Test cricket was the real victor

And the winner is? After the enthralling, this way and that way match between the Proteas and India in Cape Town, which ended in victory for the hosts, the only possible answer to that question is: the game of Test cricket.

It was a Test match that was over just inside the fourth day, although there were only three days played because of rain (and who would complain of showers in Cape Town these days?).

But it was a thriller which could not have been scripted any better, as a total of 18 wickets fell on Monday when the rain-soaked pitch turned venomous.

Even the bookmakers would have been on the edge of a heart attack for most of the day, as the ascendancy swung backwards and forwards between the sides.

South African captain Faf Du Plessis described the contest as one of the best Tests he has played in. “That was as good as it gets,” he remarked. We can only agree.

We also thank all the players involved for the timely reminder that, while Test cricket remains the thinking person’s sport, it can still deliver the visceral thrills which have become overdone in the “hit and giggle” T-20 era of the game.

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