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Test sprint: Close and competitive
I can just hear a race caller describing the desperately exciting final moments of the Stayers’ blue ribbon event — the contest for Test supremacy in 2009; “Here they are bunched in a tight group as they round the bend headed into the straight.” Ian Chappell writes.
I can just hear a race caller describing the desperately exciting final moments of the Stayers’ blue ribbon event — the contest for Test supremacy in 2009; “Here they are bunched in a tight group as they round the bend headed into the straight.”
At the head of the field is India, in racing parlance, a nose in front of South Africa. Trailing them is a group of Sri Lanka, England and Australia, three flawed teams whose position could change with a simple head bob at the appropriate moment. Following close behind are New Zealand and Pakistan who recently proved with a tightly fought series there’s very little between the two teams.
Then there’s the West Indies. A couple of weeks ago it was simply a matter of writing them off, trailing the field by a wide margin. However, something happened on the journey between Brisbane and Adelaide. The Windies suddenly discovered a purpose and a resilience that had been missing in their Test match endeavours.
They’re still far from being a force again but there are signs of a decent attack developing and the addition of one or two resourceful young batsmen could see them charge through the field.
Current team manager and former champion fast bowler Joel Garner could well be right; the West Indies’ greatest need is financial assistance to develop the young talent that exists in the Caribbean. If this doesn’t occur, the cricket world is guilty of committing a serious crime. The gap between India at the head of the field and the West Indies has narrowed greatly in the last twelve months. Neither India nor South Africa display signs of being a dominant force in the manner of first the West Indies and then Australia in the last thirty years. India is at least a genuine all-rounder and a fearsome fast bowler away from that lofty aspiration, and by the time those types arrive, the current batting riches of India may well have waned.
South Africa is also unlikely to experience a concerted period of supremacy as England has shown at Centurion. Their generally conservative attitude whilst in the field ensures South African cricket is always on a tight rein. If England could unearth a genuine speedster and solidify the batting, they could quickly move through the field. Australia is slipping back through the field thanks to the twin ravages of time and a horrendous injury toll.
A solid batting line-up and Ricky Ponting’s class and knowledge of how to win when the opportunity arises is keeping Australia competitive. Benefactors of a strong development system, Australia won’t fall far back in the field.
Sri Lanka has an ability to keep producing good cricketers and thanks to the skill and thoughtfulness of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, they have parlayed that into a competitive side. Pakistan is a bit of an unknown quantity but, like the West Indies, their cricket needs to be nurtured with compassion during this harrowing time.