The Test: A New Era- An Amazon Prime documentary on Australian Cricket team

The Test: A New Era is a documentary on the Australian cricket team’s comeback journey. It is an eight-part docu-series covering the 18 months of a cricket team trying to bring back the glory. The series was released on March 11, 2020, on Amazon Prime.

What’s inside?

Australian cricket faced the biggest scandal ever during Australia’s tour of South Africa 2017-18. The sandpaper controversy shook the entire cricket world. The ball-tampering case led to the suspension of the then captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and opener Cameron Bancroft. Some of the best players of the team were involved in the scandal. It was not easy for Australia Cricket or the fans. It led to 12-month long suspensions, confessions on television, and new appointments. A new Test skipper Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer were given the responsibility to handle the vulnerable team. These two started a reboot button and began a new journey. It was never easy but it was the demand from the cricket world. Losing two current best batsmen of world cricket was a huge setback for the team. The team was rebuilt from the core. It took time. They lost Test series to the Indian team led by Virat Kohli. Then they beat India in an ODI series. They lost the World Cup 2019 semi-final match after showing glimpses of what they are made of. They finally came back to retain the Ashes. The Ashes saw the Steve Smith-Jofra Archer clash, the rise of Marnus Labuschagne, and the heroics of Ben Stokes.

Speaking of him exchanging words with Virat Kohli during the Test series, Tim Paine explained, “The plan was not to talk to him when he was batting. When we were batting it’s kind of up to the individual what they want to do. 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’.”

So the series does not only cover the entire journey but it also highlights the cricketers speaking about their emotions, captain and coach sharing anecdotes, and behind the scene dressing room footage.

Who says what?

“As we continue to increase production of Australian Amazon Original series, our goal is to tell local stories that resonate with our Prime members and we believe that The Test will do just that,” said James Farrell, VP of international originals at Amazon Studios. He further added, “In working with Cricket Australia, we’ve captured the spirit of the nation’s sport that will be sure to delight both fans of the game as well as those who enjoy an amazing comeback story of redemption. We’re excited to launch this series exclusively for our Prime members in Australia and around the world.”

Richard Ostroff, head of broadcast & production at Cricket Australia said, “Our national team, led by Tim Paine, Aaron Finch, and Justin Langer, have been on a considerable journey over the past 18 months. The Test has captured the highs and lows of this story intimately and we are thrilled to work with Amazon Prime Video to bring this story to cricket fans around the world.”

The director of the series, Adrian Brown said, “I can’t speak highly enough of the players and coaches involved. Having the opportunity to tell this story of resilience, character and achievement against-the-odds has been a privilege and I can’t wait to share it.”