There was a screen between me and the action in Cape Town. The television screen. Sometimes this can be an advantage, the presentation of the game from different angles. Often it is a disadvantage (even when the commentary is turned off) because, in effect, you are watching the game through someone else’s eyes.
The 642-ball Test there must rate as one of the strangest played. It has inspired many theories and many might-have-beens from experts, players and viewers. It was riveting in the way natural phenomenon like a volcano eruption is (when there are no casualties). It was a reminder that so much of what we take as the gospel truth regarding cause-and-effect is based on uncertainties.
Was it good for Test cricket? It was certainly better than a five-day draw eked out by defensive play and unimaginative captaincy. Sometimes the individual controlled an outcome, at other times the individual succumbed.
