England-India Test series best since 2005 Ashes: Agnew

Qatar Tribune

2 days ago

The just concluded Test series between England and India has been described as the best since 2005 Ashes, says Jonathan Agnew, English cricket broadcaster and a former cricketer. Writing for the BBC, Agnew said: 'This series between England and India has definitely been the best that I have been involved in since the Ashes in 2005. Winning in Australia in 2010-11 was also special, but this has had all the ingredients that makes Test match cricket so special - the intensity, the combative nature at times, the immense skill. It has had everything, it has been every bit as competitive and compelling as any Ashes series. Of course, England supporters would have loved Gus Atkinson to have scored those runs, even just six more for a tie, but to get a finish like that - regardless of who wins - is absolutely great for Test cricket. Ultimately it was India who won the fifth Test by six runs to secure a 2-2 draw, a result they deserved. I've enjoyed the competitive nature throughout, it is what Test cricket is all about. You don't see it in T20 or franchise cricket. It shows how much people and the players care about Test cricket and playing for your country, you can tell the difference. The 7,187 runs scored is the most in a five-Test series, and it is just the second time in the past 20 years that every game in a series of that length has gone to a final day. If any administrator in the world game looks at this series and is considering four-day Tests as the way to go, they shouldn't be an administrator in cricket. That's all that needs to be said.'