Story of the good men in Baggy Greens
MISSING SUBPLOT The Amazon series on the Aussies’ Test revival doesn’t delve deep into incidents surrounding Sandpapergate
NEW DELHI:: Usually, an eight-episode web series documenting the journey of Australia’s cricket team over 18 months should be nothing short of pure delight. ‘The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team’ though, is more than just that.
Co-produced by Cricket Australia, the docuseries provides riveting drama in the form of behind-the-scenes dressing room footage that hinges on the ‘life has no retakes’ concept. But we have scant idea how much actual explosive footage has been lopped off at the editor’s table. For there is no ground-breaking revelation in what is otherwise a compelling watch of a team trying to rebuild its culture after hitting rock bottom.
Considering Australia’s preachy nature, it isn’t surprising ‘The Test’ chooses to put a positive spin when a team is left in tatters after its captain, the banter-in-chief and an impressionable mind conspired to cheat in Cape Town. But no cricket lover can spurn the opportunity to be a fly on the wall in the Australia team’s dressing room when it is grappling to overcome the most scathing controversy since Bodyline.
Over 18 months after the balltampering scandal, a steady highdefinition camera follows the team in its journey from the abyss of a 5-0 ODI spanking in England and a first-ever home Test series defeat to India to redemption in the form of a World Cup semi-final and retaining the Ashes in England. It showcases the newfound ethos of ‘elite behaviour’ that exhorts the team to think ‘we, not me’, not verbally engage a brusque on-field character like Virat Kohli, diff erentiate between banter and abuse, make light of the relentless jeering by unforgiving English crowds and stay true to their commitment.
But you can make out the deliberate diversion from the more controversial subplots.
Like the bans on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft and their subsequent reintegration. ‘The Test’ doesn’t delve into how Smith and Warner coped with the time away from the squad. Neither did it elaborate on how they were received inside the dressing room after it was alleged that bowlers like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon had threatened to withdraw from the final Test in South Africa if Warner was allowed to play. All it showed in a small recap was the players breaking down at media conferences, a teary Darren Lehmann’s resignation and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull imploring the CA to take decisive action, footage that has been out for public consumption for the longest time now. The narrative then quietly shifts to Gallipoli, Turkey, where cricketers try to invoke the ANZAC spirit in remembrance of the fallen as Smith and Warner talk briefly on being reunited with the team. Surely, more was said at those meetings.
There is an honest attempt to underline the emotional turmoil of a cricketer by focusing on Aaron Finch who returns home to his wife burdened by his lean patch in the run-up to the World Cup. Personal sacrifices are highlighted by narrating how Mathew Wade left his newborn within days to play the Ashes. Yet, there is no word on how Usman Khawaja dealt with the news of his brother’s arrest on counts of forgery and perversion of justice, especially when the left-handed batsman was portrayed as a voice of the team, one who doesn’t back away from giving a piece of his mind to Justin Langer, somet hing t he Australia coach admires and respects.
Tim Paine is the nice guy who confides in Langer about breaking his own code of not engaging with Kohli before he decides to stand up for his team and give it back. “I sort of just had enough and thought you also have to stand up for yourself and your teammates and that was one of the reasons I thought, ‘no, I’m the captain, it’s my turn, I have to stand up and show him we’re here for the fight’.”
That change in attitude apparently raises Paine’s stocks as captain. Warner’s return to form in the World Cup is celebrated but not much is said about his failure in the Ashes where he aggregated 95 runs in 10 innings. The dressing room chatter suggests players know how to react in front of a camera, though the liberal dose of ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ tends to normalise it. Repeated close-ups of ‘elite’ principles on Powerpoint presentations and whiteboards. however, reaffirm this docuseries to be a cautious marriage between editing and self-policing.
Langer, who took over from Lehmann, is the no-brainer protagonist of the series. Given his squeaky clean image and a brilliant career as the diminutive opener of an invincible Australia team, there could be no one better than Langer to stoke the pride in wearing the Baggy Green. “Life is about projects: Make Australians proud of the Australian cricket team,” he says. Langer is a coach who employs Harvard-educated people and doesn’t hesitate to take help from legends like Ricky Ponting or Steve Waugh, a downto-earth person who would kick the bin in a fit of rage after Nathan
Lyon fumbles Jack Leach’s runout in the Headingley thriller but slowly picks up all the trash. Langer’s honest assessment of every tour, its turning points and the depressing lows, sets the tone in every episode.
There are several cinematic highs in the series, Jofra Archer pinning Smith with a bouncer at Lord’s being the most visually stunning. The instant numbing of the dressing room, Langer frantically pacing with the walkie in his hand and Smith’s subsequent brief flourish make for an edge-of the-seat watch. Lyon is another character who has been honestly explored. If his journey from being a nervous wreck before every Test to leading the team song after a win is gold, watch out for the episode where he is made to relive the fumble at a review meeting the morning after the Headingley loss. Head between his hands, he is barely able to watch it. You almost feel for Lyon.
A lot of footage is devoted to Smith the batsman, his quirks while defending or leaving the ball, and how invested he is in the art of batting. Smith’s equation with Marnus Labuschagne, the wide-eyed sub who shadows him everywhere, is a tale that will have more addenda in future. The ‘Love Café’ act featuring the bromance between Adam Zampa and
Marcus Stoinis, where the legspinner brews coffee for him every morning, is an attempt to portray the Australian team as a humane bunch of blokes who just love to play cricket.
That’s the truth the nearly hour-long episodes try to harp on every time. Leaving aside the fact that parts of ‘The Test’ may seem like cleverly shot propaganda, it’s a well-made docuseries that gives rare insight into a team’s psyche during the course of a World Cup and the game’s oldest rivalry. To any cricket buff, that’s nothing short of a jackpot.
***The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team is streaming on Amazon Prime Video