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The Final Test

The Uncertain Future of Cricket’s First-Class Game
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Brief Description
‘A compelling book… Test cricket is hanging on. It’s a worry’ – Graham Gooch 'Huw Turbervill is the ultimate passionate polemicist for the Test format’ – David Gower OBE The editor of The Cricketer goes on a soul-searching journey to discover what the future holds for... Read More
Format: Hardback
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The editor of The Cricketer goes on a soul-searching journey to discover what the future holds for Test cricket.

The editor of The Cricketer goes on a soul-searching journey to discover what the future holds for Test cricket.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

‘A compelling book… Test cricket is hanging on. It’s a worry’ – Graham Gooch

'Huw Turbervill is the ultimate passionate polemicist for the Test format’ – David Gower OBE

The editor of The Cricketer goes on a soul-searching journey to discover what the future holds for Test cricket.

The Final Test is a love letter to cricket and a manifesto in favour of the Test format. Taking readers on a nostalgic journey, Huw Turbervill shares stories of cricket past and present and of the incredible characters the sport has encountered over the years. In exclusive interviews, he speaks to the likes of Viv Richards, Graham Gooch, David Gower, Merv Hughes, Richard Hadlee and more.

In a tumultuous sporting landscape, the cricket community, however, seems undecided about the future of Test cricket. The IPL is expanding, The Hundred still seems to dominate the thoughts of English cricket’s controllers, and the men’s Ashes in 2023 was relegated to a narrow window. As T20 keeps growing internationally and domestically like Japanese knotweed, attracting more fans than ever before, is it still possible for the longer format to retain its wistful shine?

Huw asks a five-star panel of cricketers, commentators and writers if Test cricket can truly survive the next decade. Shouldn’t we keep a tradition filled with memories of days gone by? Could we instead try to maintain a healthy balance of formats all year round? How about accepting that times need to change? Are Huw and others too nostalgic and conservative? This book is the ultimate soul-searching journey around the great game.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781399417525

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 24 April 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Sport

Illustration: Black and white integrated images

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 156.0mm

Height: 236.0mm

Weight: 420g

Pages: 240

About the Author

Huw Turbervill has been the editor of The Cricketer since 2021 after 15 years at the Telegraph (doing some touring as Scyld Berry’s sidekick). He started his career in Ipswich at the East Anglian Daily Times. His books include The Toughest Tour: The Ashes Away Series Since the War and The Cricketer’s Anthology of the Ashes.

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