- Over-by-over updates with the series tied at 1-1
- Rabada banned for final Test against England
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A thought from John Galpin. “One thing I haven’t heard mentioned in the 4 vs 5 day Test debate is the impact of the weather such as we have now. Where would this match probably be headed if this was the third day of four? It will become far easier for teams on the wrong end of a drubbing to play out for a draw. Personally I expect that far more Tests will end up as a draw, rain or light stopped play or not. Do we really want that? On the other hand it may push teams to keep up a higher scoring rate than say England did here on the first day. But to me that’s part of the magic of 5 day Tests. It enables a longer term strategy to play out and really tests the mental and physical mettle of the two opponents. That’s what makes Test cricket one of the greatest ‘all round’ sporting contests there are.” Very true.
Now that Sourav Ganguly has come out against them in his capacity as president of the BCCI, it looks as if mandatory four-dayers are dead in the water. I suspect we’re heading for a mixture, which, technically, is what we have now. There will be more four-dayers, but still plenty of places where the full five-act drama lives on.
Not that we’re done with the redheads yet. “Morning, Tim,” says Phil Sawyer. “Anyone putting together an England red-head eleven and not including the legend that is Glen Chapple is going to incur my ire. Alright, yes, technically he never played a Test for England, but that’s an injustice that I only bring up four or five times a day.”
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