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Kerry Packer all over again

archie mac

International Coach
Gideon Haigh and Victor Marks for two. Would have to re-read some other stuff to find some more, though, and that'd involve digging through my loft that I really don't have the time to do. :)

I don't care whether the players think it was some of the best cricket ever, the fact is there was nothing at stake except Kerry Packer's teams. None of which had any tradition the way long-standing competitions (be it Tests, the Shield or the Championship) had. The standard of play is not the issue.

Chappell retired long before WSC was even conceived, indeed.

It didn't speed it up, though, it made it happen completely differently to how it might have had it been done more gradually.
Have you read the cricket war? I heard Haigh interviewed on the radio the other night, and he seemed quite happy with the whole Packer thing.

Chappell retired because lack of money as did Redpath, Mallett, Edwards etc etc etc

Mate they were moving so slowly it would have taken who knows how long, and who knows how many other great Aussie players would have been forced to retire before they were ready, simply because of money
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
The whole basis of your argument is based upon the "inevitability" of evolution

Unfortunately, you're too young to remember that, at the time, the MCC categorically stated that coloured clothing, lights, etc would never be seen on the grounds of England.

Why? Because they were Packer's idea.

Now the geniuses at Lords have caught on to the fact that people like day/night matches

It's only taken them 30 odd years to wake up

You call that evolution but in a sporting sense, it's a lifetime and they've been forced into it because domestic cricket is basically dean and buried

What makes you think that the traditional masters of the game would've acted any differently on wages had they been left to their own devices?
Lights have been used in England for at least 13 years, the main reason they've never before now been used at Lord's is because local residents haven't allowed it.

Day\night cricket has never been essential in international cricket in England. It's useful in domestic games, yes, and I've said so since I first saw the stuff in 1999.

Domestic cricket is not "dead and buried" either, any more than it ever has been. Domestic cricket is not a spectator sport for the most part, and day\night games in themselves will only make a small difference.

You're completely wrong about several issues at stake here, frankly, and are just interpreting bits of the truth to mean what you'd like it to mean.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Have you read the cricket war? I heard Haigh interviewed on the radio the other night, and he seemed quite happy with the whole Packer thing.

Chappell retired because lack of money as did Redpath, Mallett, Edwards etc etc etc

Mate they were moving so slowly it would have taken who knows how long, and who knows how many other great Aussie players would have been forced to retire before they were ready, simply because of money
We don't know how long it would've taken - it could've been a year, it could have been a decade.

We do know, however, that had CA (or the ACB as it was then) accepted Packer's initial offer to televise cricket on Nine, there would have been no breakaway. What could have been done about wages then? What about if ACB people realised that Australia's prospects were being damaged because players were retiring prematurely?

As for Ross Edwards - his retirement hardly hurt Australia. :p
 

social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Lights have been used in England for at least 13 years, the main reason they've never before now been used at Lord's is because local residents haven't allowed it.

Day\night cricket has never been essential in international cricket in England. It's useful in domestic games, yes, and I've said so since I first saw the stuff in 1999.

Domestic cricket is not "dead and buried" either, any more than it ever has been. Domestic cricket is not a spectator sport for the most part, and day\night games in themselves will only make a small difference.

You're completely wrong about several issues at stake here, frankly, and are just interpreting bits of the truth to mean what you'd like it to mean.
Sorry Richard but county cricket has been a financial black hole for eons and hasnt even served its' primary purpose of producing capable players for almost as long e.g KP is the only world-class English batsmen in decades (and he's a saffie) whilst Flintoff learnt the game by playing test cricket

Unfortunately, your attitude is consistent with the establishment, "always been done that way, so we wont change".

As for lights, Lords finally (after 30 years) worked out how to afford the compensation - turn 'em on
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Sorry Richard but county cricket has been a financial black hole for eons and hasnt even served its' primary purpose of producing capable players for almost as long e.g KP is the only world-class English batsmen in decades (and he's a saffie) whilst Flintoff learnt the game by playing test cricket

Unfortunately, your attitude is consistent with the establishment, "always been done that way, so we wont change".
English domestic cricket has produced many very fine players and if you're too blinkered to recognise that that's your problem.
As for lights, Lords finally (after 30 years) worked out how to afford the compensation - turn 'em on
No, it was nothing to do with compensation. The local residents simply were not interested in allowing any circumstances where lights could be used. It has absolutely nothing to do with those in charge at Lord's. Not just a little. Nothing.
 

howardj

International Coach
The striking difference between the ICL and WSC is that there is not the same disenchanment among players nowadays, in terms of their earnings.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
English domestic cricket has produced many very fine players and if you're too blinkered to recognise that that's your problem.
Well every domestic competition has produced many very fine players. The point is, could it have done better? And in a lot of cases, much better?
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
You can always do better, and should always strive to. And The ECB do.

But:
1, getting higher attendances is not going to happen and is really not going to help the standard much even if if did happen.
2, it's utterly ridiculous to suggest that English domestic cricket didn't produce any particularly good players in the last, say, 35 years. Absolutely and totally ludicrous.
 

social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
You can always do better, and should always strive to. And The ECB do.

But:
1, getting higher attendances is not going to happen and is really not going to help the standard much even if if did happen.
2, it's utterly ridiculous to suggest that English domestic cricket didn't produce any particularly good players in the last, say, 35 years. Absolutely and totally ludicrous.
Name one player that deserves to be ranked amongst the best in his chosen position that has been a product of the County system in the last 20 years
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Being the best in a position is exceptionally rare. Nonetheless, there were undoubtedly times in their careers when, for example...

Alec Stewart was the best wicketkeeper-batsman going around;
Michael Atherton was the best opener going around;
Andrew Flintoff was the best all-rounder going around.

The English system has produced many fine players.
 

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