First two days of England-West Indies game at Lord’s summed up where Test cricket is: Nasser Hussain – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former England captain Nasser Hussain expressed his concerns about the current state of Test cricket following England’s swift victory against the West Indies in the opening match at Lord’s.

The hosts secured a commanding win by an innings and 114 runs within the first hour on day three, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The contrasting preparation levels between the two teams were evident, as England had the benefit of playing County Championship matches, while the West Indies had only a single three-day red-ball game against First Class Counties XI.

Furthermore, most of the West Indian players have not participated in red-ball cricket since their thrilling eight-run triumph over Australia in Brisbane back in January. Hussain’s comments highlight the challenges faced by the longest format of the game in the modern era.

“Those two days summed up for me where we are with Test cricket. You talk about all the batting they could have but they’re off in a white-ball sunset, you’ve got bowlers who haven’t bowled, you’ve got undercooked cricketers, and then you lose the toss and have the worst of conditions, and everyone goes ‘Test cricket is dying’.”

“But if you prepare for a Test match like that, you’ll get exactly what England get when they go away. It frustrates me because you’ve got to give Test matches the preparation that they deserve, which is a very easy thing to say but a very difficult thing to do in modern times,” said Hussain, as quoted by IANS, on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

The upcoming Test match between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge has sparked interest among fans and experts alike. Many are wondering if this second encounter will offer a more closely contested battle compared to the previous match.

“The other story is ‘the West Indies are in terminal decline’ — England haven’t won in the Caribbean for two decades and (the West Indies) hold the Richard-Botham Trophy.”

“England travel to India or Australia and don’t particularly do well, so it shouldn’t just be a West Indies story. All it does is add to the fact that Test-match cricket is in a difficult place, and it is sort of self-perpetuating.”

“If you don’t look after it, then sides turn up and put in a performance like that, and everyone goes, ‘Told you, Test-match cricket is dying’. Listening to you speaking to Jimmy Anderson after 188 Test matches on the podium, I would like to think we would try to look after Test-match cricket.”

Following his retirement from international cricket at Lord’s, James Anderson expressed his deep affection for Test cricket, as recounted by former England captain Michael Atherton. Anderson, who bid farewell to the international stage, spoke with great enthusiasm about his passion for the longest format of the game.

“Anderson said, ‘Test cricket has literally made me the person I am’. So, all the lessons he’s drawn from Test cricket — the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the coming back for that third spell at six o’clock in the evening and having to dig deep within yourself.”

“All of the things which have made him the mature person he is, Test cricket has helped him along the way. I wanted to ask him about it because it’s at a fragile time, he’s going to move onto a mentoring role and you’d hope, because there are young players coming through now who will have career choices to make.”

“You’d like to feel Jimmy would say to them ‘sometimes the easiest choices are not always the most rewarding or most fulfilling’…although everybody needs to pay the bills, one understands that.”