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***Official*** Pakistan v Sri Lanka in UAE 2013/14

archie mac

International Coach
Preaching to the choir here on CricketWeb really; they played ODIs and T20s before the Tests on this tour and for some matches there were literally no posts in this thread. Day 1 of the first Test and it's pumpin'. You're in the right place.
Well I don't want confrontation and know I'm pretty safe on CW :happy:

Was just hoping someone from the sub continent could tell me what the feel is and if Test cricket is as good as dead there. I think the theory that 20-20 would attract new fans to Test cricket is just not happening.
 
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Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
A pity I can't relate. Surely every thing that is good about the game is here in Test matches. Actual batting skill and not just hitting sixes on a road.

Even this with the batsman farming the strike is fascinating and just can't happen in 20-20
Neither can I. Afridi is the most popular cricketer among young Pakistani fans. How sad is that.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Neither can I. Afridi is the most popular cricketer among young Pakistani fans. How sad is that.
Always so fun to troll on Cricinfo's Facebook group. They always assume I'm Indian at first because someone who didn't irrationally hate Pakistan would obviously never think Afridi was a mediocre, over-celebrated hack of a player.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Neither can I. Afridi is the most popular cricketer among young Pakistani fans. How sad is that.
haha, he does have charisma but it can't be easy to be a Test fan if they hardly play a match.

it's funny cricketers don't seem to be treated like demigods in Pakistan like they are in India
 

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
Well I don't what confrontation and know I'm pretty safe on CW :happy:

Was just hoping someone from the sub continent could tell me what the feel is and if Test cricket is as good as dead there. I think the theory that 20-20 would attract new fans to Test cricket is just not happening.
Ok Test cricket is not the most popular form of cricket in the subcontinent.
Pakistan not playing at home has not helped matters either but even then, I remember the 2006 series against India which Pakistan won had mostly empty stands.
This is how I look at it.
T20 cricket is far more popular, makes much more money and is here to stay. Fans like those on CW are a minority.
Is T20 going to win new fans for cricket? No.
I have long accepted that test cricket is a niche sport and is never going to have mass popularity like football or even T20 cricket. Money however is extremely important to sustain test cricket and to keep it going which is why it is extremely important to make best use of the tiny proportion of test cricket fans from all around the world. Test cricket will have to look for alternative means of revenue and minimise reliance on ticket sales at the ground. This test match is being played on an empty ground literally. Internet, smart phones, tablets, smart TVs are the future, Test cricket will have to use internet to distribute and reach out to the fans and make money out of it. I am now sitting in one corner and watching this game illegally because there isn't a legal way to watch this game for me. Test cricket will have to find a way to reach out to fans like you and me from different parts of the world and offer us live cricket through internet, and use that as a revenue stream.
I know this is a very complex topic and to go further into this would be beyond the scope of this thread.
 

Spikey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Great thing about SL playing no tests this year is that it removed the threat of Jayawardene beating Kallis' streak of a century in 17 straight calendar years
 

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
haha, he does have charisma but it can't be easy to be a Test fan if they hardly play a match.

it's funny cricketers don't seem to be treated like demigods in Pakistan like they are in India
Ok back in the good old days, Imran, Miandad, Wasim, Waqar were the biggest celebrities.
This decade Pakistan sadly haven't had the greatest of cricketers and that left Afridi. He is the closest thing to a demi god in Pakistan which is quite unfair because the likes of Younis, Misbah, Ajmal are 100 times the player that Afridi is and deserve far more.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
this is frustrating for pakistan.....SL's ninth wicket causing trouble for Pakistan just like in the ODIs
 

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
Ok we need the 2 wickets now. Pakistan are going to be chasing on the 5th day against Herath, need to be mindful of that.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Ok Test cricket is not the most popular form of cricket in the subcontinent.
Pakistan not playing at home has not helped matters either but even then, I remember the 2006 series against India which Pakistan won had mostly empty stands.
This is how I look at it.
T20 cricket is far more popular, makes much more money and is here to stay. Fans like those on CW are a minority.
Is T20 going to win new fans for cricket? No.
I have long accepted that test cricket is a niche sport and is never going to have mass popularity like football or even T20 cricket. Money however is extremely important to sustain test cricket and to keep it going which is why it is extremely important to make best use of the tiny proportion of test cricket fans from all around the world. Test cricket will have to look for alternative means of revenue and minimise reliance on ticket sales at the ground. This test match is being played on an empty ground literally. Internet, smart phones, tablets, smart TVs are the future, Test cricket will have to use internet to distribute and reach out to the fans and make money out of it. I am now sitting in one corner and watching this game illegally because there isn't a legal way to watch this game for me. Test cricket will have to find a way to reach out to fans like you and me from different parts of the world and offer us live cricket through internet, and use that as a revenue stream.
I know this is a very complex topic and to go further into this would be beyond the scope of this thread.
Good post thanks for that. Although Test cricket is still popular in Australia and England. 92k on the opening day at the MCG and a sold out Ashes series in England confirm that. I knew it was bad but thought Test cricket still rated fairly well on TV in the subcontinent but your post suggests otherwise, which is a shame.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
57.4
Junaid Khan to Eranga, no run, Erange plays the best pull shot I have ever seen. Literally starts high on top before cutting the ball straight into the ground. His prowess with the bat just stupifies me
someone explain this to me
 

smash84

The Tiger King
this innings from Matthews could be a decisive innings in the context of this match...very well played
 

smash84

The Tiger King
SL make 204 in the first innings....great work by Matthews making 91.....let's see what Pakistan do on this track
 

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