Cricket – Glorious test cricket
By Sham Samaroo
Dec 22, 2008
There is something about test cricket; I have never been able to quite put my finger on it, which makes it so irresistible - so indescribably enthralling… like music to attending ears.
Cricket is a team sport, but unlike most team sports, there is, I believe, more instances of individual duels in cricket. The opening day of a test match, when the batsman takes guard, lifts his head and the bowler turns and starts his run up, its one on one – game on! A battle of wits and skills – it’s the ultimate test; pardon the cliché.
In the last few weeks we saw test cricket in all its glory. Looking back to the first test at Chennai, the result seems almost preordained with India successfully chasing the highest fourth innings total anywhere ever in Asia, and a Mumbaiker – in light of the recent terrorist bombings - scoring the winning runs. And not just any Mumbaiker, but Sachin Tendulkar. Set an improbable 387 for victory, Virender Sehwag exploded to turn the tables on a resurgent England, but his dismissal just before the close left the game tantalizingly poised. Within that drama, there was also the subplot of Rahul Dravid battling his own demons with the selector’s axe hanging precariously over his head. Then there was Yuvraj Singh with question marks all over his selection, and the talented Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina waiting impatiently in the wings.
In the midst, enter Sachin Tendulkar. For all his record breaking performances, Tendulkar’s critics were still looking for that one defining innings. He gave them one to remember by scoring the winning runs and at the same time reaching his 41st test hundred with a four – life imitating art. For Mumbaikers and India, all seemed right with the world again, if only for a fleeting moment. Almost forgotten in all this excitement was Strauss’ hundreds in each innings of the test.
Similarly, a week later at the Waca, the Proteas stunned the Aussies with a historic run chase in the first test of a series that might well see the Aussies stumble from their lofty perch at numero uno. Battling a nagging elbow injury, Graeme Smith fought through the pain to score a fighting hundred but again, like Sehwag at Chennai, his dismissal just before the close on day four left the game tantalizingly poised. Twenty-four year old DeVilliers became the hero on day five along with debutant Duminy by scripting the second highest run chase in history at the Aussie fortress of Perth where earlier in the year India had fired the first volleys to rattle Australia’s impregnability. Almost forgotten in all the excitement was Johnson’s 11-wicket match haul including 8 for 61 in the first innings in a losing cause.
And over in Dunedin, tailender Jerome Taylor smashed a jaw-dropping maiden hundred to rescue the West Indies from certain defeat. Taylor’s performance stood in stark contrast to Chanderpaul’s who had the privilege of front row seating for Taylor’s spectacle. A few days later at Napier, Chanderpaul registered his 20th test hundred in a much improved batting performance to surpass Garry Sobers and become third in the all time list of West Indian run scorers behind Richards and Lara. Meanwhile in Mohali, both Sehwag the destroyer, and twin centurion Strauss followed up their man of the match performance in the previous test with a third ball duck. Cricket, the great equalizer. In Napier, Chanderpaul ended the year with a golden duck to follow his century in the first innings. And back in Mohali, a relieved Dravid finally got his hundred only to be leveled by a duck in the second innings. Dear, oh dear, the intrigues of the glorious game. I guess its somewhat like a beautiful love affair, when its good its very good and when its not, its actually … still very good. Let the sweet music of cricket play on.