The Test cricket is undoubtedly the greatest format of the sport. It doesn’t challenge the players for one particular day or a few hours, but it challenges the players throughout the course of five days. The year 2023 has been an eventful one in terms of the amount of cricket that has taken place. There have been numerous Test performances throughout the year, and as we bid adieu to 2023, let’s revel in the top performances in the longest format of the game throughout the year 2023.
Here are some notable happenings in Test cricket-
Usman Khwaja Test Cricket in 2023
The year 2023 started with a Test match between Australia and South Africa in Sydney. It was the third Test of the South Africa tour to Australia, and the hosts already sealed the series, winning the first two. Usman Khwaja did not have a great time in the first two and had to make the last Test of the series count.
The southpaw, in the first innings of the game, smashed 195 runs, missing out on his double century because of rain as Australia had to declare because they lost a whole day. Since that innings, Khwaja did not look back and went on to smash 1210 runs and has been the standout performer in Tests in the year 2023.
The record-breaking opening partnership of 336 between Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul v Zimbabwe
West Indies toured Zimbabwe for the two-match Test series. In the first match, the captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul stitched a record-breaking opening partnership of 336 runs and helped their team post a total of 447 runs.
Kraigg Brathwaite scored 182, and on the other hand,Chanderpaul went on to smash a double century, which was the left hander’s first in international cricket. In just eight games, he has smashed 529 runs and averages over 40 in the longest format of the game.
A Test match where a fifer was taken in all the four innings
After the Zimbabwe tour, the Caribbeans went to South Africa for a two-match Test series. In the first Test at Centurion, history was created, as four different bowlers took a five-wicket haul in four innings of the game.
During the first innings, Alzarri Joseph went on to pick up five wickets, dismissing the likes of Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar and Bavuma and restricting the South African team to 342 runs.
In the second innings, the South African speedster Anrich Nortje picked up a five-wicket haul, helping his team gain the lead of 130 runs, as the Proteas managed to bowl out the Caribbeans for just 212 runs.
However, in the third innings, Kemar Roach from West Indies rattled the batting line-up of the hosts, picking up five wickets in his ten overs spell, helping his team restrict them to just 116 runs.
In the last innings, when the Proteas had to defend 246 runs, Kagiso Rabada stepped up and picked six wickets in his 15 overs, helping his team win the Test by 87 runs.
Nathan Lyon’s brilliance in the Indore Test against India
In the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, Australia had to win the match because the series was on the line, considering India already won the first two Tests of the series. Nathan Lyon is arguably the best off-break bowler in terms of his action and consistency of the lengths he bowls.
Australia managed to gain a lead of 88 runs, and they just needed to bowl India out for a low score and chase the total with ample time remaining in the match. The pitch was really great for the spinners as both teams could not score even 200 runs in their first innings.
Nathan Lyon bowled an exceptional spell and took eight wickets in a single innings helping his team bowl India out for just 163. He aggregated a total of 11 wickets in a must-win game, eventually helping his team win.
Sri Lanka vs Ireland, where a truckload of runs were scored
In the second Test between Sri Lanka and Ireland, almost 1400 runs were scored, in just three innings. Ireland smashed 492 in the first innings. On the other hand, Sri Lanka went on to smash 704 runs for the loss of just three wickets.
The top four batters of Sri Lanka scored centuries, and two of them converted into double-hundreds. Kusal Mendis and Nishan Madushka were the ones who smashed double centuries and took Sri Lanka’s total to 704.
Travis Head, the hero of the World Test Championship Final 2023
Travis Head has been nothing short of a villain for the Indian team. First, the WTC final and then the World Cup final, he stole everything the Indian team could have wished for this year. In the WTC final, Travis Head smashed 163 runs and put the Indian team on the backfoot from the beginning of the game with his attacking strokeplay and eventually won the game for his team.
Yashasvi Jaiswal announced himself in Test Cricket in 2023 with a daddy ton v West Indies
On the West Indies tour, Yashasvi Jaiswal made his Test Debut and stitched a partnership of 221 runs alongside Rohit Sharma, who got out after scoring 103 runs, but the southpaw continued to smash and went on to score 171 runs in his very first international Test innings.
The Ashes 2023
In test cricket, a fan eagerly waits for the Ashes, and when it comes, it leaves all the fans in awe, especially the one that happens in England. This year’s Ashes was nothing different as it all came down to the last day of the last match.
Usman Khwaja was the highest scorer in the series with 496 runs, and Zak Crawley was right behind him with 480 runs. On the other hand, Mitchell Starc was the highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets, and Stuart Broad in his farewell series, took 22 wickets as well.
On the last day of the last Test, the game could have gone anywhere, but the rain helped England, as England started claiming wickets considering Australia were in a hurry, Stuart Broad bagged a wicket, which became his final ball of the Test career and the Ashes 2023.
David Warner’s impressive run in his farewell series
In the very first Test match of the Pakistan tour of Australia, David Warner, who was facing a lot of criticism on being getting a huge farewell despite his contributions, shut everyone’s mouth with a blistering knock of 164 runs, helping the Aussies post a total of 487 in the first innings of the Perth Test. He has scored 573 runs in Tests this year and would look to end his Test career on a high in Sydney.
Dean Elgar’s 185 in his farewell series
In the Boxing Day Test, India came with the hope of winning the Test series in South Africa for the first time, but Dean Elgar, who announced before the series that this would be his last series, came in the way of Rohit and his men’s dream.
There’s is something with players ending their career on their will on a high note. Just like David Warner and Stuart Broad, Dean Elgar smashed the Indian bowlers and went on to score 185 runs, helping South Africa post a huge score and win the game by an innings.
There are a few more notable performances, where Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafique smashed their first double hundreds, Virat Kohli scored 186, Ashwin’s top-class bowling, Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback, Kane Williamson’s double hundred, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith’s exceptional run, and Pat Cummins’s lethal bowling, the 2023 year was filled with utmost thrill and excitement in the red-ball cricket. As we head to 2024 with two Tests in the first week of January, 2024 promises to be nothing different than this year.
