General Test Cricket

number11 · Feb 18, 2010

Don't know if many of you cricket fans follow the matches not involving England, but there is a great finish to the India v South African series. South Africa thumped India in the first game, but a first innings collapse put them on course for a series levelling defeat. I was watching the morning session this morning with South Africa 7 wickets down and over two sessions left to bat to save thew draw and win the series, they have now batted through to 6 overs left and 1 wicket remaining. I guess India may now have taken the last wicket and floods of Indians are online as my Cricinfo wont update the score! EDIT: Now updated - India have brought on Tendulkar to bowl - 5.4 overs left.

Shame that in an era where they say too much cricket is being played, these two can only manage a 2 match series against each other.

canveyshrimper · Feb 18, 2010

The underlying problem in India is the amount of one day cricket the Indian Board impose on their side and the touring sides. IIRC England played a 3 test series and 7 ODI's, plus T20's. I'm not sure how many ODI's the Saffers will play on this tour, but I'd reckon it will be at least 5.

Given that India will also have the IPL back to host in the spring the money men will want to keep the momentum of the one day stuff (much of which is dross) coming.

Test cricket is still way ahead of any form of the game IMO, I love all forms of the game. But I think a hard fought competitive test series is tough to compare with the slapstick of T20 or the sheer weight of some of the meaningless ODI stuff served up.

Napster · Feb 18, 2010

It's hard to appreciate how huge cricket is in India, until you see it first-hand. I almost made it to a Test match back in December in Mumbai, but sadly didnt have enough time. Maybe next year!

number11 · Feb 18, 2010

Two overs to go. Will the Saffers choke!?!

Canvey, I think actually last time we were over there we played a two test series as well?

I just can't ever feel the same tension (except perhaps in a world cup knock out) as I do when Onions is seeing off the final 6 balls, or how the South African fans must have felt over the last 3 hours. Similar to our rearguard action at Cardiff, you just cant replicate in 1 dayers that feeling of going from wondering when defeat will come, to nonsensical optimistic hope, to working out how many overs we have to bat, to thinking we might just bloody do this, to actually doing it, with all the twists along the way over the space of a couple of hours....just to get a bloody draw. Its what makes test cricket brilliant.

canveyshrimper · Feb 18, 2010

Yes the last time England played there it was a two test series (India won 1-0). Possibly shortened by the Mumbai bombing.

number11 · Feb 18, 2010

And the saffers do choke, with 9 balls remaining, Morkel goes. Drawn series. Hats off to Amla, he has batted superbly this (mini) series, and has scored at least a century each time he came to the crease and only dismissed once. He has come a long way from the bunny he was when he first played against us in 04/05.

Matt the Shrimp · Feb 18, 2010

number11 said:
Shame that in an era where they say too much cricket is being played, these two can only manage a 2 match series against each other.

A major disappointment that it's only a two match series - between two of the finest test teams around at the moment. Money shouts even louder in India than elsewhere, however.

ODIs and T20 have nothing on the tension of Test cricket, for me...