From Baggy Green to Baggy Greed

[Precambrian]

A first. Quality journalism from Fox.

From baggy green to baggy greed - Cricket - Fox Sports

Players are falling like flies to injury, Australia have lost their No.1 ranking in one-day cricket and are poised to surrender top spot to South Africa this month in Test cricket.

In fact, things have become so grim that people are saying Australia will lose the Ashes in England later this year.

But amid this horror backdrop and talk that the schedule is undermining our national team, players are still putting their hands out for the millions of dollars on offer in the Indian Premier League.

Over the next 13 months, Australia are facing a horror schedule of 23 Tests and a combination of over 50 one-day internationals and Twenty20 fixtures.

 

[Matt79]

And yet you label them unprofessional for not being fired up to treat the first T20 WC as a matter of life and death. You play that much cricket, with the attendant travel and time away from your family and you get jaded. Not making excuses for Australia, most of the international teams have similar problems...

 

[Precambrian]

And yet you label them unprofessional for not being fired up to treat the first T20 WC as a matter of life and death. You play that much cricket, with the attendant travel and time away from your family and you get jaded. Not making excuses for Australia, most of the international teams have similar problems...

;yawn:

How many test matches + ODIs did Australia play in 2007 prior to the T20 WC?

Nowhere near what India did.

The article is about the future schedule and not the past.

23 tests is unbelievable load, and I would like someone to confirm that. Because in a T20 WC year, and an Ashes year, that is just impossible scheduling.

 

[Matt79]

;yawn:

How many test matches + ODIs did Australia play in 2007 prior to the T20 WC?

Nowhere near what India did.

The article is about the future schedule and not the past.

23 tests is unbelievable load, and I would like someone to confirm that. Because in a T20 WC year, and an Ashes year, that is just impossible scheduling.

And that's why they left their senior players out, or they asked to be left out, which was a pivotal decision.

That statistic sounds a bit out-there, but it might be a combination of some originally daft scheduling combined with the effects of the Pakistan tour being delayed. Either way, it works out to 160 days of cricket out of the next 335 for the boys, assuming all the tests last five days. Ridiculous if that's the case. We'll have to debut another 5 or 6 players in that time you'd think, plus rotate all the guys who have been around the team. You'd wonder whether the Pakistan series would actually be any more likely to proceed anytime in the next 11 months, or have they agreed now to a neutral venue?

On a tangent from this topic, I ****ing hate the CT, utterly pointless joke of a money making excuse of a tournament that greatly exacersbates this kind of problem. All the teams worth their salt are currently rebuilding towards the next WC, or will be by the time it rolls around. Scrap it entirely, and make the ODI WC, and the T20 WC both four-yearly, and staggered, eg WC 2011, 2015, 2019, T20 WC 2009, 2013, 2017...

 

[Precambrian]

And that's why they left their senior players out, or they asked to be left out, which was a pivotal decision.

That statistic sounds a bit out-there, but it might be a combination of some originally daft scheduling combined with the effects of the Pakistan tour being delayed. Either way, it works out to 160 days of cricket out of the next 335 for the boys, assuming all the tests last five days. Ridiculous if that's the case. We'll have to debut another 5 or 6 players in that time you'd think, plus rotate all the guys who have been around the team. You'd wonder whether the Pakistan series would actually be any more likely to proceed anytime in the next 11 months, or have they agreed now to a neutral venue?

On a tangent from this topic, I ****ing hate the CT, utterly pointless joke of a money making excuse of a tournament that greatly exacersbates this kind of problem. All the teams worth their salt are currently rebuilding towards the next WC, or will be by the time it rolls around. Scrap it entirely, and make the ODI WC, and the T20 WC both four-yearly, and staggered, eg WC 2011, 2015, 2019, T20 WC 2009, 2013, 2017...

Yeah. Good points there. I too hate that schedule crunching joke of a tournament that CT has become. Makes no sense whatsover to have 4 World series in 3 years. 2 WC T20s, 1 ODI WC and this CT.

166 days of cricket? That's just terrible news especially considering the touring. I don't think even we have played more days of International cricket in a year, and IIRC our record is 35 ODIs and 16 tests in 2002. Totally 115 days, apart from the FC matches, and touring.

 

[Matt79]

And the 160 days isn't in a full year, its in 11 months. In 09 they've already played what, one test, 2 T20s and 6 ODIs? So 173 days of cricket in a year. Ridiculous.

 

[social]

Cant imagine that the figure is correct

There are/were 9 tests between 1 Jan 2008 and the end of the Ashes tour

That means that Oz is supposedly playing 14 tests next summer

 

[Redbacks]

"A year ago we were saying 'if there's too much cricket, why should you go and play the IPL?'," Fleming said.

because your career will probably last 5-10 years so if you can set yourself up financially, you will do it.

 

[Matt79]

Actually this article is a fantastic example of what I've heard described as Today Tonight journalism. In a populist vein, go after the easy target in the "shonky repairman", "single mum on welfare", "teenage ratbag" or "heartless rich guy" who you can show doing something that, viewed in micro-study, seems absurd and offensive. At the same time, ignore whatever larger issues are touched upon, especially any macro-issues about the society those individuals exist within that have caused them to act this way.

In this case, bin the Aussie cricketers for being greedy for wanting to play more cricket for more money, while at the same time being immune to the irony that CA is only concerned because them doing so might interfere with them being fit for the ridiculous amount of cricket CA and the ICC have conspired to schedule for them, so CA and ICC can make more money. If the Aussie cricket team, indeed if all international cricketers, weren't working in such a corrupt, short-term, money-obsessed system of administration, them wanting to take three weeks to play in India wouldn't be a problem for anyone.

 

[Precambrian]

Actually this article is a fantastic example of what I've heard described as Today Tonight journalism. In a populist vein, go after the easy target in the "shonky repairman", "single mum on welfare", "teenage ratbag" or "heartless rich guy" who you can show doing something that, viewed in micro-study, seems absurd and offensive. At the same time, ignore whatever larger issues are touched upon, especially any macro-issues about the society those individuals exist within that have caused them to act this way.

In this case, bin the Aussie cricketers for being greedy for wanting to play more cricket for more money, while at the same time being immune to the irony that CA is only concerned because them doing so might interfere with them being fit for the ridiculous amount of cricket CA and the ICC have conspired to schedule for them, so CA and ICC can make more money. If the Aussie cricket team, indeed if all international cricketers, weren't working in such a corrupt, short-term, money-obsessed system of administration, them wanting to take three weeks to play in India wouldn't be a problem for anyone.

Top post mate.

One aspect about that article is that it gives fodder for some quality discussion as compared to the usual facepalm ones churned out by the likes of Conn and Dorries.

 

[social]

Not getting any better for the Australians either as although it's not clear where and when it will be held, it's still looks as though the CT will go ahead somewhere this year

Cricinfo - Pakistan not to host 2009 Champions Trophy

However, I cant imagine how many will line up to host with Pakistan still getting a lot of the revenues

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Bangladesh, maybe?

 

[G.I.Joe]

Why not take it to an associate nation? Promotion of cricket was one of its objectives at the outset anyway.

 

[social]

UAE might get it being the home of the ICC and with a brand new stadium in place

However, given the state of Dubai's finances, it'll depend on whether the big boys in Abu Dhabi want to continue the vision

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Champions Trophy is being phased out as it is. Just give it away already.

 

[Burgey]

It's not always the amount of cricket (though the scheduling for Australia this year is insane), it's the intensity when you are playing - back to back to back tests, followed by some T20s and yet another ODI series.

Break for a few weeks, then back-to-back-to-back tests, followed by some ..... etc. etc.

 

[pskov]

Cant imagine that the figure is correct

There are/were 9 tests between 1 Jan 2008 and the end of the Ashes tour

That means that Oz is supposedly playing 14 tests next summer

They host Pakistan and West Indies for 3 tests each in 09/10. I am pretty sure that the figures quoted in the article are bollocks.