The last few days have been good for the health of Test cricket. First was the West Indies’ first ever Test victory against the mighty Australians after 27 years. The second was the close contest between India and England in the first Test at Hyderabad.
The second Test too was a riveting one, with England gamely chasing an improbable 399 in the fourth innings and making a fist of it on the fourth day of the Test. More heartening was the crowds turning up in big numbers in both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, the venues of the first two Tests in the ongoing five-Test series against England.
In the Adelaide Test between West Indies and Australia, reams have already been written about the heroics of fast bowler Shamar Joseph.
Brian Lara sitting in the commentary box got emotional and rightly so, having been part of the team that beat Australia on minefield of a pitch in Perth in early 1997.
West Indies’ victory was hailed even by the Australian captain Pat Cummins and many commentators of the game the world over. For fans of a certain vintage, the tragic decline of West Indies in the last decade and a half has been too painful to watch, though the writing on the wall appeared before that.
It’s hardly surprising that every Windies win in Tests is cheered lustily perhaps by more people outside the Caribbean. Will this victory lay the ground for a renaissance in West Indian cricket or is it yet another false dawn? The top three cricketing nations — India, Australia and England — need to do more to revive West Indies’ Test cricket.
Back home, England has stuck to its trademark ‘Bazball’ cricket, much to the delight of the Indian fans. The two recently concluded Tests against England has certainly set up a thrilling series ahead.