I am a cricket fan. I don't care which team plays. Of course, this has come through generations of cricket lovers in my family and all over India. It's equivalent to football or basketball in the USA. So, when I found out about the ball tampering in Cape Town, I was agitated. I threw a negative light on this side. But, I just forgot it and followed this team. I like how ruthless they get when in prime form. So, when they announced that there will be a docu-series on this complete journey, I was excited as hell. There are documentaries on cricket which many do not talk much about. So, let's dive in immediately to find out how this series turned out to be. I made sure that my love for cricket did not push me to ignore the flaws which there are.
The Test is a 2020 cricket docu-series directed by Adrian Brown starring the Australian coach Justin Langer, atleast 25-30 Australian cricket players including David Warner and Steve Smith, some Australian legends like Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and a list of cricket journalists and experts with our very own gem Harsha Bhogle.
So, this is the story. In March 2018, Cape Town saw one of the most shocking incident in cricket history. The infamous ball-tampering Scandal where the culprits Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft along with the vice-captain David Warner(Seriously) were banned for 2 tests by ICC and for 12 months by CA. This affected the Australian Cricket Team where they road-rolled themselves in England(0-5) in ODI's and were swept by an in-form Indian Cricket team in all formats despite having success in UAE where they beat Pakistan(1-0) in tests. Then they played Sri Lanka and boosted themselves up(2-0). But, they took real confidence when they beat India in India in a closely contested series. Then, Smith and Warner return to the side where they take a warmup with a series with Pakistan and head straight to the world cup. They lose the semifinal to England but they had their chin-up and were pretty confident. Then came the Ashes. They outperformed a World-cup winning England side to retain the ashes but it was a tough fight a the 5 match series ended at 2-2.
This thus brings the end to the series but just the beginning for the Australian cricket team to reach the same levels as their predecessors.
This complete story has been segmented into 8 episodes with each having a length of about 40-60 minutes. This series has its pluses and minuses. First, let us go with the positives. The series really taps into the individual players of the team effectively. So, now I know that Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa are best of the best mates and many more personal things about the team. Next is the cricket itself. Although, the footage is sourced the crew of this series effectively fits them to build a good sense of drama. Another thing they did a good job with is the team meetings. After watching this series, I know how the team strategy works and how the players know their strengths and weaknesses. The talk of cricket journalists and commentators like Harsha Bhogle, Isa Guha and the Australian reporters fill in to the voiceover and that is a smart decision. So, the promotion of the series as the unprecented access to the Australian Cricket Team is right. This series tells us about some universal values like handling pressure and expectations, how bad times come and we have to bounce back , team spirit and many others which is the best part.
Now, the flaws. The focus this series puts on other teams is unequal. I think if they would have some attention to teams like South Africa, Sri Lanka or Pakistan which are the 3rd level teams, it would have been a little respectful. They give a lot of attention to India which is very good but it felt a little gimmicky for me. It feels like the praise given to Virat Kohli is just to please some Indian fans. I love Virat Kohli but it is just about the series if any guy thinks I am crazy. The series could not dramatise the situation and so when those moments arrive it does not give you that kick if you understand what I mean. For a non-cricket guy, this series may not give proper introduction to cricket as this is just about a team and it's rise. This series completely ignores T20 cricket. For that you can watch Inside Edge on Amazon Prime.
Overall, this series is a definite watch for cricket fans. They will enjoy the personal feelings of the Australian Cricket Team. For non-cricket fans, it depends upon how you view it. It is definitely not a window to know about cricket-the sport. It is definitely a window to know about cricket-the emotion. So, this Corona Season where you are isolated even if you are not affected, you can tap into this series and get access to the Australian Cricket Team.
So, this is the story. In March 2018, Cape Town saw one of the most shocking incident in cricket history. The infamous ball-tampering Scandal where the culprits Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft along with the vice-captain David Warner(Seriously) were banned for 2 tests by ICC and for 12 months by CA. This affected the Australian Cricket Team where they road-rolled themselves in England(0-5) in ODI's and were swept by an in-form Indian Cricket team in all formats despite having success in UAE where they beat Pakistan(1-0) in tests. Then they played Sri Lanka and boosted themselves up(2-0). But, they took real confidence when they beat India in India in a closely contested series. Then, Smith and Warner return to the side where they take a warmup with a series with Pakistan and head straight to the world cup. They lose the semifinal to England but they had their chin-up and were pretty confident. Then came the Ashes. They outperformed a World-cup winning England side to retain the ashes but it was a tough fight a the 5 match series ended at 2-2.
This thus brings the end to the series but just the beginning for the Australian cricket team to reach the same levels as their predecessors.
This complete story has been segmented into 8 episodes with each having a length of about 40-60 minutes. This series has its pluses and minuses. First, let us go with the positives. The series really taps into the individual players of the team effectively. So, now I know that Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa are best of the best mates and many more personal things about the team. Next is the cricket itself. Although, the footage is sourced the crew of this series effectively fits them to build a good sense of drama. Another thing they did a good job with is the team meetings. After watching this series, I know how the team strategy works and how the players know their strengths and weaknesses. The talk of cricket journalists and commentators like Harsha Bhogle, Isa Guha and the Australian reporters fill in to the voiceover and that is a smart decision. So, the promotion of the series as the unprecented access to the Australian Cricket Team is right. This series tells us about some universal values like handling pressure and expectations, how bad times come and we have to bounce back , team spirit and many others which is the best part.
Now, the flaws. The focus this series puts on other teams is unequal. I think if they would have some attention to teams like South Africa, Sri Lanka or Pakistan which are the 3rd level teams, it would have been a little respectful. They give a lot of attention to India which is very good but it felt a little gimmicky for me. It feels like the praise given to Virat Kohli is just to please some Indian fans. I love Virat Kohli but it is just about the series if any guy thinks I am crazy. The series could not dramatise the situation and so when those moments arrive it does not give you that kick if you understand what I mean. For a non-cricket guy, this series may not give proper introduction to cricket as this is just about a team and it's rise. This series completely ignores T20 cricket. For that you can watch Inside Edge on Amazon Prime.
Overall, this series is a definite watch for cricket fans. They will enjoy the personal feelings of the Australian Cricket Team. For non-cricket fans, it depends upon how you view it. It is definitely not a window to know about cricket-the sport. It is definitely a window to know about cricket-the emotion. So, this Corona Season where you are isolated even if you are not affected, you can tap into this series and get access to the Australian Cricket Team.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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