Why do Tests Remain the Ultimate Format in Cricket?

It is not very often that we see cricket fans glued to their TV screens watching a test match and talking about it long after the match is over. But performances like Shamar Joseph on Sunday morning against the dominant Australia at their so-called fortress, the Gabba, with a broken toe and Tom Hartley during the afternoon on the same day against a strong Indian batting line-up in the scorching heat of Hyderabad on his debut make this format and the sport what it is.

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People are not generally very fond of this format, as everyone these days is used to the action-packed T20 matches where there is excitement and thrill on each ball and, of course, a lot of money for the players. The fact that the regular West Indies test captain, Jason Holder, was busy playing for the Dubai Capitals in the UAE while his country was revisiting the history books in the land down under by winning a test match after almost 27 years speaks a lot about how much importance the players give to this format.

Simply brilliant. You won't get a closer look at the Windies' epic celebrations than this! #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/7EXHJ5c6j9

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 29, 2024

What Shamar Joseph, a logger from Baracara who started bowling with a leather ball only one year prior, did with a broken toe with a deadly Mitchell Starc yorker in the Australian shores and what Tom Hartley, a 24-year-old left-arm spinner from Ormskirk who was selected in the team only due to his height, did after getting thumped on his first-ever ball in test cricket for a six by Yashasvi Jaiswal, showed everyone that there is still a lot of admiration for this format and players are ready to sacrifice anything in the world to win a test match for their country.

After the young West Indian team breached the Australian fortress and won a test match after 27 years, Shamar Joseph mentioned in the press conference that he will always be available to play test cricket, no matter how much money the T20 leagues offer him. Tom Hartley also said that he is ready for any challenge that might come his way in this series against India and is ready to repay the faith that his captain showed in him during the first test match in Hyderabad.

Even now, the younger generation and many players prefer to spend their time watching and playing thrilling and exciting T20 matches, in which anything may happen at any time and influence the outcome of the game. However, the majority of fans of this beautiful sport still prefer the test format, which is more intense and entertaining than the T20 format. The adrenaline rush that the players and team experience when the match is about to conclude with all three conceivable outcomes makes this format worth the time commitment.

9⃣ wickets on Test debut in India to guide us to a historic win 🙌

Match Centre: https://t.co/s4XwqqpNlL

🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | @tomhartley100 pic.twitter.com/eAotVPKUy5

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 28, 2024

The concern that the players have is that test cricket offers way less money and incentives than the T20 leagues pay, whereas the concern for the fans is that test matches like this don’t happen very often. There is always a huge gap between the teams playing a test match, unless it’s someone from the top four or five they are competing against. Since these matches are played over a period of five days, the dominant team always gets a chance to come back in the match, even though the underdog plays well for the most part of it.

There is still a long way to go before test cricket becomes the priority of all the viewers and players of the sport, and the process can be started by taking a few simple steps, such as giving more test matches to the lower-ranked nations and giving them funds to build a strong domestic structure to nurture the players. The ICC needs to intervene and do something to make that happen, but till it happens, January 28, 2024, has done enough to make this format stay for a while on the cricket maps by giving us two absolutely thrilling test matches, which will be talked about for a while now.