Old is Gold
The Thrill of Test Cricket.
A long five-day format of cricket has been played for more than a hundred years, and still today in 2024, it keeps you at the edge of your seat. The test is what cricket is all about. The patience and the temperament of a player are demanded in these five days. That’s why it’s called A TEST.
The format is still in fashion. People still enjoy the long format of the game. And last Sunday, the test format was at its best. Two different matches were going on in different continents but the result was quite extraordinary.
It was the West Indies who wrote history after defeating the Big Dominating Australia at the Gabba cricket stadium. The victory has come after 27 years. The guest team had lost the first test match but in the second match, they dominated Australia. Although the start was not that pretty, the batsmen were able to put up a decent score. The bowlers did the rest. Kept Australia’s score below par in the first innings and then thrashed their second innings.
Although Australia fought back, the Windies were too good for them. The game went close and Windies bowled out Australia just 8 runs before. The exceptional performance came from Shamar Joseph, taking 7 wickets in a single innings and putting the Windies on the road to victory. It was one of the best cricket shows ever put up in a test match where both teams were making their rivals work hard for victory.
From the Australian island, let’s hop to the Indian subcontinent. We are having a test match between India and England in Hyderabad.
Here also, the guests(England) were able to clinch the victory over the Men in blue(India).
It was England which overtook India for the first test victory in the five-match series. It was a one-man show. After getting a lead of around 200 runs, India was dominating the game. But Ollie Pope, in counter, scored 196 runs on a tough turning track. His sublime innings now gave England, a lead of more than 200 runs.
India also tried hard to stay in the game but the quick fall of wickets took the game away — credit to the brilliant tactics of the England captain BEN STOKES.
The victory gap was only 28 runs. The Guests were again too good for the Home team. Putting pressure by giving no runs had put the guest team a step ahead of the home team. Here also the comeback on the last day was exceptional. A big total given to chase, a brilliant field setup with the correct rotation of bowlers helped the guests lead to victory.
Another thing that the two matches had in common was that it was the fourth day of the five-day match. The victories were all over the internet. It was a feast for the cricket lovers. The two matches made the weekend sublime.
