Why Test cricket remains the best version

In the last few years cricket has undergone a revolution, the biggest since the introduction of World Series Cricket. T20 cricket has emerged as a super force, one which is perfectly adapted to the modern demands of people. Like the industrial and electrical revolutions of the past century, we are currently in the midst of a new one – the technological revolution. An age that started from the invention of the world wide web, it has become the single most influential sector in the whole world. The technological age has had profound effects on the way we communicate, socialise and gain information, and the one variable it has impacted upon most of all is time. Distances have become obsolete and time has been reduced and minimised in every aspect of our life. This change has also been felt in how we entertain ourselves. Busy lifestyles mean that entertainment has to be kept to a shorter duration, but have a higher impact with more intensity. It is therefore no coincidence that cricket has adapted to this new expectation and promptly invented the concept of 20/20 cricket – shorter in duration but higher in impact. However, while this does satisfy (admittedly) a great deal of the population, it still pales in comparison to what Test cricket has to offer.

Test cricket is a unique sport. It is unlike any other in the world because it combines so many different elements of the technical, tactical, physical and mental into a single sport. One obvious difference is that Test matches can last up to five consecutive days – quite unique, and ingenious. This allows for the patterns of the game to develop and fully mature, which cannot be said for other sports which last for one, two or three hours. This means that not only does a team have to be talented to win, but they must be consistent. This consistency lies very much in the mind as well as the body, allowing mental attributes to be exposed and tested to a high capacity. This ensures that a well-rounded sportsman always has the best chance to succeed. Changes in the weather conditions also have an effect the game, as much as the tactics the captain chooses to employ. The chaotic nature of T20 dampens the impact the weather and tactics can have on the outcome of the match, which removes a layer of complexity that reduces the match to a battle of brute force and leaves the more subtle points of the game to be rendered useless.

It is all well and good to be treated to batsmen hitting the bowler for a massive six back over his head every over, but this certainly takes away the romance of a well constructed innings which starts in the morning and lasts into the twilight of the afternoon. One could use the term a ‘captains’ knock’ to describe a typical Michael Clarke innings, but in T20 cricket, it would be more like a ‘bash into submission’. This might not sound too bad, but it doesn’t impress me too much. I mean, it seems that any batsman can smash any bowler into submission these days, no matter how bad their technique is; but get him to face India’s spinners on day three of a Test match in Chennai and I bet he will not look too good anymore. Test cricket requires thought, patience, precision – not power and strength. Test cricket is a game for the purists, the connoisseurs. It’s for people who appreciate that playing at a slower tempo is actually more difficult than in the faster paced environment of T20.

It’s a bit like Moroccan food. No matter how good you think you are at cooking it, you are not as good as those you actually live and cook in Morocco. Once you actually visit the country and experience it yourself, you understand how difficult and subtle cooking Moroccan food actually is. One must nurture the meat, cooking it slowly and adjusting the heat accordingly, making subtle but important changes.

Test cricket is like being in Morocco. T20 cricket is for those people who just want to sample Moroccan food and move on to something else. In this way, T20 cricket does not truly reflect the full experience of a five day Test match. T20 only represents a fraction of the qualities that Test cricket produces. T20 cricket is entertaining, yes – but it cannot express what this game is about and does not do the sport justice. Test cricket remains the ultimate form of the game because it has the perfect blend of qualities that make it such a unique and enjoyable sport to watch. By reducing it to a shortened format, we are losing many of these great qualities. This is why, ultimately, Test cricket conquers over T20 cricket.