartley (9/193).
Test of character
Ollie Pope, Tom Hartley, Shamar Joseph, Kaven Hodge, Joshua de Silva, and Kevin Sinclair all performed when it mattered the most. Pope and Hartley were criticized for their first-inning exploits and singlehandedly won the match for their team in the second outing.
Hodge, de Silva, and Sinclair took their side from 64-5 to 311 while Joseph claimed a seven-wicket haul with a broken and bloodied toe.
Patience and skill
Despite being nearly out of the game, both England and the West Indies were patient and persistent. With defeat looming over their heads, they fought back fiercely without losing hope.
Skill remains the biggest factor in Test cricket. If Hartley, Pope or Joseph did not have the skill to back their game up, we wouldn’t be talking about their exploits.
Fighting your brain and body
Despite failure in the past and tough situations, players like Pope and Hartley showed their mental toughness.
When it comes to fighting battles, none was bigger than Joseph bowling 10 overs on a trot despite not even being advised to enter the ground. Similarly, West Indian wicketkeeper Joshua de Silva was keeping with a broken finger while English players fought out in ‘foreign conditions’ in Hyderabad to come out on top.
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