Has Test Cricket Still Got Its Charm?

  • March 22nd, 2018
  • Camilla Chapman

After winning a thrilling One Day International series 3-2 against New Zealand, England will be looking to continue their good form, as they face the same opposition in a two match test series. The series includes a day/night test, being played in Auckland right now, followed by the final test match in Christchurch on the 30th.

With Jonny Bairstow hitting an impressive century from just 58 balls to seal the ODI series, England will want to keep up the good morale, as well as banishing the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Australia in the recent Ashes. New Zealand themselves are in good nick in test format, having beaten West Indies 2-0 in another two match series, but England should provide a far sterner test.

In terms of a day/night test, New Zealand took part of the first ever day/night test, having played rivals Australia in Adelaide back in 2015, with the Aussies winning by 3 wickets. England on the other hand have won one and lost one in day/night tests, thrashing the West Indies by an innings and 209 runs, but losing to Australia in the Ashes by 120 runs.

Much has been made recently over how popular test cricket still is, especially after England stars Alex Hales and Adil Rashid signed contracts with their counties to play limited-over cricket only this season, effectively retiring from test cricket. Twenty20 in particularly has become extremely popular in recent years, with high profile leagues throughout the world, such as the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash in Australia.

Players choosing to play limited over crickets could be down to the strain that test cricket puts on the mind and body; test matches will often last the full five days, whereas with Twenty20, you play 40 overs maximum. Limited over cricket means less time in the field playing and with some overseas tours lasting for months on end, it appears that the shorter formats of the game are becoming increasingly popular.

However test cricket has shown signs of change and adaptations to keep the format alive, such as the introduction of day/night tests and the pink ball, to keep drawing in crowds. With the Ashes having been played at the end of last year and an exciting series currently going on between Australia and South Africa, there are still signs that test cricket is still very much alive and kicking. As England and New Zealand prepare to do battle, be sure to not miss out, on what should be a fantastic test match series!

Ones to watch:


Ross Taylor: The New Zealander hit a stunning 181 to draw the ODI series level, before injury ruled him out of the deciding match. Should he be fit, Taylor is a definite one to watch, with 17 previous centuries in test cricket; in fact, his first ever test century was against England, back in 2008!

Alastair Cook: After a disappointing Ashes series all-round for England, Alastair Cook provided one of the few bright sparks, with an astonishing 244 in the Boxing Day test; he also became the youngest player to reach 12,000 test runs during the series. The veteran opener has scored a staggering 32 test centuries and will be hoping to add to that tally before the end of the tour.