What is it about Test Cricket?

Let’s think about the different interpretations of the word “Royal”. It has been associated with the “Kings and Queens” if we go back to the 19^th century leading to the “rich and famous” of the 20^th and the early 21^st century. But the common notions behind the credentials associated with this category have always been synonymous ranging fame, money, power, position and other relevant assets. One common choice that binds the aforementioned category is the love for the sport. Golf, Polo, Cricket, Swimming have been some of the sports that have been picked up by the so-called royal personnel.

Test cricket is something that particularly stands out by itself. It just gets to you in a benign manner and the highs you get conform to the long lasting smooth highs of an eighteen-year-old scotch/whiskey rather than the mushy kicks you get out of a hard hitting gin. The highs are there to stay and they leave an ever-lasting impact; this congruence is prevalent in all the aspects or features associated with the longest format of cricket.

If we get into the intricacies, we will be in a better stead to expand on the aforementioned. If we go down the nostalgic path, cricket has had a lasting impact on all the generations since as long as we can imagine. Teams used to play days of cricket during the British Colonial Rule. The divisions were internal and the teams came out of the British Colonies itself. Then obviously, to get down to something more relevant to the topic, the first ever Test match was played in 1876 between Australia and England. So effectively, Test cricket is more than 135 years old and it’s an ardent belief that “Older the Berry, Sweeter the Juice”.

If we go into the pertinence of Test cricket to the teams, there is no greater achievement than winning a hard earned Test series or even a match, for that matter. The primary example of such enriching contests is the legendary Ashes Test series that takes place between arch rivals Australia and England in each other’s backyard. The kind of intensity and passion that is seen on the faces of the players is something worth noticing. The memories and the history created from these contests intimidate even the history books. From the famous “Bodyline Series” to the famous Ashes “Post World War II” to the Botham’s Ashes in 1981 to the famous 2005 Ashes in England, till the most recent series in 2010-11 Down Under, all these Ashes contests have left a mark on us. This is the real greatness of Test cricket. The highs you get after winning a contest over five days are just unmatched. There are times when you are playing catch up in the first innings but you get an opportunity in the second innings to make a mark. For the team calling the shots, there is something known as not counting your chickens before they hatch. They cannot take anything for granted and have to play superior cricket over a course of five days to secure a win. That is just the most amazing part about Test cricket.

There is a reason why only a few elite countries are able to succeed in this format and why the weaker lot is losing almost at all times – It is the only version of sport that makes it clear that the winner will always be the one that has been superior in the match. There is very little room for last minute changes and surprises as compared to other sports (including other versions of cricket). There is a clear reason why the number of Test victories of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh combined till date can be counted on the fingers. You really have to be good to get a result in your favor. Unlike other sports, where you do see a lot of inconsistencies as far as results are concerned, here, the team which is superior emerges out as the champion more often than not without any room for complacency. Greece winning the Soccer Euro 2004 is an example of the unpredictability predicament of other sports. It’s not about pulling other sports down, but trying to elucidate that the results of a Test match are reflective of the bunch that was superior. And if there is a so called “upset” in the result pattern, there is clarity that it was a “superior” showing.

For the players taking part, there is no bigger achievement than doing well in this format. The great men are known by their achievements in Test cricket and the cricket history books are also populated by the laurels of the players doing well in Tests. There is a sense of respect and pride which stays forever for generations to come and hence the symphony to an eighteen-year-old scotch. The players involved are aware of this and respect their Test achievements (statistical and others) in a separate league altogether. The shorter formats draw a symphony with a hard hitting gin which can have a very unhealthy hangover if consumed in excess. A little bit of short term fun is fine here and there, but to make it as a primary consumable is like touring dangerous territory. This can lead to the drowning of the game’s beauty along with the dying of the “Royal” element of the game. The amplification of the commercial aspect can take away from the originality of the so called “Gentleman’s Game”.

To conclude, it would only be rational to reaffirm that there is some value associated with history and nostalgia. There is a reason why it means a lot to the players and it is the responsibility for the men in charge to keep it that way. Any wrong action or promotion from the people who matter can lead to mixing priorities which in turn can lead to the funeral of the original establishment of the sport. This enriching quality of Test cricket is like a roof on the top of a big mansion, if you tamper with roof, it may not show its effect earlier, but the ultimate downturn will be the fallout of the whole mansion.