Prepared To Sacrifice?

[Shri]

Here is a potentially dumb idea:

How about playing each format of the game in a six month cycle? Every side only plays tests from Jan to June, ODIs for the next 3 months and T20s for the next 3 months. The 6 months every year without tests will make people anticipate test matches more every year when they are played. Let them have their roads for ODIs and T20s to entertain the people and competitive pitches during the 6 month test period. Will that work?

 

[GIMH]

Nice idea in theory, but it wouldn't work due to the seasonal differences between the different nations

 

[Shri]

Nice idea in theory, but it wouldn't work due to the seasonal differences between the different nations

Hey its better to lose matches to something that is not in our control(weather) rather than lose 'em to things that we could control(pitches) right?

 

[grecian]

Yep, I'm as cold as Ice, and willing to sacrifice.

Bored with ODI's have been for years now....

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Hey its better to lose matches to something that is not in our control(weather) rather than lose 'em to things that we could control(pitches) right?

Maybe in India it is do-able, try turning up in Manchester in January and you probably don't want to be playing football, let alone cricket.

 

[subshakerz]

Test cricket is cricket, as far as I'm concerned. You don't need to branch it out to new countries, just make it more popular with the non-minnows.

ODIs are already in decline, and its the ICC and the cricket boards who are to blame. In the 90s, ODIs were exciting, because you rarely had more than 3-match series between two countries. Now the minimum is 5. With so many matches, people just stop caring. The last World Cup in the West Indies was so long and drawn out that it ruined the entire tournament.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Hate the 50 over games, wouldn't be sad at all to see it go. 20/20 and Tests would do me nicely.

 

[Uppercut]

Would Ireland be doomed to play only T20 until the end of time?

No one is answering my question. Do the non-Test playing nations now only compete in T20? Or do they exclusively play each other?

 

[SJS]

Okay the poll results say it all. Lets scrap them

Next poll please.

How many people think ten years from now people will be bored of T-20 and will want to scrap them to save the traditional game ?

 

[Burgey]

No one is answering my question. Do the non-Test playing nations now only compete in T20? Or do they exclusively play each other?

Wouldn't they play against A teams from Test countries or something like that, as well as series of at least four day games against each other?

If ODIs are done away with, won't here be more space ont he calendar for "proper" tours, with more FC games between Tests etc?

If it happens there'll be double headers within a few years, and three teams touring countries at a time for T20 mini-tourneys.

 

[slippyslip]

No one is answering my question. Do the non-Test playing nations now only compete in T20? Or do they exclusively play each other?

Thats a very good question but I dont know the answer.

But things like the "Champion's Trophy" need to be ditched ASAP.

But if the 50 over game is removed, what will be the premier limited overs tournament? The clowns are milking Twenty20 already by making a yearly event.

Whats their to look forward to? Whats cricket's big 4 year event? Neither Twenty20 world cup has got anywhere near the attention a 50 over world cup has got and wont considering its now an annual thing.

When the hype around Twenty20 dies whats left? Just test cricket? When all the "new" fans find something else bright and shiny to keep them amused what will happen to cricket?

Seems like people do more complaining about the amount of cricket being played, or that the style is getting boring, than actually watching it. Baseball has 162 game regular season in 6 months between 30 teams.The obvious conclusion is that people just dont like cricket that much? If Americans can enjoy 162 games in 6 months between 30 teams ...

 

[Xuhaib]

Test cricket is cricket, as far as I'm concerned. You don't need to branch it out to new countries, just make it more popular with the non-minnows.

ODIs are already in decline, and its the ICC and the cricket boards who are to blame. In the 90s, ODIs were exciting, because you rarely had more than 3-match series between two countries. Now the minimum is 5. With so many matches, people just stop caring. The last World Cup in the West Indies was so long and drawn out that it ruined the entire tournament.

this.

also the ptches in 90's we had mostly 200-250 hence they were more watchable now a days the pitches are so flat in ODI's just to make sure we have a run fest.

 

[sirdj]

Yes and also there is no reason to get the whole world interested in your game. There are universal games like soocer and tennis and there are localised games like baseball, American football, rugby etc. Why cant cricket be happy to be one of the latter. The only reason to want to spread the game, almost by force, is the hype of globalisation of the sport which means nothing. I see no reason to change the game dramatically to get the Chinese playing it.

It was an English game and has remained so by being stuck to the former colonies of England. What needs to be done is to see the real issues affecting the traditional game and find a step-by-step logical approach to straightening those.

So are we trying to spread cricket?

If not then why is money being spent to spread cricket in Holland, UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada & USA ??

It is my belief that if there is a strategy then it has to be given a 100% effort. And not just a 'lets just test the waters' kind of effort.

 

[sirdj]

Test cricket is cricket, as far as I'm concerned. You don't need to branch it out to new countries, just make it more popular with the non-minnows.

ODIs are already in decline, and its the ICC and the cricket boards who are to blame. In the 90s, ODIs were exciting, because you rarely had more than 3-match series between two countries. Now the minimum is 5. With so many matches, people just stop caring. The last World Cup in the West Indies was so long and drawn out that it ruined the entire tournament.

So by the same logic, how can having more tests matches be good for test cricket ?

 

[sirdj]

The thing is, all of these factors apply as much in England as they do anywhere else - and Test cricket is regularly played to packed houses in England.

Just because Test cricket still has an audience in England does not mean that all is well in all the other countries.

Its the overall health of Test Cricket that is below par. I study in an Australian University in Sydney and the only students that I hear discussing cricket are the Indians & Sri Lankans. Of all my "Australian" classmates in the last 4 years only about 5% follow/discuss cricket and none of them were girls. By comparison in India every schoolgirl has a favourite cricketer.

 

[age_master]

I would happily scratch ODI's to strengthen Tests

 

[Matt79]

There is no logic, just vainglorious ambition by the ICC to expand the empire. It's quite common in big business.

 

[Matt79]

Seems like people do more complaining about the amount of cricket being played, or that the style is getting boring, than actually watching it. Baseball has 162 game regular season in 6 months between 30 teams.The obvious conclusion is that people just dont like cricket that much? If Americans can enjoy 162 games in 6 months between 30 teams ...

A game of baseball doesn't take ALL day, or 5 days. And the teams can travel from one match to another in a day. The fact you have to fly halfway around the world and need to aclimitize puts different constraints on cricket.

EDIT: And Americans are also people largely ignorant of what the rest of the world has to offer who also think gridiron is an exciting sport.

 

[Uppercut]

So are we trying to spread cricket?

If not then why is money being spent to spread cricket in Holland, UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada & USA ??

It is my belief that if there is a strategy then it has to be given a 100% effort. And not just a 'lets just test the waters' kind of effort.

I think it's a great idea to help spread cricket to developing nations, I think SJS's point was just that:

I see no reason to change the game dramatically to get the Chinese playing it.

You help spread cricket, of course, but you don't have to introduce all kinds of gimmicks just to get new people into it.

 

[Shri]

Maybe in India it is do-able, try turning up in Manchester in January and you probably don't want to be playing football, let alone cricket.

That can be fixed. Play tests from Jan-June one year and play tests from July-Dec the next year. Make sure all games are played on competitive pitches. I would rather wait one year and watch test matches with results than watch tests every month of the year which are mostly boring draws.