Ashes 2019: Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly says series has kept Test cricket 'alive', pins hopes on rest of the world to raise their standards

New Delhi: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has lauded the standard of matches in the ongoing Ashes between England and Australia, saying the series has “kept Test cricket alive”. He also asked the rest of the world to raise their standards. “The “Ashes” series have kept test cricket alive …. up to rest of the world to raise their standards,” Ganguly tweeted.

The” Ashes “ series have kept test cricket alive .... upto rest of the world to raise their standards

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) August 18, 2019

The ongoing Ashes has produced riveting cricketing action in the first two Tests of the five-match series. The second Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday ended in a draw. Day four of the Test match had given cricket fans a spectacle as there was a fierce battle between the bat and ball. England’s Jofra Archer and Australia’s Steve Smith battled it out on the field. Smith had to deal with two blows on day four of the match. First, he was struck on the elbow by Jofra Archer and soon after he got a hit on the neck by a bouncer from the pacer. Physios from both England and Australia attended Smith, but the batsman had to leave the park to undergo a concussion test. A while later, the batsman made his way back to the crease, but a section of England crowd was seen booing the player. On the final day of the Test match, Cricket Australia released a statement that Smith had suffered a delayed concussion and as a result, he was ruled out of day five of the second Test. Marcus Labuschagne was named as the concussion substitute in place of Smith. On the final day, Ben Stokes starred for the hosts as he scored a century to put the team in the driving seat. The team set a target of 267, and they were able to scalp six Aussie wickets, but in the end, Travis Head and Pat Cummins ensured Australia does not lose the match. Smith has been in remarkable form in the Ashes as he has scored 378 runs in the series so far. In the first Test, he became the fifth Australian to register centuries in both innings in an Ashes Test. He also surpassed Indian skipper Virat Kohli to become the second-fastest batsman to register 25 Test centuries. Nathan Lyon scalped six wickets in the second innings of the first Test, which enabled the team from Down Under to register a 251-run victory. England and Australia will next lock horns in the third Test at Headingley from August 22. Having won the first Test, Australia is leading 1-0 in the series.