There is no denying the fact that a Test match is the purest form of cricket. The tussle between bat and ball in Test matches brings out the best —real test of talent, temperament and how one applies to various situations in varying conditions on all five days. It also needs lot of planning and thinking not only by the captain but also by each player.Of course, that doesn’t mean that one-day cricket is all rubbish. It has certainly sharpened the aspect of fielding and fitness and improved running between wickets—the most important factor in keeping the scoreboard ticking. That was a fact realised by Australia much before the advent of instant cricket. More than that, it has attracted tremendous following from the paying public being result-oriented and along with that huge money through sponsorship.If I remember correctly, Multan was the venue where Javed Miadad played his first one-dayer against the Rest of the World XI that I captained way back in 1976. He was the baby of the Pakistan team and quite a chatter-box then. Of course, he hasn’t changed even a bit now. Multan looked quite an old town full of mosques, tombs and shrines then. It seems to have remained the same much as Javed has.Even the wicket seems to be full of runs as in the past and may take to spin later. May be, a little bit of grass will be kept for the Tests to help their pace attack which definitely looks better than India’s.If India display the same grit, determination and application which they did against Australia, they can create one more landmark in Pakistan by winning the Test series.
