Cricket is a unique sport as it is as much a game of skill as emotions. With the advent of different T20 leagues all over the world, the game has become that much richer with players taking home millions of dollars which otherwise would have been impossible for a newbie. Despite being a boon for players all over the world, T20 has impacted the purest form of the game – Test cricket.
Test cricket is a different beast to conquer and requires as much mental strength as your skill to negotiate long hours at the crease. With short boundaries and flat tracks, there is every possibility that a batsman gets away in T20 cricket and their technical deficiencies are not exposed. Not so in Test cricket. The quality of batsmanship is no longer as good as it used to be with players playing at balls they should be leaving in Test cricket. The art of leaving in Test cricket is almost as good as a scoring shot and there are hardly any players, except a few off course, who can see off a good spell without going after a bowler who is hitting the right lengths.
A good Test cricketer will be successful in all three forms of the game and not the other way round. With so much of limited overs cricket being played all around the globe, the bowlers as well struggle to hit the right areas in Test matches and forget the basics. Bowlers these days try too many things like the slower bouncer, different slower deliveries, wide yorkers. The great Michael Holding only had two variations. One was a fast and the other was even faster.
You don’t get a McGrath or a Tendulkar by just trading your skills in T20 cricket.
22 Yards 