Test matches are chess played within 22 yards, although not divided into 64 rounds.
A stretch of follow-on is often an innings flop. Only four times in Test history where the matches have been followed on for 297 times, the teams that have met have won.
One of them is the England Vs New Zealand match that took place yesterday. New Zealand won the match by one run. This is the first time since West Indies beat Australia in 1993 that a team has won by 1 run.
After signing Stokes-McCollum, England not only run a separate government in red ball cricket but also devised a separate grammar for themselves. Earlier this partnership had lost only one out of eleven matches on the field. Especially England dominates in foreign soil making overseas wins a nightmare for all other teams. Moreover, the new dimension of fourth-innings specialists has evolved them into chase masters.
The way England handled the first innings was excellent. The Bazzball travels at a high speed of almost five runs per over with a fast run rate and the New Zealand bowlers are at a loss. Even Stokes’ decision to declare the match was proof of their fearlessness. Such daring results underline the evolution of Test cricket.
Any team that plays for a win rather than a draw will do the same. It was this personality that gave New Zealand a scare in the first innings and made them follow on. Southee’s innings was the only consolation as New Zealand searched online for the price of a spirited performance.
Another bold move was Stokes’ decision to use the follow-on weapon. Following on from India’s thrashing of Australia in the 2001 Kolkata Test, any captain in recent times has been hesitant to follow suit. Another reason is that the bowlers will get tired and another reason why their batsmen need to face the fourth innings. But Stokes braved anything. The strategy was to ride with the rhythm of his bowlers and try to make the victory his own. Bet on Anderson-Broadt pairing who bowled well in the first innings. It was at that point that New Zealand’s chance came to life.
Test cricket will allow cut pieces to come back. You have to collect points for yourself in the space available. New Zealand’s recovery was similar. Among the top 7 batsmen, no one except Will Young is out. They stood and calmly clapped. Not just a sharp axe, but a blunt knife with a continuous action can finish what it wants – patience in the Test format can kill what it wants. England had reached 435 runs in 87.1 overs in the first innings. In the second innings, New Zealand scored 483 runs in 162.3 overs following the classical Test batting template. Williamson’s century also strengthened.
A safe game is to bat in the direction of spin when facing a spinning ball. New Zealand similarly adapted to the environment and moved on. However, even Williamson did not think that the target would be an unattainable peak for England unless it filled the void left by the first innings. His interview also confirmed the same. But the fifth day’s play also performed magic like watching the 2019 World Cup final through Test glasses.
The intense moments, the silent battles, the wait-and-see and tiger-hunting skills that usually cannot be a short story like T20 mark Destin as a sequel. The ups and downs and risk curves are what keep Destin alive. All of them could be seen on the last day. The implication of the new language is that they are afraid to be a bit ignorant of the fact that only 210 runs, 90 overs and 9 wickets are in hand. England were stumped with a score of 80/5 on a field that should have held on if they had stood and bowled calmly.
Run outs are a crime in Tests. Especially when chasing a low score, the fall of wickets like Harry Brook’s can change the course of the match. So are the Tests’ underlying roots and partnerships. The Root-Stokes partnership responded by crossing 120 runs in over 25 overs. A spell that kills and a spell that wins, spells loaded with bouncers like Wagner will end the feud silently. Wagner dismissed both these settled batsmen. Stokes, who was caught at square leg while trying to pull short ball, and Root, who was caught at mid-wicket and got out with two consecutive wickets, Brad also left the wind in New Zealand’s favor.
New Zealand were unfazed by one try at a time. In addition to keeping the keeper in front of the fast bowling, slips, gully, fly slips were used to try to get the ball to get an edge. The back moved the keeper back and loaded the leg side, forcing the bowlers to come round the wicket to hit the short balls with head and leg. England never back down from attacking mentality. England’s aim was to fall rather than settle for a draw by defending itself with the shield. Test cricket was played in a wave that was going up and down alternately on both sides.
Even the boundary hit by Anderson Wagner in the last over with seven runs and one wicket at stake was painted with Bazzball. Even if it was a bit of a rout, the game would have ended there, and that was New England’s unfazed attitude. There was even a chance of a tie if the ball before the final ball, which was bowled slightly empty, had been empty. Despite its escape, Bazzball and short balls took Test cricket to its peak. It turned it into something that will be talked about for a long time.
Far from ending up short, each match over five days has the potential to extend the lifespan of Tests. Moreover, these modern-day matches, which are played to have a positive or negative result without playing traditional defensive cricket, make the Test a breath of fresh air.