Not only did they show the decisive fourth day of the 2019 Headingley Ashes Test and the World Cup Final in full, the last two hours of both broadcasts boasted a novel invention, the Sky Easter Watchalong, with Sky pundits and some of the key players involved, including Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler, giving their take on the action as it unfolded. Here are six takeaways from the special TV event:

No good deed goes unpunished

The early stages of Saturday seemed only to serve as an example of the adage ‘no good deed goes unpunished’. Sky had already won praise for their initial decision to replay Headingley Day 4 on their TV channel, and when they announced the action would also be shown in full on their YouTube channel, giving those without a subscription the chance to watch the whole of Stokes’ incredible innings for the first time.

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Sky then announced an ambitious ‘Watchalong’ of the last two hours’ play with their pundits and some of England’s key players offering their thoughts on the game at the same time.

But, as allusions to the YouTube stream of the entire day began to disappear from Sky’s website and Twitter feed, and as midday rolled around with no action in site, those hoping to watch online realised the Watchalong had superseded the stream, and voiced their outrage. Thankfully, Sky soon realised their mistake, apologised, and began streaming the action, with only the first few overs having been missed.

The format works, just about

When ‘Watchalong’ time rolled around, plenty started following with intrigue, not just to hear what the players would say, but to see how, and if the concept would function. And to begin with, it was something of a shambles.

Connectivity and audio issues made conversation stilted, and the commentary and the players speaking clashed with each other. It took time too for Rob Key et al. to find their groove, with the early instalments feeling like an interview alongside the cricket, rather than four blokes watching along. It distracted from, rather than enhanced the action.

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The fans, feeling shorn of a chance to properly relive the Headingley magic, made their disapproval clear, and even if that was harsh on a broadcaster being inventive, it felt like an experiment that might not bear repeating. And then, as ever with English cricket these days, Stokes came on, and the complexion changed entirely.

The all-rounder is an unheralded on-camera star, self-effacing without being falsely modest, able to joke around with the pundits without fear of giving away too much or too little, and clearly as entranced with his own performance as those watching were. Crucially, he was able to give insight into what was happening on the field, what he was thinking, feeling, and saying to his teammates as they came and went. In the space of five minutes, the Watchalong had gone from unwatchable to unmissable.

Ben Stokes might end up as the best captain England have never had

When discussing Ben Stokes’ exploits over the last year, it’s easy to lapse into using primal language, to describe him as instinctive, as this purely reactive, superheroic cricketer, and that even he can’t believe the things he’s doing. And while there were times when Stokes was baffled by his own brilliance, what came across most was that his cricket brain at least matches his brawn, as he explained his tactics when batting with No.11 Jack Leach or his decision not to hit the last ball of the World Cup Final for a match-winning six.

[caption id=”attachment_144041″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Ben Stokes: The best captain England will never have?[/caption]

It became clear too that here is a leader with words as well as actions, as shown by when he disclosed how he told Jofra Archer to hit Nathan Lyon over the leg-side rather than the off-side, cajoling his attacking tendencies in the right direction, and gave Chris Woakes the go-ahead to attack Lockie Ferguson’s short ball towards the end of the World Cup Final. That both ended in their dismissals are only minor black marks.

There are, of course, plenty of good reasons why Stokes should never be England’s full-time captain, the games he’ll be forced to miss through injury and the risk of diminishing a potentially all-time-great cricketer, but the captaincy skills themselves need not be in doubt.

Ricky Ponting is nearly as good a pundit as he was a player

One thing that rewatching a game in full makes you appreciate in a way that highlights don’t is the prescience of observations of those in the commentary box, and Punter was on top form, with his remark that Australia could never win an lbw appeal bowling around the wicket moments before Tim Paine spurned a review particularly psychic.

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His balance and neutrality was made all the more impressive by the fact that he was working as a coach for the Australians before play started, feeding them balls in the nets and offering tips, as noted by Nasser Hussain. That the only criticism they could find was the over-excited and hugely uncool “Wowee” that slipped out after yet another outrageous Stokes shot speaks volumes.

We miss live cricket even more than we thought

While rewatching the games was good, what was unanticipated was that this would be a proper reliving, with all the emotions coming rushing back, even though we all knew how it ended. It felt like a communal experience, with everyone on social media talking about the same thing – one of the forgotten casualties of the lack of live sport.

Headingley > Lord’s

Perhaps the World Cup final meant more, coming after 40 years of hurt and four years planning, with the free-to-air access and the Channel 4 screening only adding to its impact. The World Cup final could inspire a generation; the Headingley win didn’t even inspire an Ashes reclaiming.

But as a pure piece of sporting theatre, Headingley stands tall, and not because of the sanctimonious arguments of the pre-eminence of Test cricket. Key’s anecdote that Murali left halfway through the World Cup final was amusing, but also a reminder that the showpiece was something of a dirge until the closing stages. If you were a fan of stolen singles, canny medium pace, and shrewd captaincy there was pleasure to be found. But for high-octane thrills it’s the Headingley Test, in its entirety, that wins out.

Rob Key: “I was sitting with Murali for the start [of the World Cup Final] because he was watching it in a box. And he just said ‘Keysy, this is so boring, I’m going’. And he left!”

Murali probably regrets this decision… pic.twitter.com/jZV3T8xHSD

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 12, 2020

Even on the first day, you had a new-ball burst cancelled out by a Labuschagne-Warner counter-punch. Then England were bundled out for 67, after which Stokes bowled forever, and bowled brilliantly. Even in the fourth innings before Stokes’ onslaught there were swings aplenty. Joe Root staying calm with his feet held to the fire, Joe Denly with a valedictory fifty that became so much more, and Jonny Bairstow’s new-ball counterattack. It was a game that grabbed your attention throughout, not just at the climax.