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Australia's Festive Season Tests under threat

Perm

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
India domestic season is played in December as well...
Oh okay, my mistake. That's beside the original point though, I haven't heard India complain about not playing any Boxing Day Test matches, just South Africa.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
Oh okay, my mistake. That's beside the original point though, I haven't heard India complain about not playing any Boxing Day Test matches, just South Africa.
Read the inital part of the article about 8 National teams having their domestic season around that time and bring annoyed they have to play matches outside their domestic seasons to let Australia play with the same schedule every season. South Africa are the ones that want a Boxing Day Test, but the rest want to play more Test matches around then, so the schedule is on par with their domestic season.
 

Perm

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Read the inital part of the article about 8 National teams having their domestic season around that time and bring annoyed they have to play matches outside their domestic seasons to let Australia play with the same schedule every season. South Africa are the ones that want a Boxing Day Test, but the rest want to play more Test matches around then, so the schedule is on par with their domestic season.
Yes but Craig and I were discussing the Boxing Day Test, not an entire series.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I've always thought it is a bit ridiculous that Australia always get the home summer to themselves. I think it is about time that Australia gives in.
 

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
I've always thought it is a bit ridiculous that Australia always get the home summer to themselves. I think it is about time that Australia gives in.
Nah. I can see how it would be a draw for other countries but it's become an institution for us. It's more ingrained in our cultures than other nations.

I suppose we could cancel Christmas so there is no Boxing Day.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
So what? Just because it's 'part of our culture' doesn't mean things shouldn't change, especially considering other nations have Boxing Day tests. I remember a friend of mine expressing surprise that New Zealand had a Boxing Day test, something along the lines of, "I thought only Australia had a Boxing Day test."
 

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
So what? Just because it's 'part of our culture' doesn't mean things shouldn't change, especially considering other nations have Boxing Day tests. I remember a friend of mine expressing surprise that New Zealand had a Boxing Day test, something along the lines of, "I thought only Australia had a Boxing Day test."
Tradition, for crying out loud.


I could see a trade off, though. If we give up the Boxing Day test we should bring back the Australia Day test IMO.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
Tradition, for crying out loud.


I could see a trade off, though. If we give up the Boxing Day test we should bring back the Australia Day test IMO.
Last time i checked the tradition of Boxing Day was centered around Shield match between NSW and Victoria. If you want tradition bring back the Boxing Day Pura Cup match between NSW and Victoria.
 

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Last time i checked the tradition of Boxing Day was centered around Shield match between NSW and Victoria. If you want tradition bring back the Boxing Day Pura Cup match between NSW and Victoria.
Why not hold a rugby match between South Africa and Australia on ANZAC day at Christmas bloody Island?


Next the rest of the world will be claiming the Australians and English have a monopoly on the Ashes trophy...
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Greg, are you actually an Aussie or a Kiwi? :huh: I'd always simply presumed you were a Kiwi but you seem to be talking as an Aussie here...

Personally, I quite see the complaint of, say, India and Sri Lanka (or New Zealand and South Africa) being unable to schedule home games for November and December. Unfortunately, it's just one of those things - there will always be a loser. Sure, it's certainly not fair for that loser to always be India and Sri Lanka and I certainly see Tharmi's point about SL being treated as completely second-class by Australia which is utterly ridiculous.

Thing is, though, India have the option of playing in October and March; Australia don't, really. Similarly, Lanka have that of playing both in March and in May-September (much as I hate to see that as an Englishman - I've always had the complete opposite end of the spectrum to the SH sides and like to see May-September as being the exclusive preserve of the English season). So there is an element of it being fair enough that the Aussies have first claim on the November-February period.

The point about Boxing Day and New Year's Tests, especially against SA but where applicable against NZ, however, is certainly one that needs to be changed. Ideally, you'd just schedule tours so that they never collide. If that's not possible, Australia might have to sacrifice a Festive Period set once every 8 years.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Tradition, for crying out loud.


I could see a trade off, though. If we give up the Boxing Day test we should bring back the Australia Day test IMO.

It's also a tradition in other countries, which they've had to give up if they're touring Australia that summer. Should start swapping or something.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Greg, are you actually an Aussie or a Kiwi? :huh: I'd always simply presumed you were a Kiwi but you seem to be talking as an Aussie here...

Personally, I quite see the complaint of, say, India and Sri Lanka (or New Zealand and South Africa) being unable to schedule home games for November and December. Unfortunately, it's just one of those things - there will always be a loser. Sure, it's certainly not fair for that loser to always be India and Sri Lanka and I certainly see Tharmi's point about SL being treated as completely second-class by Australia which is utterly ridiculous.

Thing is, though, India have the option of playing in October and March; Australia don't, really. Similarly, Lanka have that of playing both in March and in May-September (much as I hate to see that as an Englishman - I've always had the complete opposite end of the spectrum to the SH sides and like to see May-September as being the exclusive preserve of the English season). So there is an element of it being fair enough that the Aussies have first claim on the November-February period.

The point about Boxing Day and New Year's Tests, especially against SA but where applicable against NZ, however, is certainly one that needs to be changed. Ideally, you'd just schedule tours so that they never collide. If that's not possible, Australia might have to sacrifice a Festive Period set once every 8 years.

I don't think you really know what you're talking about. Australia could easily play tests as late as March or April or as early as October.
 

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Greg, are you actually an Aussie or a Kiwi? :huh: I'd always simply presumed you were a Kiwi but you seem to be talking as an Aussie here...

Personally, I quite see the complaint of, say, India and Sri Lanka (or New Zealand and South Africa) being unable to schedule home games for November and December. Unfortunately, it's just one of those things - there will always be a loser. Sure, it's certainly not fair for that loser to always be India and Sri Lanka and I certainly see Tharmi's point about SL being treated as completely second-class by Australia which is utterly ridiculous.

Thing is, though, India have the option of playing in October and March; Australia don't, really. Similarly, Lanka have that of playing both in March and in May-September (much as I hate to see that as an Englishman - I've always had the complete opposite end of the spectrum to the SH sides and like to see May-September as being the exclusive preserve of the English season). So there is an element of it being fair enough that the Aussies have first claim on the November-February period.

The point about Boxing Day and New Year's Tests, especially against SA but where applicable against NZ, however, is certainly one that needs to be changed. Ideally, you'd just schedule tours so that they never collide. If that's not possible, Australia might have to sacrifice a Festive Period set once every 8 years.
I'm an Australian but follow New Zealand primarily.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yeah? Isn't that footy season?
The AFL (which is really the only sport that uses cricket grounds) has their final in the first weekend of October and the season proper doesn't start until late March/early April (I think). Don't follow AFL so can't be too sure when the season starts.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I know AFL's the only sport that uses cricket grounds but that's not the only thing of relevancve - there's no point playing Tests when no-one's interested because they're all watching AFL\football\rugby.

Speaking as an Englishman, I've always thought Australia's ability to manage an exact split of the cricket\football seasons has been hugely admirable. Compared to over here, it's sheer magnificence.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I know AFL's the only sport that uses cricket grounds but that's not the only thing of relevancve - there's no point playing Tests when no-one's interested because they're all watching AFL\football\rugby.

Speaking as an Englishman, I've always thought Australia's ability to manage an exact split of the cricket\football seasons has been hugely admirable. Compared to over here, it's sheer magnificence.
We don't have 764 rounds of soccer games a year though, so not that hard.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
Why not hold a rugby match between South Africa and Australia on ANZAC day at Christmas bloody Island?


Next the rest of the world will be claiming the Australians and English have a monopoly on the Ashes trophy...
Well the ANZAC test in Rugby League isn't even held on the ANZAC weekend. Its usually two weeks before ANZAC day. So its not like they follow tradition with ANZAC matches either.

But regardless the point was the orginal tradition of Boxing Day Match was a State match between NSW and Victoria. That tradition got lost when ODIs (World Series Cricket) came in and they had to re-schedule the domestic and international calender. The traditional state game got replaced with a Test match, so World Series Cricket could be played later in the year when Test where usually on.

If they where happy to replace a tradional game back then for the good of the International calender. Then what is the big deal with losing the Boxing Day Test once every eight years.

People forgot that the Boxing Day and New Year Test are only new things and haven't been around for that long really. In relativity the New Years Test has only been a main fixtures for the same period as Boxing Day Test in South Africa.
 

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