Australian cricket teams have been coming to England for over 150
years but when the class of 2023 arrives in the next few days, they
are set to take on a programme which is arguably more demanding than
any faced by their predecessors.
Ramachandra Guha: In defence of the draw
The draw is central to the magic and mystique of cricket, and not for cricketing reasons alone. AFP
[The gripping, thrilling, compelling drawn Test in Sydney prompts me to re-post this old piece from 1996. The background to it was as follows: Jagmohan Dalmiya, the then Secretary of the Indian Cricket Board, proposed to the International Cricket Council that the draw be abolished from Test cricket. He wanted Tests to be played over two innings of specified duration, with each team having (as I recall) a maximum of 90 overs each in their first innings and 60 overs each in their second innings. He thought eliminating the possibility of “no result” would find favour with fans. Dalmiya’s proposal was that of a cricket-illiterate, and provoked me to write this defence of the draw. To the list of epic drawn Tests mentioned in the article one must now add the Test played between India and Australia in Sydney in January 2021.]