Stanford millions

[Prince EWS]

In their hearts any budding cricketer would rather be Michael Vaughan than Luke Wright

If Luke Wright really is going to earn a heap more money and get more exposure to the casual cricket fans, then I think you're wrong. Unfortunately, a lot of cricketers aren't as wrapped up in the history and prestige of cricket as us diehard fans, especially the younger ones. I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the supposed stars of the future and most they wouldn't know Trumper from Lohmann, let alone value Test cricket highly enough above Twenty20 cricket to give up fame and fortune. Remove the glory of playing for your country altogether and you'll win a few back over to our line of thinking, but if they can play for Australia (or England, in this case), get their photos in the paper and earn millions, they aren't going to care that they aren't in the Test team as much as you'd like to think. I eventually changed my example to Strauss (solid Test batsman suited to that format, in and out of the side recently, not in the frame for Twenty20 cricket at all) as I thought Vaughan (Test captain) was a bit extreme, but my point still stands. Strausses are better for the game than Wrights and we're encouraging the development of Wrights a lot more.

Obviously the majority still place a lot of value in playing Test cricket - I'm not trying to suggest otherwise - but perhaps not as much as you'd like to think ... money talks. You get your exceptions too like Jack who has a very thorough knowledge of the game's history and the context of the present and I don't want to generalise too much, but I think you're wrong about how these players will think as a whole... especially young players who will be deciding which parts of their game to develop primarily.

It'll probably be a gradual process, but given the current financial breakdown, I can definitely see a lot of players focusing on their Twenty20 skills moreso than their skills for longer formats. We never really had this problem with ODI cricket when it come to the fore as while it generated more money than Test cricket, players weren't paid more for appearing in an ODI than they were in a Test match. ODI cricket helped fund Test cricket; Twenty20 directly competes with it by offering entirely separate monetary rewards.

 

[GIMH]

Look, I pretty much agree with everything you've said - maybe I didn't get my point across. I think players would like to play Test Cricket most of all as a romantic notion, or maybe if they are born to billionaire parents, but would pragmatically pump for the T20 option because money means more than anything to most people. Again, it's a lot like when the footballer Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United from Everton whom he had supported all his life.

I love Test Cricket more than anything, but as a father of three, given the choice of playing Test Cricket for England in the Ashes or playing in this winner-takes-all contest, I reckon I would have to shoot with the money. I could sit here hypothetically and try and suggest otherwise, but at the end of the day looking after my family is more important than looking after my dreams, I guess cricketers will find themselves in the same boat.

 

[fredfertang]

If you are a certainty for selection for Mr Stanfords beer match and a telephone number payday are you really going to be that keen on busting a gut in the preceeding series of test matches where you'll pick up a comparitively tiny amount of money but might pick up an injury that will keep you out of the beer match?

 

[Langeveldt]

It's not sustainable.. Of course all the big wigs love to romanticise about how test cricket is the ultimate, and that there will always be a place for it.. But money talks, and I liken Stanford to a kind of worldwide Glazer family.. Sooner or later the game which I personally love (and I don't think I'm alone) will be destroyed more or less completely.. At an international level anyway.. If you don't like Twenty20, get out and get another hobby

For posterity, if this post is dug up in a few years time, I think there will only be one more SA test tour to England after this one..

 

[pasag]

If Luke Wright really is going to earn a heap more money and get more exposure to the casual cricket fans, then I think you're wrong. Unfortunately, a lot of cricketers aren't as wrapped up in the history and prestige of cricket as us diehard fans, especially the younger ones. I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the supposed stars of the future and most they wouldn't know Trumper from Lohmann, let alone value Test cricket highly enough above Twenty20 cricket to give up fame and fortune. Remove the glory of playing for your country altogether and you'll win a few back over to our line of thinking, but if they can play for Australia (or England, in this case), get their photos in the paper and earn millions, they aren't going to care that they aren't in the Test team as much as you'd like to think. I eventually changed my example to Strauss (solid Test batsman suited to that format, in and out of the side recently, not in the frame for Twenty20 cricket at all) as I thought Vaughan (Test captain) was a bit extreme, but my point still stands. Strausses are better for the game than Wrights and we're encouraging the development of Wrights a lot more.

Obviously the majority still place a lot of value in playing Test cricket - I'm not trying to suggest otherwise - but perhaps not as much as you'd like to think ... money talks. You get your exceptions too like Jack who has a very thorough knowledge of the game's history and the context of the present and I don't want to generalise too much, but I think you're wrong about how these players will think as a whole... especially young players who will be deciding which parts of their game to develop primarily.

It'll probably be a gradual process, but given the current financial breakdown, I can definitely see a lot of players focusing on their Twenty20 skills moreso than their skills for longer formats. We never really had this problem with ODI cricket when it come to the fore as while it generated more money than Test cricket, players weren't paid more for appearing in an ODI than they were in a Test match. ODI cricket helped fund Test cricket; Twenty20 directly competes with it by offering entirely separate monetary rewards.

Lol, most depressing post.

 

[nightprowler10]

Awta.

 

[silentstriker]

If Luke Wright really is going to earn a heap more money and get more exposure to the casual cricket fans, then I think you're wrong. Unfortunately, a lot of cricketers aren't as wrapped up in the history and prestige of cricket as us diehard fans, especially the younger ones. I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the supposed stars of the future and most they wouldn't know Trumper from Lohmann, let alone value Test cricket highly enough above Twenty20 cricket to give up fame and fortune. Remove the glory of playing for your country altogether and you'll win a few back over to our line of thinking, but if they can play for Australia (or England, in this case), get their photos in the paper and earn millions, they aren't going to care that they aren't in the Test team as much as you'd like to think. I eventually changed my example to Strauss (solid Test batsman suited to that format, in and out of the side recently, not in the frame for Twenty20 cricket at all) as I thought Vaughan (Test captain) was a bit extreme, but my point still stands. Strausses are better for the game than Wrights and we're encouraging the development of Wrights a lot more.

Obviously the majority still place a lot of value in playing Test cricket - I'm not trying to suggest otherwise - but perhaps not as much as you'd like to think ... money talks. You get your exceptions too like Jack who has a very thorough knowledge of the game's history and the context of the present and I don't want to generalise too much, but I think you're wrong about how these players will think as a whole... especially young players who will be deciding which parts of their game to develop primarily.

It'll probably be a gradual process, but given the current financial breakdown, I can definitely see a lot of players focusing on their Twenty20 skills moreso than their skills for longer formats. We never really had this problem with ODI cricket when it come to the fore as while it generated more money than Test cricket, players weren't paid more for appearing in an ODI than they were in a Test match. ODI cricket helped fund Test cricket; Twenty20 directly competes with it by offering entirely separate monetary rewards.

The only counterpoint to your example that I can give is that in India, ODIs supplanted Tests a long long time ago in terms of popularity and interest and money making potential (an ODI star in Dhoni earns more money than Test player like Dravid in endorsements), and yet most players still value Test cricket the most. Does that mean we are developing more Dhonis than Dravids? Maybe. But I don't think its all that wrong to get 10 year old to be interested in Dhoni. Most people grow up and mature, and as I said, by the time they get to the highest level, they pretty much know what game means the most.

 

[biased indian]

And one doubt..didnt see any one mention this...what happens if Stanford eleven win the match....England players don't get any thing other than the 3.5 million the ECB will be getting rite ...or is this 1Million each for their participation alone ????

And if do WI player get money for winning i think it will be better for the game if 11 WI can make 1 million each in a day..i am sure more people in WI will be involved Cricket ..than Baseball or Basket ball

 

[cowboysfan]

And one doubt..didnt see any one mention this...what happens if Stanford eleven win the match....England players don't get any thing other than the 3.5 million the ECB will be getting rite ...or is this 1Million each for their participation alone ????

And if do WI player get money for winning i think it will be better for the game if 11 WI can make 1 million each in a day..i am sure more people in WI will be involved Cricket ..than Baseball or Basket ball

I will be rooting for West Indies too-if this windfall makes more youngsters in the carribbean take up cricket than it will be a successful endeavour.

 

[superkingdave]

Depending on the side selections, I'll be rooting for the Windies as well..let's face it they should win quite easily anyway, If Dave Mohammed plays it's a given.

Imagine if West Indies win, Dave gets his money and starts up the 'Dave Mohammed Cricket Schools' modelled on the Bobby Charlton football ones, WI would be back at number one in no time.

Perhaps that's another question to ask, what will the players do with the money?

Chris Gayle - personalised sunglasses a must, a lot of bling as well
Ian Bell - A mail order bride (not sure why, he just seems the type)

 

[four_or_six]

Perhaps that's another question to ask, what will the players do with the money?

Chris Gayle - personalised sunglasses a must, a lot of bling as well
Ian Bell - A mail order bride (not sure why, he just seems the type)

Well we all know KP is desperate for the money to pay his children-to-be's school fees. He's told us often enough in the papers.

Actually, thinking about it, one of the best things about this match is we don't get KP whining on in the papers about not getting his money. And he can't whine on about burn-out like he was continually before this either!

 

[duffer]

Just hope for Stanford's sake that this is a good match. Although I loved the IPL and like T20 in general a blowout T20 match is as painful cricketing viewing as you can find.

Needs a real spectacle ala IPL Final or a McCullum explosion for this to take off.

 

[Goughy]

Just hope for Stanford's sake that this is a good match. Although I loved the IPL and like T20 in general a blowout T20 match is as painful cricketing viewing as you can find.

Needs a real spectacle ala IPL Final or a McCullum explosion for this to take off.

Thats a pretty good point. As there is only 1 game there is a lot of pressure to get it right and have a real spectacle.

Watch plumb LBWs on Gayle, Flintoff and KP get turned down to extend the entertainment

 

[Langeveldt]

Well we all know KP is desperate for the money to pay his children-to-be's school fees. He's told us often enough in the papers.

Actually, thinking about it, one of the best things about this match is we don't get KP whining on in the papers about not getting his money. And he can't whine on about burn-out like he was continually before this either!

Where is he sending them? Mars?

 

[four_or_six]

Where is he sending them? Mars?

Lol, no idea. That just seemed to be the line he was trotting out to the papers at one point... that's what he needed the money for.

 

[NUFAN]

I can't see how this is smart business picking cricketers from two countries who struggle to get into semi finals in major tournaments..

The only positeve is that 7 Million gets to be shared be the English and West Indian Cricket boards.

 

[superkingdave]

I can't see how this is smart business picking cricketers from two countries who struggle to get into semi finals in major tournaments..

The only positeve is that 7 Million gets to be shared be the English and West Indian Cricket boards.

Obviously had to be WI and someone else...SA and India already turned him down...England probably guarantee the most money after that.

 

[four_or_six]

Obviously had to be WI and someone else...SA and India already turned him down...England probably guarantee the most money after that.

I read on the BBC that the other two teams for his triangular tournaments will likely be SriL and NZ

 

[fredfertang]

The financial problems of the WICB are well documented but I didn’t expect the ECB to be such a bunching of fawning sychophants over Stanford’s millions – I wonder how much the experience of being allowed to land at Lords in a helicopter (a privilege denied even to royalty) was worth to him – I’ll bet that photo appears on a few advertising hoardings on the subcontinent before the week is out - I shall laugh if when push comes to shove he fails to cough up! Or some clever lawyer finds a reason he doesn’t need to

 

[steds]

Stanford Superstars squad named.

Dave Mohammed in. England have lost already.