All the extolling of Test cricket’s wonders as a format doesn’t obviate the fact that it is hard work. Even watching it can be a marathon. Park cricketers who ache and grumble after their 20, 30 or 50 overs in the field can’t extrapolate what it must be like to make that 90 overs a day, five days running, a full working week of toil. The effort is what makes it special, but toils are toils.
Looking at Australia’s first-innings 473 and England’s 463 in reply, you would assume the pitch was lifeless. In fact, while it was great for batting, there was pace and carry. Edges flew instead of rolling along the ground, as per most previous venues for women’s Tests. Scoring happened quickly instead of in dribbles. Taking wickets required patience and skill, but was possible if you were sharp. Australia, for too much of England’s innings, were not.
