What is the beauty of Test (5-day 2-innings) cricket ?

[varun]

How is it better than 10-day 2-innings.. or 8-day 3-innings.. or 1-day 2-innings, or 1-day 1-innings, etc What makes the arbitrary number of 5 (days) and 2 (innings) special ? Discuss

[varun]

Is it special just because it has historical significance ? Or that it allows the comfort of a draw ? Some people draw an analogy between a test match to the ups and downs in life. Do you subscribe to that purist view ?

[varun]

Of the following two challenges, why's the former deemed more exciting (add your fav. adjective): Team A has 10 overs to play out with 1 wicket left. The best result they can have is a Draw. Team B has 5 overs to play with a couple of wickets intact. They know if they don't win, they lose.

Both are equally exciting for me. However, when the option of a 'draw' is added in, it allows slightly more complex scenarios. Also, since the 'win or lose' option can be cruel at times, the addition of a draw (we're both good lets shake hands) makes test cricket appear less cut-throat.

[zen]

How is it better than 10-day 2-innings.. or 8-day 3-innings.. or 1-day 2-innings, or 1-day 1-innings, etc What makes the arbitrary number of 5 (days) and 2 (innings) special ? Discuss

it can never be 3 innings as both teams have to bat evenly :P If I recall correctly, earlier a game would go on and on until both teams had batted for 2 innings (and a result achieved). I think it was a game b/w SA and some other team where the game went on and on for like 10 days and finally they had to decide on a draw (pls correct me if I m wrong) Looking at the format now, 4 days could be fine but then we could be miss a days play for rain or sometimes it can appear a little short with a team escaping to a draw even by playing badly. 6 days appears to be too long, 5 days looks like a good balance (if you can't get a result in 5 days then there is no point in carry on). Also you have to remember that the wkt can get difficult to bat on as the days progress

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Temujin Khaghan]

its usp is the factor of REDEMPTION just because you play badly in the first innings or get a few wrong decisions doesnt mean its all over for you.

[Sooda]

I think rett the timeless test youre referring to was one where one of the teams (Eng it might have been) had to catch their ship back home so had to end the test they were playing and call it a draw! Maybe the logic is each team can potentially bat a day and bowl a day, then theres an extra for a result to be forced and one team to gain the upper hand In terms of time its the rightish balance too at 5 days

[I_India]

The only thing I don't like is the way England drew two test matches against SA when they should have lost both of them.

[maggot_brain]

its usp is the factor of REDEMPTION just because you play badly in the first innings or get a few wrong decisions doesnt mean its all over for you.

That's good Jesus loves Saints and sinners alike. Seriously though test cricket is the best as you have to play over five full days. Concentration and endurance are tested throughout. The match can sway back and forth considerably as well. Look at all the one sided ODIs we have in the subcontinent where the toss decides who wins. Also crucially on a good test match pitch, the nature of that pitch will change over the five days and only adds to the fascination for me. Test cricket is so much more 'bang for buck too' I feel like I've been cheated when I watch a T20 game.

[maggot_brain]

The only thing I don't like is the way England drew two test matches against SA when they should have lost both of them.

We've got out of jail with draws lately too. England drew the test match as they held their nerve and SA weren't good enough to bowl England out twice.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

I like Tests simply because of the many sub plots within the main plot... Also it gives me an opportunity to take a vacation, ad spend all 5 days in the ground... :omg: i just realized that I dint have my vacation last year as there were no tests played in Blore or Chennai in the entire year.. This is the first time in the last 18-19 years that I dint get to watch a single international match in the entire year.. F u c k BCCI :banghead:

[Aaku]

Not the best form maybe.. But I like watching em :--D

[Ram]

How is it better than 10-day 2-innings.. or 8-day 3-innings.. or 1-day 2-innings, or 1-day 1-innings, etc What makes the arbitrary number of 5 (days) and 2 (innings) special ?

Hmm, I am not quite sure I fully understand the question in the OP, but here's my take nevertheless. I think the forefathers of cricket decided that a test match should be played over 5 in a purely incidental manner. Obviously, you cannot hold a single match for a month coz it'd be too long. On the other hand, it couldnt possibly be for only 2,3 days since that wouldnt be enough time to hold 4 separate innings. They started with those timeless tests but soon found out that particular model wasnt sustainable.

Is it special just because it has historical significance ? Or that it allows the comfort of a draw ?

Interesting question. Will altering the duration of the game significantly alter the outcome? I dont know. Obviously, if it were 2 day, 4 innings affair, almost every match would have been a draw, but i think 5 days is long enough to complete 4 innings. More to the point, I think whether a test match ends in a draw or not isnt so much decided by the duration of the match. I doubt if any team plays a match with a draw in mind. Whether a match produces an eventual outcome is decided, in my opinion, by whether there's a worthwhile competition between bat and ball. You can have even 2 day test matches, but if the pitch is a minefield or if the opposition are in the extreme ends of the talent spectrum, the match will still produce a result.

Some people draw an analogy between a test match to the ups and downs in life. Do you subscribe to that purist view ?

Naah... Those are just romantic cricket writers wanting us to believe the game is bigger than what it actually is. Sure, you can draw a lot of analogies between a sport and life, but ultimately, as they say, 'its just a game...' :D But, as an outside observer watching the game evolve, especially in the last 10 years, I get a sense that the players, or should i say the batsmen, are gradually finding out that they are capable of scoring more runs than ever, at a rate faster than ever. If you look at the post WW II era, the game did not undergo much change at all for almost 4-5 decades. But since the advent of ODIs and especially T20, the batsmen are finding out that they're capable of much higher levels of batting perfection that what they previously thought was possible. Come to think of it, these days, a total of 300 is hardly a challenge for a side batting second. But 10 years ago, it was almost insurmountable. Surely, its not as though our human species underwent evolutionary change for them to bat better than before and I reject the notion that the pitches are getting better (in general) and the bowlers arent as good as they were before. What we're seeing is that there's a significant shift in the attitude and skill levels of cricketers (batsmen) of today, as compared to their counterparts of say 20-30 years ago. I think, at some point, the game will have to fundamentally revisit its rules to make sure that the game of cricket, at the most basic level, remains a contest between bat and ball. Else, this could soon turn out to daylight murder of all bowlers.

[Sachinism]

That's good Jesus loves Saints and sinners alike. Seriously though test cricket is the best as you have to play over five full days. Concentration and endurance are tested throughout. The match can sway back and forth considerably as well. Look at all the one sided ODIs we have in the subcontinent where the toss decides who wins. Also crucially on a good test match pitch, the nature of that pitch will change over the five days and only adds to the fascination for me. Test cricket is so much more 'bang for buck too' I feel like I've been cheated when I watch a T20 game.

Thats the best thing for me. Enjoying the ups and downs, twists and turns

[MUMBAISKIPPER]

more than 5 days will produce more results but there has to be a time limit..if the team wins in 5 days or less then it must have played some good cricket to win the match within limited time..and it can't be less than 5 days for 4 innings in total 2 innings for 2 teams are enough...more than 2 innings means either 6 or 8 or more in total...gosh that is way too much

[The Outsider]

I just love the draw aspect of a test - it ensures that the better team has to be much better than the opposition in the match and leaves the weaker team with an escape route to live and fight another day. Of course, I am not talking about the run fest draws. Cricket is not a physically taxing game in the sense of football. A 3 hour football match will leave players gasping and dead or it will ensure that the players don't play at their optimal level. Cricket is a different game and for the perfect showcasing of skills it's important for the batsmen and bowlers to have time at their hand and a second opportunity. T20 has room only for one type of cricket, while in a single test you can see many different successful brands of cricket being played. It's a close mirror of life as well, where in a lot of situations there is no clear winner or loser and you walk away with a draw having taken in quite a few lessons from it. You might have been on the wrong side of the draw but are not knocked out. That's the best aspect of test cricket for me, and only a 4-6 day match can leave open that possibility on most pitches.

[Master Blaster]

The only thing I don't like is the way England drew two test matches against SA when they should have lost both of them.

That's actually the most exciting aspect of test matches. Anything could happen!

[Temujin Khaghan]

That's good Jesus loves Saints and sinners alike. Seriously though test cricket is the best as you have to play over five full days. Concentration and endurance are tested throughout. The match can sway back and forth considerably as well. Look at all the one sided ODIs we have in the subcontinent where the toss decides who wins. Also crucially on a good test match pitch, the nature of that pitch will change over the five days and only adds to the fascination for me. Test cricket is so much more 'bang for buck too' I feel like I've been cheated when I watch a T20 game.

nice sum-up

[varun]

Awesome responses guys ! :hatsoff:

[I_India]

Beauty of test cricket is that we get more time to waste on ICF ;-)