The Final Test

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Final Test: The Uncertain Future of Cricket’s First-Class Game by Huw Turbervill read by Tom Lawrence

‘[A] compelling book… Test cricket is hanging on. It’s a worry’ – Graham Gooch

'Huw Turbervill is the ultimate passionate polemicist for the Test format with a zeal that manages to weave both George Orwell and Basil Fawlty into his arguments' – David Gower OBE

'As cricket expands into ever more formats and franchise leagues, more and more voices are to be heard; but the editor of The Cricketer should always be listened to' – Scyld Berry

The editor of The Cricketer goes on a soul-searching journey to discover what the future holds for Test cricket.

As T20 grows like Japanese knotweed, Test cricket is in mortal danger. White-ball tournaments – mainly T20 and T10 – are now sprouting in places like the US and Saudi Arabia, and Test cricketers are commonly being offered all-year-round contracts by IPL owners, allowing them to play short-form tournaments in the West Indies, the UAE and elsewhere.

The IPL has expanded, but Australia's Big Bash is contracting; the 2023 men's Ashes were concertinaed into a tiny window but The Hundred continues to dominate. Is there still hope for Test cricket in this tumultuous sporting landscape? Turbervill recalls the poignancy of the final Test of the English summer at The Oval in 2022, and describes how the match could be seen as a metaphor for the demise of the longer game.

As cricket fans seem divided in the sport's own version of the culture wars: traditionalists refusing to accede territory; pragmatists wanting to achieve a healthy balance and progressives conceding the change, Turbervill asks cricketers, commentators and writers about the future of Test cricket.

With guest appearances including David Gower, Graham Gooch, Merv Hughes, Reece Topley and many more, this book reveals if Test cricket can truly survive the next decade.

Critics Review

As cricket expands into ever more formats and franchise leagues, more and more voices are to be heard; but the editor of The Cricketer should always be listened to. Huw Turbervill is Test cricket’s spokesperson.
Scyld Berry
Test cricket is the foundation on which cricket is based and I believe the most important format that must be protected and preserved at all costs. However, I do believe with the rise, success and importance of one-day and T20 cricket, all three formats must learn to co-exist but not at the expense of each other. Huw’s love of cricket and especially Test cricket is to be admired. To bring this book to life with the support of so many wonderful contributors with varied opinions, will add great interest and appeal to readers.
Sir Richard Hadlee
Test cricket is cricket at its best. The great players judge themselves even in the current era by their achievements in Tests. The white ball is squeezing it hard and we have to defend the place of Tests in the global calendar. Huw Turbervill is the ultimate passionate polemicist for the Test format with a zeal that manages to weave both George Orwell and Basil Fawlty into his arguments.
David Gower OBE
I agree with a lot of the comments being made in this compelling book. T20 is relentlessly killing 50-over cricket, and having a successful Test side is no longer the priority for many countries. Test cricket is hanging on. It’s a worry.
Graham Gooch
Nostalgic, passionate and a timely and well-written reminder of the grave danger in which the all-reaching tentacles of T20 have placed Test cricket
Steve James
The author ... argues persuasively why Test cricket is so important and attractive.
Guy Williams
A passionate paean to the red-ball game
Richard Whitehead, author of 'Victory in Australia'
exceptionally well-argued
Paul Edwards
The Final Test is a passionate, enjoyable read… a cry from the heart of a besotted cricket lover fearing for the future of his beloved red-ball game
Jim Rosenthal

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