The Death of Test Cricket?

South Africa all out for 96. Australia all out for 47. 68 runs fell for 18 wickets. Is test cricket dead? Obviously not.

OK, maybe it isn't right to use the events of one manic afternoon in Cape Town to prove beyond doubt that a format has been saved. But this one weird couple of hours has given us some of the best test cricket that will be seen this year, let alone this decade.

For all of the talk of twenty20 killing test cricket, of players disinterested due to the lack of money, and of crowds staying away, the main threat to test cricket over the past few years has been completely stone dead pitches. We've seen games where 700 has played 600 after the first innings, and the captains could have shaken hands on the draw after the second day. Only a miracle performance with the ball can produce any inch of excitement or sporting competition on these sorts of pitches, leading to dull draws and talk of test cricket's demise.

So isn't it refreshing when a pitch offers a tiny bit to the bowler? While there has been talk about the standard of the pitch not being appropriate to test cricket, there has been a fair battle between bat and ball throughout. The Australian first innings was a case-in-point, a fired up South African bowling attack led by the world's best paceman Dale Steyn chipped away at Australia, but were held back by a world class performance from Michael Clarke. Bat and ball were in fierce competition, and given that these were the world's best in action, the spectacle was fascinating. Clarke eventually perished for 151, dragging his team to 248, and it was as enthralling an innings as I can remember for a long time.

What happened next was absolutely mental, with wickets falling all over the place, and there were plenty of rash shots from batsmen that were far from world class. While there may have been one too many gremlins in the pitch, surely it was more exciting and interesting than seeing bat dominate ball for session after interminable session? And the partnership at the end of Amla and Smith to get South Africa to stumps just one down shows that a lot of the wickets were down to a combination of good bowling, and awful batting.

I don't think any of us really thought test cricket was on it's death bed, and days like this proved just how alive the format is. This test, and the one last week, where the West Indies gave India an almighty shock, certainly show that test cricket isn't really in a terminal decline. Sure, games like this and stories like this don't really help, but ultimately, test cricket is in rude health. And any format that England are best in the world is surely fine in anyone's book...

Double Ton Tendulkar

It must have been inevitable. With the advent of Twenty20 cricket (I know, another blog that's mentioned it) player's scoring rates have increased, making scores of 400ish very reachable. And if a player carries his bat through the innings then they will make 200. And Tendulkar did that.

It's great for the sport of cricket that a true great now holds the record - and will always be the first player in history to make an international fifty over double ton. Tendulkar is both the test and ODI record runs scorer, and while he may not meet the high standards of Bradman, Tendulkar's consistency over his 20 years in international cricket surely ranks him as a true cricketing legend. And all credit to previous record holder Charles Coventry... but who? The little master deserves his place in the history books - especially when you consider that he made the runs against the best bowler in the world. It's all well and good scoring double centuries against Bangladesh (like Jason Gillespie), but to score such runs against a South African attack with fearsome Dale Steyn included is some feat.

While Sachin did turn his back on Middlesex for the forthcoming season, that innings shows why they wanted him in the first place. And why he is an absolute hero to millions worldwide. But as he makes the first 200 in an ODI - the question must be how many can follow him?