Andy Booth column: Burnley, Hull and Chris Gayle

May 15 2009 by Mel Booth, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

I LOVE my cricket and I’m hoping to have a few games with Hall Bower before the summer is out.

I’ve not been able to play for a lot of years because of my football commitments, but cricket has always been close to my heart.

As a fan, it was with some surprise that I noted the comments of West Indies captain Chris Gayle in the build-up to this Test at Chester-le-Street.

He reportedly said he wasn’t too bothered about skippering his country and that he wouldn’t shed a tear if Test cricket died out.

I have to say I totally disagree.

Test cricket is the very top of the game and, as far as I’m concerned, it always will be.

That’s the format that people grow up aspiring to play and it’s the greatest test of all the skills of the game.

Yes, Twenty20 is fun to watch and the 50-over one-day internationals can provide a great day out, but five days of top-class battle is what it’s all about.

Being picked for one of the one-day formats is a big achievement, but playing Test cricket for England (or whichever country you come from) is still the ultimate honour.

And a Test can provide just as much excitement and entertainment.

In recent years there have been a lot more win-loss Tests than drawn ones.

And you only have to remember what a brilliant reaction there was to the 2005 Ashes series against Australia to realise how Test cricket can really capture the imagination.

Let’s hope it’s the same later this summer, with the same result!

As for Tests, I’m still trying to educate the Town dressing room in the art of appreciating it.

They love the Twenty20 stuff but can’t understand why I would rather sit down and watch five days of a Test.

They’re not a very cultured lot!