The Test: S3.E1; “It May As Well Be You.”
Season one of the Cricket Australia-approved, Amazon Prime fly-on-the-wall look behind the curtain at life in the nation’s Test team in The Test (2020) was the first step in rehabilitating its image in the post-Lehmann era.
Season two was the photo-op in the fracture clinic of the Royal Children’s Hospital for The Good Friday appeal with therapy dog and Red Tulip chocolate Easter bunny.
I’ve just finished watching episode one of the latest season, and if this is anything to go by, then season three is Paul Keating’s 1993 election night “sweetest victory of all” speech at the Bankstown Sports Club.
I don’t have a lot of time to write this, you probably don’t have a lot of time to read this, and the three-episodes are available now to stream, so here’s your spoiler-free TL;DR* review of season three, episode one of The Test.
In much the same way that the Canberra press corps are pushing the “Peter Dutton’s actually a nice bloke if you get to know him” narrative like a rented mule, the producers here have managed to portray the Australian Test team as underdogs heading into Edgbaston. And this is after they claim the World Test Championship — against India, no less — a week before the start of the Ashes series. Kudos all ’round lads.
Leave me out of Jonathan Agnew and Gerard Whateley.
Peter Lalor and GCJD Haigh — insightful as always.
More Alison Mitchell please.
Travis Head and Manus Labuschagne have all the on-screen charisma and captivation of an overflowing ashtray.
Thus far it has the right balance of David Warner content — minimal.
Is Rachel Khawaja to her husband, Usman, as the time-honoured red hanky was to Steve Waugh?
Finally, there’s a moment caught on camera after that glorious First Test win at Edgbaston that should bring tears to the eyes. If it doesn’t, go into your kitchen, get a fork from your cutlery draw and jam it into an eyeball of your choosing to see if you’re capable of feeling anything at all.
Essential viewing for cricket nuffies, is season three of The Test going to convert the unwashed to cricket the way that Netflix’s F1: Drive to Survive has brought a whole new demographic to motorsport? Probably not.
But for this (re)viewer, when it comes to watching England get flogged at ANYTHING, let alone in Ashes cricket, the cost of hooking up an Amazon Prime subscription for season three is but a small price to pay.
Cheers,
Ivan Hutchinson
* Too long, didn’t read
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About Steve Baker
"Colourful Victorian racing identity". Recovering Essendon supporter.
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