Test cricket is such an interesting sport. One of its many interesting features is how so many people fail to appreciate just how interesting it is. I suspect that these people see simply exactly what is happening on the ground, and don’t delve that little bit deeper, because it is just beneath the surface where things get interesting.
You can look at a batsman blocking, or leaving, or playing and missing, and simply see absolutely nothing happening. Conversely, you can look at the exact same actions and see it for all the complexity that is involved. Firstly, there is the complexity of the game itself, which goes over five days, spanning four innings and is played on a deteriorating surface.
Yes, the structure of the game itself makes every one of the almost 3000 possible deliveries per match a potential game changer. This leads into the second interesting element of the sport: the personalities of the people playing it, in particular their decision making over the gruelling five days of play. Cricketers’ instincts, motivations, and intentions are all washed in together with the state of the game, and often the series.