Does cricket need a strong West Indies?

[jimmy101]

Cricket would be fine if India was the only country playing it.

Arguably cricket was at its finest and most pure when it was just England playing it.

 

[S.Kennedy]

It is weird how they just threw their lot in with pyjama ****e. Even their fans don't give a **** about tests now. All that success and history and it didn't count for anything really.

 

[jimmy101]

It is weird how they just threw their lot in with pyjama ****e. Even their fans don't give a **** about tests now. All that success and history and it didn't count for anything really.

If anything it makes sense for casual cricket fans to support the team in the format they are successful in.

 

[S.Kennedy]

If anything it makes sense for casual cricket fans to support the team in the format they are successful in.

I think, and I doubt this myself but for case of argument, if England win the world cup the Ashes and tests will still reign supreme - I suspect that was true when Australia won their world cups.

 

[harsh.ag]

Tests don't need a strong Windies. But having them be strong in T20s is good for leagues across the world and for the financial health of the sport.

 

[sledger]

The West Indies being strong is why cricket in the 90s was so good. Australia would host the West Indies, the Ashes, Pakistan and South Africa who were all competitive during the 90s.

It made for great tests every summer.

Yeah but that was down to the opposition touring, whoever that might have been, being strong, not because the WI were strong per se.

 

[sledger]

Can you actually read the rest of my post? I'm specifically referring to Australia and that a strong West Indies touring here would be a far greater draw card than Pakistan

What exactly are you basing this on?

Presumably the fact that Australians don't like people with sub-continental heritage, as shown by the Moeen thread.

 

[Smudge]

I keep hearing time and time again that the West Indies decline has been such a shame and that in order for test cricket to flourish, it needs a strong West Indies team. I hear it in particular from Ian Chappell who must have faced a few decent West Indies quicks.

I don't understand why cricket is of the opinion that it is poorer when the West Indies is poorer. True they brought a romance and style to the game never seen before, but for one side to stop hammering allcomers year in year out, doesn't that make things more competitive? A level playing field? I'm not sure I want to go back to the days when one team was hammering everyone, and find the top four battles of the recent years where the number one spot has swung from one team to the other far more enjoyable. Why is it never a shame that Zimbabwe is so weak? Why didn't cricket mind when England were getting stuffed year in year out home and away in the nineties?

 

[sledger]

I keep hearing time and time again that the West Indies decline has been such a shame and that in order for test cricket to flourish, it needs a strong West Indies team. I hear it in particular from Ian Chappell who must have faced a few decent West Indies quicks.

I don't understand why cricket is of the opinion that it is poorer when the West Indies is poorer. True they brought a romance and style to the game never seen before, but for one side to stop hammering allcomers year in year out, doesn't that make things more competitive? A level playing field? I'm not sure I want to go back to the days when one team was hammering everyone, and find the top four battles of the recent years where the number one spot has swung from one team to the other far more enjoyable. Why is it never a shame that Zimbabwe is so weak? Why didn't cricket mind when England were getting stuffed year in year out home and away in the nineties?

Racism imo.

 

[stephen]

Some of my strongest cricketing memories as a kid were of the West Indies touring. Here were this group of men who looked nothing like us and they came and intimidated and slaughtered us in style. Ambrose in particular was a monster of a man. Larger than life in many ways.

I knew nothing about their culture or history but I respected them and their abilities. Every time they toured was a cause for celebration. Were we going to finally beat them this time?

To see what they have become in tests is sad.

 

[sledger]

Some of my strongest cricketing memories as a kid were of the West Indies touring. Here were this group of men who looked nothing like us and they came and intimidated and slaughtered us in style. Ambrose in particular was a monster of a man. Larger than life in many ways.

I knew nothing about their culture or history but I respected them and their abilities. Every time they toured was a cause for celebration. Were we going to finally beat them this time?

To see what they have become in tests is sad.

 

[GotSpin]

I think, and I doubt this myself but for case of argument, if England win the world cup the Ashes and tests will still reign supreme - I suspect that was true when Australia won their world cups.

Except the West Indies have been losing for almost a generation in tests.

 

[Daemon]

cricket needs stronger associates, doesn't matter which part of the world they come from.

 

[sledger]

Unless they are from Chennai.

 

[Daemon]

Unless they are from Chennai.

True. Chennai gave us Ashwin

 

[sledger]

Should be renamed Chucknai.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Should be renamed Chee-nai.

Yes

 

[Daemon]

Chee-bai means vag in Hokkien

 

[sledger]

Chee-bai means vag in Hokkien

Haha I remember learning this from a Malaysian friend at Uni.

It was the only thing he ever really said apart from talking about all the 24hr "restorans" and curry houses in KL.

"You can get a beef bowl for just treeee ringit maaaaaaan".

WAG

 

[OverratedSanity]

In hindi, Chee can mean ****/******/an exclamation of disgust. I feel all of that is perfectly fitting for the city.