TEST cricket has something of a mixed reputation.

For aficionados, it’s the pinnacle of the game, the format that is held in highest esteem. However, for non-cricket lovers, it’s the reason why they struggle to get interested in the game.

At times, Test cricket can indeed be tedious, with little of interest happening for long periods. Contrast that to the smash, bang, wallop approach of T20 cricket, which has proved so popular, and the problem becomes clear.

However, if you are someone who has previously struggled to get into Test cricket, you’d be well served watching a match involving New Zealand.

I didn’t get to watch as much of their recent, and criminally short, series against England as I would have liked, but what I did see, I was impressed by.

They are certainly the most entertaining side around at the moment, with players like Brendan McCullum and Martin Guptill taking the explosiveness that makes them world class players in the shorter formats of the game and transferring it to Tests.

No matter what is happening, they look to attack when they are batting. Take the first day of last week’s second Test at Headingley. England had put them in to bat and had them in real trouble at 2-2.

The ball was swinging and the pitch was doing plenty, a combination that normally sees batsmen dig in and try to ride the storm.

New Zealand took a different approach – and it worked. By taking risks and scoring quickly, they got on top of the bowlers, forced England into more defensive fields and set up what was ultimately a series-levelling win by smashing their way to 350 in just 71 overs.

It took England 37 overs longer to match their score and when the tourists bludgeoned their way to 454 in 91 overs during the second innings, they found themselves in a winning position.

Of course, it’s not an approach that will always work. They are likely to lose as many games as they win, because the risks they take will not pay off every time. That’s why nobody else does it and also why they’ll never be the best team in the world.

The Headingley Test was also a must-win game for New Zealand, who trailed 1-0 going into it. With bad weather forecast, they had to score quickly to have any chance of winning.

They had little to lose, but even when they play their normal game, there’s little doubt that they are improving the image of Test cricket, which is a hard thing to do.

Basingstoke Gazette:

WHILE I’m on the subject of cricket, let me point you in the direction of May’s Bounty tomorrow, where Basingstoke and North Hants host Hook and Newnham Basics.

Both sides have made a good start to the season and it should be a great game. On paper, Basingstoke are favourites, but Hook will be doubly determined after losing to Hartley Wintney last week.

The critical phase of the game is likely to be the start of the Hook innings.

Martyn James is the jewel in the Basingstoke bowling attack’s crown and his opening spell could be crucial. If he gets two or three cheap wickets, Hook will be in trouble.

However, if Hook’s key man, Ben Thane, can survive and get a big score, the game might just as easily swing the other way.

James v Thane is a duel I’m looking forward to. If you can get down to the ground, it will be well worth a watch, particularly as the weather forecast is good.

If you can’t make it, you’ll be able to follow the game live on this very website. Let’s hope it lives up to its billing.

Basingstoke Gazette: Sepp Blatter

LAST week, I gave my view on the crisis FIFA found itself mired in.

Seven days on and it’s still making headlines. I correctly predicted that Sepp Blatter would win the election (you didn’t need to be a genius to work that out) but I certainly didn’t imagine that he would step aside just four days later.

What changed between Friday’s rather strange victory speech and Tuesday’s resignation is not yet clear. I’m sure it will all come out in the wash, or the courtroom.

Either way, we got the right outcome for football. Now we just need to ensure that the correct replacement is appointed.

Sadly, that might be easier said than done.