If the first season of The Test was a public relations exercise about coach Justin Langer, captain Tim Paine and the rebuilding of the team following the sandpaper scandal, season two is about another new, shiny captain, the return of a southpaw opener and trips to the subcontinent.
Right off the bat, episode one goes into the installation of Pat Cummins, a bowler, as Australia skipper. We are shown his young family, his impressive book shelf and his conviction as a leader when he stands up for his mates after Langer is booted out and the legends come for the new generation’s necks. That is an ongoing saga (outside of the show), as some in the old guard now see him as a tree-hugger who is too woke for the job.
The story of the season, though, is Usman Khawaja. After years in the wilderness, the Pakistan-born batter returns to open against arch-rivals England in the home Ashes. Back-to-back hundreds in his return Test, at Sydney, affix him at the top of the order. But that is only part of his arc. We are also introduced to his family, his prayer routine, his interactions with young Muslim kids, him outwitting Pakistani players who don’t know he speaks Urdu, and his fight against racism in a country that proclaims there is none.
Overall, though, the series is not as exciting as the first instalment, partly because the cricket is not as thrilling. The Ashes dominance feels dated, especially with the emergence of Bazball, and the series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka are more about showing the Aussies as the gracious visitors who are helping out the less fortunate. In Pakistan, for instance, the team is escorted by the military from point A to B and back. The security is heavy, tensions high. In Sri Lanka, with the islanders on edge and trying to topple the government, the Aussies realise that there is more to life than cricket.
The juicy aspects, like Langer’s exit, are not fleshed out, and the focus is on moving on. Some of the new characters―Alex Carey, Scott Boland and Cameron Green―have promise, but come across as bland compared with some of their predecessors. The length of the season, four episodes, also leaves you wanting more.
There is a certain irony in the fact that a series called The Test goes for only as long as a T20. What also puts you off as a viewer is the atrocious subtitling; the cricket fan in you wants to pull his hair out when ‘Warne’ becomes ‘Vaughan’.
The Indian watcher would be particularly disappointed. The historic win at the Gabba, part of the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy, is wrapped up in under two minutes. Apparently, the pandemic did not allow the crew to film the series, or so the speculation goes. Perhaps season three will have the crew come over to India for this year’s Border Gavaskar Trophy. Especially as the Aussies have a realistic chance of winning at least one Test. Or perhaps, what many fans think is a no-brainer, the BCCI could produce a series of its own.
The Test on Amazon Prime Video