Cricket is such a beautiful game, isn't it? The game has a special place for test matches. Most people do give test matches a hashtag of #boring. Yeah, I admit sometimes it is colourless and odourless, but so is water. But, Can you live without it? Isn't the sight of test cricket really lovely? For me, It's really hard not getting romantic watching Test cricket.
Cricket, unlike most games is an art, a pure art. You can't judge art in 180 minutes of assault. After all, it's a gentleman's game. Certainly, There comes moments of dullness in some phases of it, but all to make the art even more pretty. It's so pleasant to watch the batsmen waiting for bad deliveries, bowlers trying consistently for the batsmen to make mistakes. It requires patience, perseverence, temperament, just ideal to convert one into an ideal cricketer.
There have been some epic test series in last decade. Who can forget 2001 Test Series between India-Australia, followed by Ashes-2005? Aren't They enough to justify the beauty of Test cricket? The beauty of reverse swing with the old ball, the calculated risk taken in carving the ball to third man boundary, a gentle backfoot punch etc. all seem so pure to me. I can watch that whole life without getting tired. Test cricket produces legends. It is so easy to befool ourselves in the glamour of Twenty-20 powered by cheerleaders, A Pseudo package of complete entertainment, but like I said earlier, The True art is always missing.
I am worried by recent changes in the attitude of ICC regarding minimum tests compulsory for each test team. ICC has bellowed minimum of 16 tests in 4 years. Doing simple division tells you that you need to play a minimum of just 4 tests in 12 months. Isn't the figure too little? ICC surely has taken a ridiculous decision. Test cricket is real heritage of cricket. We need to protect it, embrace it by playing more and more of it, not the other way around.
I Personally believe that There has been lack of quality contests in test cricket in recent years. Very few series have been a nail-biter.But, The Respective boards and players need to be blamed for setting up of these. How can they make Test cricket pay for this? ICC needs to be laughed at for this. If these things continue, I am really worried that we may leave nothing of test cricket to tell our children.
I am praying that the coming test series: Back-to-back Ashes, India-South Africa etc. Produce some phenomenal display and force ICC to rethink its irrational decision. After all, Art matters.
Thanks.
Cricket, unlike most games is an art, a pure art. You can't judge art in 180 minutes of assault. After all, it's a gentleman's game. Certainly, There comes moments of dullness in some phases of it, but all to make the art even more pretty. It's so pleasant to watch the batsmen waiting for bad deliveries, bowlers trying consistently for the batsmen to make mistakes. It requires patience, perseverence, temperament, just ideal to convert one into an ideal cricketer.
There have been some epic test series in last decade. Who can forget 2001 Test Series between India-Australia, followed by Ashes-2005? Aren't They enough to justify the beauty of Test cricket? The beauty of reverse swing with the old ball, the calculated risk taken in carving the ball to third man boundary, a gentle backfoot punch etc. all seem so pure to me. I can watch that whole life without getting tired. Test cricket produces legends. It is so easy to befool ourselves in the glamour of Twenty-20 powered by cheerleaders, A Pseudo package of complete entertainment, but like I said earlier, The True art is always missing.
I am worried by recent changes in the attitude of ICC regarding minimum tests compulsory for each test team. ICC has bellowed minimum of 16 tests in 4 years. Doing simple division tells you that you need to play a minimum of just 4 tests in 12 months. Isn't the figure too little? ICC surely has taken a ridiculous decision. Test cricket is real heritage of cricket. We need to protect it, embrace it by playing more and more of it, not the other way around.
I Personally believe that There has been lack of quality contests in test cricket in recent years. Very few series have been a nail-biter.But, The Respective boards and players need to be blamed for setting up of these. How can they make Test cricket pay for this? ICC needs to be laughed at for this. If these things continue, I am really worried that we may leave nothing of test cricket to tell our children.
I am praying that the coming test series: Back-to-back Ashes, India-South Africa etc. Produce some phenomenal display and force ICC to rethink its irrational decision. After all, Art matters.
Thanks.
