The first thing you hear is the thud of the ball into Steve Smith’s neck, followed by the gasp of full house at Lord’s. This sickening sound, and the ball that made it possible, sent reverberations through the world of cricket.
A debutant fast bowler had floored the best Test batsman in the world. Getting hit on the head is nothing new in cricket, but the fact that Jofra Archer could fell Smith was stunning.
I remember clearly watching the footage on a mate’s phone during the tea interval while I was playing for the Hampshire village of Longparish.
It was this clip that Cricket Australia first released when they began trailing Amazon’s new behind-the-scenes documentary The Test. It’s easy to see why the footage has been viewed 3.7 million times on YouTube alone.
The eight-part documentary series covers the 18-month journey of the Australian team from the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town to retaining the Ashes in Manchester. They had been caught red-handed rubbing sandpaper on the ball, a crime that led to year-long suspensions for Steve Smith and David Warner, captain and vice-captain, and their two best batsmen. Cameron Bancroft, the young opener, was also banned and within days the teary resignation of coach Darren Lehmann followed.
In the first episode, journalist Gerard Whately describes Sandpapergate as, “the equal of any scandal in Australian sport.” The furore was so huge that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joined in the chorus of condemnation.
Journalist Peter Lalor said: “It wasn’t so much about damage to the ball it was about damage to the brand.” And what better way to help repair a brand then invite a documentary crew in to record the road to recovery. As Mike Atherton wrote in The Times: “Think of this documentary as part of the crisis management that followed [Cape Town].”
Australian legend Justin Langer is appointed as the new coach in the first episode, and quickly becomes the central figure that the series revolves around. Langer had previous coaching experience before, but never at international level.
Throughout, “JL” or “Alf”, as he’s nicknamed by his players and colleagues, struggles to find a balance between putting an arm around the shoulder of his players and giving them a piece of his mind.
In the first episode, Langer recites one of his favourite quotes: “I didn’t go to Harvard, but I employ a lot of people that did.” In a cricketing context, he does this at regular intervals by bringing in Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Steve Waugh.
Alan Tyers of The Daily Telegraph, was not impressed by Langer or the series, comparing it to the hit BBC comedy The Office: “The role of Brent is, of course, taken by Langer.” During Ben Stokes’ odds-defying innings at Headingly, Langer has an unmistakably Brent moment.
When Nathan Lyon fumbles the simplest of run-out chances, he kicks a bin over, only to pick up the entire contents, item by item, and replace them back in the bin. For an England fan, this is hilarious viewing. But despite the occasional Brent moment, I believe that Langer comes out of the documentary firmly in credit.
In the second episode we see three players making their Test debuts for Australia. This is one of the most insightful moments of the series. You realise just how much it means for the players to represent their country. Playing for Test cricket for Australia is the culmination of something they’ve been aiming for since childhood.
Aaron Finch, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne all get presented with their baggy green caps in Dubai. Head has his presented by teammate Nathan Lyon, who describes the moment as “One of the biggest defining moments in my career.” Coming from someone who had lifted the Ashes three times, at that point, it’s a staggering statement, but one that reveals how much it means to Australians to be part of what Lyon describes as “the baggy green club.”
Fast forward to episode six, the action moves to England and the coverage of the back-to-back World Cup and Ashes campaigns. Australia suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of England in the World Cup semi-final. That was followed by an ever-fluctuating Ashes series that ended with them retaining the Ashes for the first time since 2001.
The final result, a 2-2 draw, was a great achievement so soon after the lows of South Africa. The documentary shows just how competitive elite sports people are, as both Langer and captain Tim Paine convey a sense of disappointment at allowing England to level the series. Paine says: “It put a bit of a dampener on the whole thing to be to be honest.”
I really enjoyed The Test and would recommend it to any sports fan. Yes, it is a PR exercise, but it still makes for compelling viewing.
By Alex Brinton
Photo credit: Amazon