Test match attendances

[Craig]

Exactly...Test Cricket attendance in England is huge but it is not that great in India,Pakistan, or Sri Lanka...didnt you see the crowd in the first test between India and Pakistan when sehwag got 300? There were like 2 people in the stadium...97% of the seats were empty but in the ODIs the stadiums were full...We want to do something to get people in these countrys to come watch test matches...we are not worried about england

India?

I cannot remember one occassion where there are not big crowds in especially when the local's are playing. Even then, the crowd's are healthy when two visiting team's are playing in a tri-series.

Pakistan's Test crowd's are pretty poor, even when playing their arch rivals India

 

[Craig]

Not really, judging by the India tour. Crowds were quite good for all 4 tests.

Sydney get's the best crowd's.

Perth is better then what they used to be, with regular sell outs depending on the opposition.

I would love for CA to try and organise a ODI if possible in Canberra. Surely that would sell out.

 

[chicane]

Is it that cheap? . I have never been to a test match but prices for onedayers in Hyderabad in the last odi were 350 , 800, 2500 and most of them were sold in black with double or triple that rate. Isn't Hyderabad supposed to be the cheapest city in India. Guess that doesn't apply to Cricket ticket prices then . Is that Rs 10 for one day or for 5 days? It's just 2/10 th of the price of a movie ticket ( which in Hyd is around 50 but in Mumbai around 120 and so 9/100 of a movie ticket price there) . People must be really disinterested to not watch Cricket with tickets being that cheap.

For a single day's play. It usually comes down to around 10 bucks in the 4th and 5th days unless the match is really engrossing. Sometimes it's even free on the final day. I know movie tickets here are insane, and what's really irritating here is the stupid hike in rates on Saturdays and Sundays (At least in Chennai there's no such crap). The hikes are exhorbitant, nearly 50% sometimes. We can't even get a decent pool game in on weekends, it costs 30 bucks for 15 mins in decent joints ,Otherwise we play for hours. Movie tickets cost around 150 bucks.

 

[marc71178]

You are right it is a problem...best way I think it could be solved is make into 3 or 4 days so players play faster which will be better to watch

Why not go the whole hog, scrap Test matches?

 

[marc71178]

Keep it for 5 days but not make it unlimited overs for a side...maybe 100 each side

That actually beats the previous idea for worst ever!

And what do you do after lunch on Day 5, play a 20-20 ODI to fill in the time?

 

[marc71178]

It makes Englands situation look more rosy.. They seem to draw in the crowds for the longer version of the game consistantly... Despite it costing an absolute arm and a leg to go and watch....

£25 to sit behind the bowlers arm for a day's Test Cricket (Old Trafford) is not an arm and a leg.

Most Premiership games cost more than that to attend!

 

[marc71178]

Ya but we are not talking about england...we wont to get people to come to test matches all over the world...maybe if it is a 100 overs a side people might want to come watch it because players will play faster...

The game is already being played at 3.5+ per over now (compared to under 3 a few years ago. How much faster do you want?!

Maybe they could make it only 1 inning and shorten the days to 2-3

Or maybe they could keep it how it is?

 

[marc71178]

Then what do you think we should do so more people come to watch test cricket?

Play less ODI's.

 

[marc71178]

it costs 30 bucks for 15 mins in decent joints

Decent joints are expensive, ask Liam.

 

[SJS]

That actually beats the previous idea for worst ever!

And what do you do after lunch on Day 5, play a 20-20 ODI to fill in the time?

Okay here's an idea.

90 overs per day or 450 overs per test ..right.

Let the first innings be restricted to 300 overs max. The team batting first can play not more than 150 overs. If they play all their overs, the second side gets max 150 to play in their first innings. If team batting first is out in less , say 125 overs, the team batting second gets to play max 175 overs.

At the end of one innings each, the overs left (450 minus overs played in first innings) are again divided equally.

This will mean :-

1) There will be a result to every match.
2) There will be an incentive to play fast but a need to play out your quota too since you dont want to make the opponents task easier by giving them bonus overs. So both attack and defense will be needed.
3) Teams will be able formulate and will NEED to change strategies mid stream depending on how the first innings goes.

4)At no stage of the match, including when the batsmen are playing slow, the action on the field will be irrelevant to the final outcome.

How is that ?

 

[a massive zebra]

Okay here's an idea.

90 overs per day or 450 overs per test ..right.

Let the first innings be restricted to 300 overs max. The team batting first can play not more than 150 overs. If they play all their overs, the second side gets max 150 to play in their first innings. If team batting first is out in less , say 125 overs, the team batting second gets to play max 175 overs.

At the end of one innings each, the overs left (450 minus overs played in first innings) are again divided equally.

This will mean :-

1) There will be a result to every match.
2) There will be an incentive to play fast but a need to play out your quota too since you dont want to make the opponents task easier by giving them bonus overs. So both attack and defense will be needed.
3) Teams will be able formulate and will NEED to change strategies mid stream depending on how the first innings goes.

4)At no stage of the match, including when the batsmen are playing slow, the action on the field will be irrelevant to the final outcome.

How is that ?

Best idea yet.

Still prefer the current format though.

 

[Linda]

Fiddling around with a game that has been around for as long as Test cricket has is ridiculous when all you want is bigger crowds. Plus, I think the game is complex enough as it is!

I think what age_master ( I think it was him) said was good. Marketing and better crowds. Take last summer in Australia for example... compare the ZImbabwe crowds to the Indian crowds, its not a coincidence. And when they hype it up on TV, and let people know its on, it will improve the attendance.

 

[marc71178]

Okay here's an idea.

90 overs per day or 450 overs per test ..right.

Rain and light and slow over rates permitting.

1) There will be a result to every match.

A draw is a result!

 

[bennyr]

I reckon the problems are somewhat cyclical and also a reflection of the changing nature of sports in general.

West Indian crowds are smaller at the moment because their team is poor. This will be reflected in test attendances more sharply than in one dayers because tests usually attract lower crowds.

Australia has had the luxury of playing a very agressive brand of test cricket because of their dominance over recent years. This has lead to a resurgence in the popularity of test cricket. Prior to this, crowds were falling.

Also, we should consider that TV rights are an extra income stream that contribute to making test cricket profitable, and that this helps to offeset the losses of gate takings and gives the game a much wider audience than that which is at the ground.

 

[chicane]

With TV coverage so good with such good analysis and replays, hawkeye etc...not many want to go to the ground.

 

[twctopcat]

With TV coverage so good with such good analysis and replays, hawkeye etc...not many want to go to the ground.

That's a fairly reclusive attitude. Sure there are more replays etc at home but i personally enjoy spending a day in the sunshine(happens sometimes) lazing the day away watching a game. The atmosphere is part of the enjoyment.

 

[PY]

That's a fairly reclusive attitude. Sure there are more replays etc at home but i personally enjoy spending a day in the sunshine(happens sometimes) lazing the day away watching a game. The atmosphere is part of the enjoyment.

Agree completely.

When I went to ODI a while ago. As much as I enjoyed the cricket, the atmosphere was fantastic. Some people might not find drunken people funny but I found it hilarious. 'George Best' was worth many a laugh.

Although we did get in trouble a fair bit with our teachers.

 

[Sudeep]

You are right it is a problem...best way I think it could be solved is make into 3 or 4 days so players play faster which will be better to watch

LOL. NO.

 

[Sudeep]

Mostly Test match tickets in India cost only about ten rupees. And also because some places International cricket is not played very often. So attendance in India is decent.

That's it? Just Rs. 10?

I went for a warm-up match between South Africa and Board President's XI match a long time back, and it was Rs. 100 back then.

Rs. 10 is a bit chopped down figure I reckon.

EDIT: Or was there sarcasm involved in your post? I guess there was.

 

[Sudeep]

Keep it for 5 days but not make it unlimited overs for a side...maybe 100 each side

LOL again.

Wouldn't that be Limited-Overs Cricket?

And aren't we talking about Test Cricket?