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Domestic cricket overhaul in a country

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Indian cricket has been a journey from a low of being complete **** to a high of being almost complete-****, and then back to complete **** again.

We need bowlers who can bowl pace, and batsman who can play it. Simple as that.
Personally I'd say Sidhu, Das, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Azharruddin and Mongia (not the mention the likes of Gavaskar, Viswanath, Vengsarkar and countless other past wonders) weren't all that bad at it.

Quality batsmen are quality batsmen. Even if you don't face much seam when you're growing up, you can still learn to play it once you do.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
Personally I'd say Sidhu, Das, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Azharruddin and Mongia (not the mention the likes of Gavaskar, Viswanath, Vengsarkar and countless other past wonders) weren't all that bad at it.

Quality batsmen are quality batsmen. Even if you don't face much seam when you're growing up, you can still learn to play it once you do.
As a TEAM, we alternate between various degrees of ****.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
That's because good batsmen don't do well all the time.

There have been more than enough instances where Indian batting-line-ups have repelled quality seam.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Not sure about that.

Tell me - when there has been an India batting side with 3 or 4 quality players, how often have the small totals outnumbered the big ones?

Obviously, if it's a side with less quality there are going to be more small totals, and obviously on a wicket offering plenty to the seamers (for instance in New Zealand in 2002\03 and South Africa in 1996\97) most sides are going to be bowled-out cheaply most of the time.

But you have to offer a fair assessment. Just saying "India have lost away, that means our batsmen can't play seam" isn't IMO.
 

Calvin

Cricket Spectator
For Pakistan cricket, proper hard ball cricket leagues must be introduced in high school, school is usually on for 3 Saturdays in a month (public schools) so Saturdays should be used to promote sports be it cricket, hockey, football, rugby or anything. Proper teams should be made for schools and tournaments be contested between them. When you get the youth interested in the game like that they will automatically move onto club cricket and then first class cricket. The problem with Pakistan is that the input that clubs and first class cricket teams get is of poor quality.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
This is actually a pretty interesting thread.

Not disagreeing with the 1st post, but wouldnt the first thing for Indian cricket to sort out be making a career in FC cricket a semi-lucrative one?

Its fine for the Test guys to make a lot of money but the career domestic players are what any system is built on. Not everyone can be an up and coming player or an international and the guys that spend 10 years at a FC side are the foundations on which a club and league is built.
It shouldn't end with that, Goughy.


One of the main reasons most international (and FC) cricketers in India try to stay on even after they aren't good enough and hold down youngsters is the fact that there isn't much to do for a pro cricketer once he quits the game. I would like to see more of these guys go into coaching, umpiring, administration (take a MBA degree once you quit and then get into one of the associations and try to take it from there) and so on. It should be made clear that cricketers who retire aren't left out and that there are avenues for them to make a career out of the game even if they aren't playing anymore....


We have the NCA where we will have jobs for a number of ex-cricketers... I heard that state level and zonal level academies are on the pipeline, so that increases the chances of current FC cricketers getting a decent job with decent pay while still being involved with the game.


Also, I am always amazed why cricketers dont go in for degrees in sports medicine and stuff. It certainly wont be the worst idea to have an ex- international or FC cricketer as your trainer or physical advisor or even physio, is it????
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Good point.

There is a reason why cricket has one of the highest suicide and divorce rates of any profession. Its a relatively short career where by the time you retire others in different jobs are approaching their prime and it is such a time consuming job as you are playing virtually all the time that you can lose perspective of the 'real world'.

Add in the fact you are not skilled to do anything else, haven't earned enough to retire completely and have another 20-30 yrs of working to do then it is a recipe for depression.

Good to hear that things are being done about providing futures for ex-cricketers in India.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
I heard one of the better Windies players, some Valentine, not sure who it was... But I heard he was actually BEGGING to earn money now. It surely shouldn't come to that. :(
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Patrick Patterson, I think.

Alf Valentine had a wonderful after-cricket career, working with orphans. Died a couple of years back, though.

Apparently, though, life-after-cricket is harder in West Indies than anywhere.

And yeah - I very much agree with hbh and Kev on the last couple of posts.
 

sideshowtim

Banned
I love the way Australian cricket is currently set up domestically. It's fantastic. Second XI state sides for young blokes on the verge of cracking the state teams, hell even club cricket in Sydney is magnificently strong.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
It means you know about it and not about that of any other country, as far as I'm concerned.
 

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