A day before South Africa and England continue their battle for the top ranking, Pakpassion looks at how this added competition has helped revive test cricket.

By Shayan Siddiqui (August 1st 2012)

With the eyes of the world locked on London, more enthralling sports action is set to start at Headingley on Thursday, where the world’s top ranked cricket teams will once again do battle to establish who is the rightful holder of the number 1 tag. South Africa took a giant stride towards displacing England with a dominant performance in the 1st Test, but the quest to maintain their ranking will no doubt spur on the home side in what they hope will be more bowling friendly conditions in Leeds.

There has been a lot of talk in recent times about whether or not Test cricket is lagging behind the shorter forms of the game. The financial incentive offered by Twenty20 leagues around the world has left many people feeling that the original form of the game is being short-changed. Dwindling attendances, high scoring pitches, and high profile retirements from Test matches have added to this belief, but the majority of players continue to rate the longest form of the game as the ultimate goal.

The close battle for the world number 1 ranking has considerably helped provide motivation for Test match teams. Australia’s dominance throughout the nineties meant the top spot was more or less uncontested, allowing the shorter forms, which naturally result in closer games, an opportunity to flourish. Since their downfall, India, England, South Africa, and Australia themselves, have all flirted with the top spot, but none of them have been able to match the sustained dominance of the Australia and West Indian teams of the past.

India were number 1 for approximately 18 months, but there was never the feeling that they were invincible, and this may have been one of the reasons that England, having had such a successful run in Tests themselves, were mentally ready to challenge the Indians when the two sides met in 2011. England were clearly motivated by the potential to dethrone the number 1 team, as evidenced by the resulting 4-0 whitewash, showing that the gap between the top team and the rest was marginal.

England’s run as number 1 has not been much better. The pressure of being the best team in the world can act as a hindrance, particularly when the chasing teams have the ability to beat you. Pakistan were spurred on by this and produced a magical performance in the UAE to bring England crashing back down to earth, and since then the performances of Andrew Strauss’ side have been shaky at best, demonstrating the competitiveness of Test cricket around the world. Both Sri Lanka and West Indies, two relatively low ranked teams, had their moments and it certainly didn’t seem like England were streets ahead.

Meanwhile South Africa have slowly but surely built a formidable Test XI, filled with world class batsmen and a peerless bowling attack, led by the world’s best bowler Dale Steyn. With Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Jacques Kallis and Imran Tahir, the Proteas have acquired a bowling attack for all conditions. Their preparation for the ongoing series with England indicated how serious they were about taking the top spot in Test cricket. Many felt that England held all the aces in home conditions, but all that has changed following one of the biggest defeats in the history of Test cricket. The interest in the series remains high as England are unlikely to back down and they do have the players to overcome South Africa. Therein lies the beauty of this series, where the two best teams in the world both know they can beat each other.

A competitive environment is all Test cricket needs to illustrate that it is by far and away the best form of the game. The 2005 and 2009 Ashes, India’s 2001 series against Australia, Australia’s recent tour to South Africa, and Pakistan’s performance in UAE have all shown the beauty of Test cricket, and will remain long in the memory, something that cannot always be said for ODIs and T20s. The quest for the world number 1 spot, and the fact that all the top sides can beat each other, has reignited Test cricket, and is something the game badly needed.

“When will a team dominate Test cricket like the West Indies or Australia did in the past?” is a question asked by many – the answer, for the sake of survival of Test cricket, is hopefully not for a while!

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