“Rise from disgrace” – a lockdown special to watch

Recently I watched the eight-part docuseries called “The Test – A New Era for Australia’s Team” through Amazon Prime. The series offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the world’s best cricket teams fell from grace and was forced to reclaim their title and integrity. Cricket is a game steeped in tradition, and the behind the scenes access the Australian Cricket team have provided for The Test is unprecedented. This is a story of resilience, character and achievement against-the-odds, ‘The Test’ offers plenty even for those who hate the Australian cricket team. The series chronicles the 16-month journey of the Australian men's cricket team. In March 2018, the landscape of Australian cricket was changed forever. They were bruised by the ball tampering/cheating scandal in Cape Town (South Africa), which led to suspension of captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft. Australian cricket fans didn't know how to react. They felt let down by a team they put so much faith in and I remembered my childhood days when match-fixing allegations rocked Indian cricket in late 90s. The whole world felt disheartened that an Australian team would stoop to such levels & many wondered if the Australian cricket team would ever recover. The series gives you an insight of the boos and abuse that was heard whenever Australia played a match during the World Cup 2019 in England – a traumatic & vulnerable environment for any sportsman to overcome and deliver results.

Fast forward two years and Australia have retained the Ashes in England, have unearthed formidable young cricketing prodigies and are a force to be reckoned with yet again on the world stage.  ‘The Test’ is driven by players battling their own Australian-ness rather than their rivals. After all, while failure strengthens the spine of most teams, it took cheating to rehabilitate the soul of Australian cricket. This Australian team did not have many talented players with both their Captain & Vice-Captain banned, but lack of quality should not mean a lack of success. This docuseries is sure to delight both fans of the game as well as those who enjoy an amazing comeback story of redemption, there’s a good chance you’ll want to binge-watch the whole series.

The way a leader (Justin Langer – the Australian Coach) is adamant to take Australian cricket to the top again but also focusing on installing a set of values for the team during this grueling journey.

Yes, Crisis tests everyone’s character, but it also turns everyone into a character. 

#TheTest #Australia #Cricket #TheAshes #AmazonPrime #RiseAgain #BingeWatch #CricketAustralia #Motivation #Values #Determination #Resilience #Lockdown #wintogether #Teamwork #Leadership