Let us begin our test cricket column with some random numbers today.
53-0-0-17-6-1-12-11-3-3-0.
No it's not random numbers all of sudden in between it is the first innings score board of England Cricket team in the on-going test match after winning the toss. At one stage, England was 74/2 before they were completely bamboozled, falling like ninepins and all out at the score of 112 runs in just 48.4 overs. From the hosts, Axar Patel and R.Ashwin were the reasons who have breached the defense of the England batting line-up and put them into the shambles.
After losing the second test match and with the start of the pink ball test. The expectations were high from the visitors to give the equal battle between the ball and bowl. But once again the top test playing nations of world cricket have failed to provide the charm of test cricket like in the 90s and back then in the 70s or 80s era. I have started watching cricket in the 2000 era before these overhyped T20l leagues. Over the years the values of test cricket have been completely buried or destroyed with such money making leagues.
I am being very honest and not trying to hurt the sentiments of any cricket fans around the world. But again I have watched cricket when I was very young but still vivid in my mind it was the era in which players like Allan Donald, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram who have described it quite potentially what was test cricket actually with an ideal brand of cricket. Nowadays, it is not cricket anymore to be honest, it is a complete corporate business.
Earlier we have witnessed team India was all out at the score 36 in Australia which was the lowest ever total in test cricket of team India. It happened when conditions were complete batting-friendly to the batsman and later on they went onto win the test series by 2-1. Coming into on-going, England has won the first test match on a pretty great note but in the second test match they have been unable to cross the 200-run mark in either of their innings which in result they have lost the test match.
Now in the third test match they have again repeated the momentum where they were in the previous test match. Is it possible to have too many failures like these from the side who have a history of many greats of the game. There have been endless names in the history of the England cricket team who in his era have dominated the game and left us with inspiring stories to watch them on the loop.
But on the other side of story, England have not performed like a team in the test match so far they have been just playing like in-experience line-up and looking to end up the things in hurry. We have witnessed in the last few years too many test matches ended up in three days or four days of play. What was indicating that, many of the cricket fans who have grown in an era of T20 cricket would hardly understand.
For me who has watched cricket when it was an emotion which connects it with the uncertainties of life and currently watching test cricket like this with its values have come to an end. It should be better that test cricket should not be played anymore if teams have to play like this. A message from the follower who believes that values should give priority instead of money.
