A few years ago, an award-winning film “Death of a Gentleman” drew attention to the steady decline of Test cricket as it struggled to revive the popularity of the shorter game.
However, on Sunday, Test match cricket, which has been in practice since Australia and England faced off for the first time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877, showed that the format still has life in it.
In an extraordinary day full of twists and turns, two entertaining games in Brisbane and Hyderabad led to thrilling finals.
They launched two new stars in England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph, both 24.
At Hyderabad, Hartley went from zero to hero, taking 7-62 on his Test debut to lead England to a 28-run victory over India.
In Brisbane, Joseph, who had been working as a security guard the year before, returned after being helped off the field after injuring his toe while batting, and dismantled Australia’s much-anticipated batting line-up. done.
Playing in only his second Test, he took 7–68 as the West Indies won by just eight runs, their first win in Australia since 1997.
“I feel like we have won the series. Even though it is tied 1-1, I feel like we have won the entire series,” Joseph told reporters.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite said the win was a fitting reply to former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg who described the West Indies as “pathetic and disappointing”.