In Praise of Test Cricket, the Purest Form of the Game

Test cricket is alive, thriving, and kicking. 

And don’t try telling that to the money-hungry suits at the Big Three cricketing nations or the IPL brigade. Or to those grumbling about how the Proteas won the World Test Championship after a supposedly easy run. That final at Lord’s? That wasn’t luck. That was red-ball cricket at its finest. 

I still believe Test cricket is the best format of the game. Not just in a nostalgic, misty-eyed way. I mean it in the way your stomach knots when the ball zips past the outside edge. In the way the air thickens around the crease when a bowler’s tail is up. In the way you forget to breathe when your team is chasing 100 on a crumbling fifth-day pitch with only the tail left.

The WTC final reminded us why we care about this beautiful, frustrating, and infuriating format. South Africa chased 282 in the fourth innings. It wasn't a flashy run-fest, but a tense, scrappy, defiant effort. Markram’s hundred. Bavuma batting on essentially one leg. Rabada breathing fire with the ball. Every run earned. Every wicket hard-fought. And when it ended, it wasn’t just a win, it was a moment, a memory, a reminder that five-day cricket, when given time and space, delivers like no other format can.

The recent England vs India Test did it again. At Headingley, England chased down 371 in the fourth innings. It was their second-highest successful Test chase ever, and anchored by a brilliant 149 from Ben Duckett and a commanding 188-run opening stand with Zak Crawley. India’s five centuries in the match couldn’t prevent the collapse, nor the dropped chances. Stokes was questioned for his bold decision to field first, but it paid off and underpinned England’s strategic shift. And I dare say it, classic Test cricket of the modern variety.

What makes this format special isn’t a flurry of fours and sixes. It is the slow build. The momentum shifts. The redemption arcs. The way a duck in the first innings becomes a century in the second. Or how a draw can feel as heroic as a win. It’s not always entertaining, but it’s always compelling.

Some of my most vivid and favourite cricket memories are from Tests. Smith walking out with a broken hand in Sydney. Faf blocking it out and surviving for more than seven hours in Adelaide to secure a draw. Stokes at Headingley in 2019, rewriting the impossible, and playing a once-in-a-lifetime kind of innings. These weren’t just great innings. They were great because of the context, the time, and the pressure. Greatness in cricket takes time. You can’t fake it in 20 overs.

Even the failures leave an imprint. There’s weight in the silence after a long stand is broken. There’s meaning in the lonely walk back to the pavilion after a day of effort comes to nothing. Test cricket lingers. It leaves bruises you don’t always see.

That’s what Test cricket gives us. Real stakes and real drama. And lately, too many players are stepping away from that. My heart broke when I heard Heinrich Klaasen announce his retirement recently. He was followed by Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran. All of them choosing high paying T20 league cricket over international commitments. It’s hard to blame them really when the money is better, the calendar is lighter, and the stress is less. But it chips away at something bigger.

The IPL and the BCCI have a stranglehold on the calendar. Other boards follow suit, and test series gets shorter. There’s less time to build something meaningful. A format that gave us Headingley 2019, Lord’s 2025, and Adelaide 2012 is being squeezed and neglected to make space for more franchise competitions that none of us really watch or care about, if we’re honest. 

But when Test cricket is allowed to breathe, it delivers. Lord’s was proof. South Africa’s win wasn’t just a massive historical moment, it was an emotional release that brought years of near-misses, frustration, and quiet belief to the surface in one hard-earned victory. It felt like a collective exhale for all of us long-suffering fans who have watched this team come so close for so many years. 

Test cricket is the only format where one moment on the final morning can hold the weight of everything that came before it. It builds slowly, testing players and pulling fans into something deeper than just a result. It doesn’t need to be changed. It just needs time, space and respect, and I promise you it will continue to thrive. 

Where and What Else Am I Watching

Proteas vs Zimbabwe (starts tomorrow): The WTC champs are back in whites against Zimbabwe. It’s a much-changed side: Bavuma rested, and a host of new faces in. But expect intensity. Zimbabwe will look to surprise, but South Africa will want to carry on from the WTC success and continue building momentum.

West Indies vs Australia (1st Test, Barbados): Kensington Oval is playing nasty, with 24 wickets falling across the first two days. Jayden Seales took 5 for 60 to roll Australia for 180, and Shai Hope’s 48 gave the hosts a slim 10-run lead. Travis Head steadied things again for Australia, but by stumps the Windies were already wobbling in a chase that’s shaping up to be nervy.

Springboks vs Barbarians (Saturday): It’s rugby with flair and no fear. The Boks take on the Baa-Baas in Cape Town. Expect offloads, wild plays, and maybe a 90-metre prop try. It’s a spectacle more than a scrap, but the Boks still want to win.