I Hate Two Test Series!

[Jezroy]

Just wanted to bleat about this after news today that Pakistan are playing 2 T20's, 2 Tests, and 6 ODI's on their tour of NZ this coming summer.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. Do the respective cricket boards really think that playing 6 ODI's in NZ instead of 5 ODI's in NZ are REALLY going to help them with a World Cup in the sub continent? Good work.

It's almost as if the NZC only include tests in a schedule as a token gesture. If it wasn't for the law on T20's only being 2 per tour (at the moment) I'm sure they would have played 5 of those and dropped the tests completely. No wonder we're so crud at tests. We never play them and no one seems to think they are that important. Have now lost out on 3 test matches this year (2 dropped by Bangladesh as well). Over it.

And with word coming through that NZC are making themselves an IPL window as the ICC are too dumb to do it, I doubt there will be many 3 test series at the back end of the season from now on.

Another 2 Test Series

 

[Jezroy]

NZ in the last 15 years...

4 test series - 1
3 test series - 20
2 test series - 29
1 test series - 5

Boo.

NZ Test Series in the last 15 years

 

[outbreak]

i agree this is stupid. Cricinfo actually says their playing 3 t20's not 2. 6 ODIs is too much for a series and just gets boring for me. I'd much rather 2 t20's 5ODIs (or even 3) and 3 tests

 

[_Ed_]

A sad state of affairs.

 

[Hurricane]

1) I guess they said there were other scheduling reasons in the article. But if came down to 6 ODIs vs 5 ODIs that is kind of stupid.

2) If either of the two boards pushed for it - it would have been Pakistan given that they will be targetting this sub continental world cup to do well and NZ are an excellent team to play during warm ups.

3) I also think it is stupid that we don't get to play Bangers in tests with Bangers preferring to play us in ODIs for preparation. My head tells me that Bangers will not make the final 8 teams - but my heart says that they should be allowed to dream dreams and who is Justin Vaughn to crush those dreams.

4) Hooray that some of NZ's best venues for test match cricket have been selected (ie no Napier). Living in Wellington I seem to get spoiled with a test match every year which is nice. I saw Umar Akmal up close last time and he had a pair of ratty old pads on to play a test match in. I guess they were his lucky pads.

 

[Jezroy]

i agree this is stupid. Cricinfo actually says their playing 3 t20's not 2. 6 ODIs is too much for a series and just gets boring for me. I'd much rather 2 t20's 5ODIs (or even 3) and 3 tests

You're correct - why would they not have 2 T20's, 3 tests, and 5 ODI's?

They already have the current ODI tri series, 5 ODI's against Bang, 5 against India, now 6 against Pakistan, and 2 warm up games against Ireland and India as well.

Did they REALLY need one more game?

Sucks.

 

[Jezroy]

1) I guess they said there were other scheduling reasons in the article. But if came down to 6 ODIs vs 5 ODIs that is kind of stupid.

2) If either of the two boards pushed for it - it would have been Pakistan given that they will be targetting this sub continental world cup to do well and NZ are an excellent team to play during warm ups.

3) I also think it is stupid that we don't get to play Bangers in tests with Bangers preferring to play us in ODIs for preparation. My head tells me that Bangers will not make the final 8 teams - but my heart says that they should be allowed to dream dreams and who is Justin Vaughn to crush those dreams.

4) Hooray that some of NZ's best venues for test match cricket have been selected (ie no Napier). Living in Wellington I seem to get spoiled with a test match every year which is nice. I saw Umar Akmal up close last time and he had a pair of ratty old pads on to play a test match in. I guess they were his lucky pads.

1. Yes it is. STUPID.

2. I just don't see how 6 ODI's in NZ is a better warm up for a sub continental World Cup than 5 ODI's in NZ. Also hope they don't mirror the 7 match ODI series vs India in 2003. What a waste of time that was. Tuffeh loved it though.


3. Fair.

4. I know Napier is a tough track to get a result at, but I think it is pretty close to a good test track. The test vs England 3 years ago finished on the last day (thanks to the fact that there was actually some life in the pitch on day one). The WI test a couple of years ago - the only reason NZ didn't win that was a very good rearguard innings by Chris Gayle. The Pakistan game, if it hadn't rained in the last session, NZ would have won that game as well. The ideal for me is for all 3 results to be possible on the last day, but 2 isn't bad as well as it gives the team who are fighting for a draw something to fight for. And it isn't as if everyone was getting 600 like in SL vs IND recently.

 

[Shri]

I Hate Two Test Series!

Me two.

 

[marc71178]

1) I guess they said there were other scheduling reasons in the article. But if came down to 6 ODIs vs 5 ODIs that is kind of stupid.

I think this is the answer here - there's only a finite time to fit a tour in, can't just drop an ODI to fit in a Test Match, it'd be more like dropping 3 ODI's for a Test I suspect.

 

[Prince EWS]

I think this is the answer here - there's only a finite time to fit a tour in, can't just drop an ODI to fit in a Test Match, it'd be more like dropping 3 ODI's for a Test I suspect.

Five ODIs is almost always too many anyway IMO.

 

[Furball]

Not in the lead up to a World Cup.

 

[Uppercut]

Why do they even bother playing a two-test series though? Just strikes me as a waste of everyone's time. Neither side will give a ****.

Why don't they play as many ODIs as they want then have a proper test series next time they tour?

 

[Flem274*]

Two tests means only four McIntosh innings. Robbed imo. I love watching him bat in a weird way.

 

[Howsie]

What a ridiculous itenary. Three 20/20's is one too many, six ODI's? What the hell kind of one day series is that? You could easily take away one 20/20 game and two or three ODI's and you could easliy fit in a third test match. I suspect however New Zealand cricket were more interested in getting maximum participation from the blackcaps during the HRV cup so they've just scheduled this tour around that. Such a joke.

 

[NUFAN]

I would have liked to see 3 game series for all 3 forms given the starting date of Dec 26 and end date of Feb 5.

3 T20s between Xmas and New Years would be good.
3 Tests in the month of January
3 ODIs from Feb 1 to Feb 5.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Not even overly enamored with three test series, myself. Pakistan beating us in the 3rd mattered so much more because the series was still live.

 

[T-Dub]

I would have liked to see 3 game series for all 3 forms given the starting date of Dec 26 and end date of Feb 5.

3 T20s between Xmas and New Years would be good.
3 Tests in the month of January
3 ODIs from Feb 1 to Feb 5.

This, absolutely this!

It's NZ vs Pak in tests that everyone cares about. Will Pak both bringing Afridi?

2 tests isn't enough. 6 ODI's is far too much, and this exact reason is why people aren't watching ODI's as much; it's meaningless because of too much being played. You'd think these cricket bosses would have some basic idea of supply vs demand. Guess they must think cricket is inelastic.

On a positive note, FINALLY! An ODI in christchurch!

 

[Hurricane]

I would have liked to see 3 game series for all 3 forms given the starting date of Dec 26 and end date of Feb 5.

3 T20s between Xmas and New Years would be good.
3 Tests in the month of January
3 ODIs from Feb 1 to Feb 5.

I would prefer this schedule. But I could live without any 20/20s they should be a bonus to the tour not an essential element.

 

[Jezroy]

I would prefer this schedule. But I could live without any 20/20s they should be a bonus to the tour not an essential element.

Yeah - but they are always going to get as many T20's in there as possible because they are a bit of a cash cow in terms of ticket sales. Plus, they are so well attended and capture the imaginations of the wider public, so I can see that value in them.

The players (apparently) and the purists seem to want to more tests.

I don't see why they don't cut back on ODI's? I think it is a surefire way to make them more popular.

 

[andruid]

Yes, 2 test series are a bit of a rip off. Also massively opposed to 6/7 match ODI series cos of overkill. Combined these two things just increase the marginalisation of non-core cricket nations.