Felt my pulse rise just reading that.

Are you a great talent, or is a tense draw merely a great muse?

We may never know.

Two tailenders digging in until stumps, riding their luck and their grit and their nerve.

Increasingly desperate bowling. Five slips and a gully, leg slip, silly point, silly mid on.

That ratchet of tension. The seeds of legend being sown.

Hero partnership closes out the game with 7 (62) and 1 (26).

Absolutely. Epic.

A test match is the longest, oldest, and most demanding format of Cricket.

In more modern versions of the game, teams bat through their batting order only once each, and there is a limit to how many legal balls can be bowled at the batters. So it's a very linear game. Team A bats, then team B bats and tries to beat their score. Pretty simple.

But in Test Cricket, there is no limit on how many balls the batters can face and each team bats through their order twice. Batters can play very defensively, scoring slowly, without taking risks.

Bowlers and fielders have to constantly up their strategy game to counter this defensive batting.

But here's the thing: To win a test, you have to:

A) Score more runs than the other team, and...

B) Get the other team completely out, TWICE. If any batter is still batting at the end of the 5th day, it's a draw, no matter how many runs ahead they are.

The ball is kept in play for a long time, and as it deteriorates, strategy changes. The surface the ball bounces off of deteriorates too, influencing the strategy. Players are physically and mentally fucked after 5 days, so this effects everything too.

It's a densely layered game, and in this particular case, those 5 days boiled down to one measly run amongst hundreds scored in the match.

As close as it can possibly get.

All this after NZ was basically out for the count in the first two days.

Really fucking cool sport. The original form of the game, and days like today prove it's still the best sport in the world for nail-biting drama.

Rant over. Peace.

Glad to Jimmy Anderson on this list. Man is a freak. For those who don't know cricket, he's well worth a dip into some YouTube highlights.

Lol

Many of us here feel the same way. Talk about brand recognition.

New Zealand sports people have always worn Black uniforms. It's a part of the national ID, so it's reflected in the names.

Black Caps for the cricket.

All Blacks + Black Ferns for the rugby.

Tall Blacks for Basketball.

The Black Cocks was mooted as a name for the national Badminton team, but unsurprising got vetoed by the governing body.

Pakistan, baby.

I'd prefer my boys to have been knocked out by the Champs, not the runners up. 😆

I think so, yeah. But the card was deserved, and you gotta play the game in front of you.

"Good hustle, boy. The rest of you, take note of that hustle. That's what this team needs."

"The team needs wickets coach. They're 0/130 off ten overs."

"Fuck you, you lippy little bastard. You're 12th Man next week."

I would expect every 13 year old kid who has ever played cricket to take that. Not ideal.

There are internet denizens here who will have links for you, but all I can offer is a bit of advice.

A truly great cricket match is a journey. Highlights are fine, but I really do recommend a leap of faith with a game like this.

World cup on Aussie soil. 90,000+ in attendance at the massive, hallowed MCG. One of the great rivalries. Established legends on both teams. And you already know it's a fucking trip of a game.

Just say "fuck it."

Grab six beers and some snacks.

Make an evening of it. It's worth it.