IND vs ENG Test: Ex-England captain laments pitches and schedule, says 'Test cricket needed a series like this'

Time of India

21 hours ago

Former England captain
has slammed the "pitches" and "scheduling" of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but lauded the performance of both teams, saying "Test cricket needed a series like this."
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"This series has been feisty and played with a bit of needle, and I like that,' he wrote in Daily Mail.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
'In general, the fight between the teams has made it much more watchable. It has been great TV,' Hussain added.
'We talked at the start of the summer about two iconic series coming up for England — India at home and then Australia away. When you build a series up, sometimes it can be a bit one-sided and deflating. But this has not disappointed, and I think Test cricket needed a series like this.'
Joe Root press conference : On Mohammed Siraj fake anger, why he punched his bat, update on Woakes
Hussain then went on to highlight some of the standout moments of the series.
"There have been so many memorable moments. There was that over to Zak Crawley on the last night at Lord's. You had Pant strolling down the stairs on one leg at Old Trafford, hobbling around as he batted with a broken foot.
"Here at The Oval, we saw
— the most mild-mannered, calm individual — losing his cool after some verbals from
. Then there was Sai Sudharsan, another calm character, walking into the England huddle and having words with Duckett.
I have enjoyed every single minute of it,' he said.
Poll
Do you think the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been a successful series?
Yes, absolutely No, it could have been better
On the pitches and the schedule, the ex-England captain remarked: 'The only downsides have been the pitches and the schedule. Make no mistake, this series needed this Oval pitch. Although every Test has gone to the last session, the conditions have slightly favoured the bat too much. Here, the ball has dominated the bat just enough to make it an incredibly watchable match.'
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"As for the schedule, five Tests in six weeks is too tight, and the dates have also been odd. I agreed with Ben Stokes when he questioned why there have been two long turnarounds of eight or nine days between Tests, and then two short ones of just three days. It would be better to have a consistent five-day break between them all,' he added.