View Full Version : Test cricket cheapened
Fat Red
11 Jan 2002, 13:13
Bangladesh 160 Pakistan 6/459
Bangladesh would be lucky to beat Middlesex I reckon, let alone an Australian state. It's a disgrace to the memory of Bradman Barnes or Gavaskar (alright he's not dead) that playing against these hacks you can get a test century or 10 for.
I don't know about a disgrace, but Banglasdesh has to start somewhere. When i saw the score, they had Pakistan 3/120 at one stage, which isn't too bad if you ask me. There is only a handful of players that Bangladesh probably chooses from and they will slowly but surely become a reputable side. Look at Zimbabwe, they are still on the comeback trail and have showed some good performances over the years. I think we just need to give them a few years to develop, and they will only get stronger.
Fat Red
11 Jan 2002, 13:50
Zimbabwe spend a long time as a one-day only team before they started in Test cricket. Bangladesh got fast tracked, and it shows.
kretchy
11 Jan 2002, 14:14
When Bangladesh first became a test playing nation i wondered why they got the nod before Kenya. I assumed it was because they are probably cricket crazy in Bangladesh i lot like India.
Kenya seem to quite often match it with other nations in one dayers do i don't no why they wouldn't in the test arena.
As one of the few supporters on this forum of a team with a mixed inheritance I would like to point out out.
New Zealand played its first test in 1929.
New Zealand won its first test test in 1954.
O.K. Bangladesh are currently an embarrassment to test cricket, but give them five years before you write them off completely. For any body who can remember Sri Lanka were c rap around 1980, and they are at least respectable now.
PS. On Kenya I have always believed Zimbabwe and Kenya should have formed a composite African team like the Windies.
As one of the few supporters on this forum of a team with a mixed inheritance I would like to point out out.
New Zealand played its first test in 1929.
New Zealand won its first test test in 1954.
O.K. Bangladesh are currently an embarrassment to test cricket, but give them five years before you write them off completely. For any body who can remember Sri Lanka were c rap around 1980, and they are at least respectable now.
.
SeinDude
11 Jan 2002, 21:06
I have to totally disagree here. The game of cricket can only be better with more countries playing the game and it certainly doesn't cheapen anything, wickets, hundreds, etc etc. The only way teams can improve is by playing against the better teams and learning from that experience.
Anyone who is good enough to represent their country has a high level of pride in their performance, and that hasn't changed since the 1st ever match back in 1877. So, I dont understand how there is a suggestion that just because a team is weak at the moment that it cheapens any achievements against that particular team.
All teams can do is try their best & compete, and Bangladesh are doing that so good luck to them.
SeinDude
There's a bit of intrigue involving the game between Bangladesh & Pakistan in the last world cup.It was a game that was looked into as a 'dodgy' result & in his interview after the match Wasim Akram rather than looking dissapointed went on to enthusiastically praise '..our cousins from east Pakistan(Bangladesh)...'
The thinking is that a high profile victory against one of the best teams would do a lot to encourage the decision makers to grant Bangladesh Test status.So there's a certain amount of speculation over how hard Pakistan were trying in this fixture.
If you look at the results then it's hard to make a case for them being given Test status.I'm all for more Test playing nations but now we've got the Test world Championship & the demands it puts on everyone's schedule it seems hard to justify having a bunch of easybeats doing the rounds.
I'm sure in a few years they'll prove to be fairly tough at home although it may take a decade or 2 to get an away series victory, unless of course they give Test status to Argentina or Holland or perhaps even Ireland.
It's funny but they do play cricket in some pretty unlikely places, I played a couple of really recreational games last summer with a guy who'd been living in Peru for a while (he was English) & he told me how him & a mate represented Peru in a South American game against I think it was Uruguay (or maybe it was Chile:confused: )It was pretty funny when he was telling me that Uruguay(Chile?) were seen as the big boys over there, I don't think Argentina were involved as they were deemed to good to even compete:D .
So maybe in time cricket will become a truly global game, I won't be holding my breath though.
Bomber Spirit
12 Jan 2002, 10:45
It's hardly surprising that Bangladesh struggled when they first came into Test cricket. But's what's more of a worry now is that there's no sign of improvement.
If we want more test playing nations, we're gong to have to accept that they won't be up to speed for a long time. It took Sri Lanka a good ten years to be really competitive. Bangladesh need a bit of encouragement, not shooting down in flames every time they don't succeed.
Interesting stuff, Dipper. Certainly helps explain how they got in ahead of Kenya.
I have always thought it would have been a much better idea to have included Kenya with Zimbabwe in a composite East African test team.
No reason why they still couldn't now is there?
kretchy
12 Jan 2002, 22:10
A suggestion I heard during the week can't remember where was to possibly have 2 divisions, the first for the stronger test playing nations and the second for the weaker teams. Would probably have a promotion and relegation system.
Possible Divisions
Div 1
Australia
South Africa
New Zealand
England
Pakistan
India
Sri Lanka
Div 2
West Indies
Bangladesh
Zimbabwe
grant Kenya and other developing countries test status.
SeinDude
12 Jan 2002, 23:01
Kretchy,
What about tradition??? I know the West Indies have been struggling of late, but if what you proposed actually happened, and Australia never played against the West Indies, that would be a tremendous shame for cricket and the memory of greats like the late Frank Worrell, the player who the trophey Australia and West Indies play for.
I can remember a time when the Aussies were not so strong in the mid to late 1980's in test cricket.... imagine if we had to be relegated!!!
SeinDude
Goldenblue
13 Jan 2002, 06:20
Sri Lanka were a joke when first given Test status....look where they are now...
I suggest we stick it out with Bangladesh, the time will come when they will field champions. Given Test staus will only encourage their young kids to play the game...
The West Indies have suffered because of Basketball becoming a big sport over there, we may never see another West Indies team like the champion sides of the eighties and nineties
kretchy
13 Jan 2002, 07:20
Originally posted by SeinDude
Kretchy,
What about tradition??? I know the West Indies have been struggling of late, but if what you proposed actually happened, and Australia never played against the West Indies, that would be a tremendous shame for cricket and the memory of greats like the late Frank Worrell, the player who the trophey Australia and West Indies play for.
I can remember a time when the Aussies were not so strong in the mid to late 1980's in test cricket.... imagine if we had to be relegated!!!
SeinDude
It wouldn't last forever because the Windies would just have to get promoted or us relegated to the second div. There would probably be times when we didn't get to play England for the Ashes either, but it would probably stop more of the huge wins for teams against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Fat Red
17 Jan 2002, 09:02
Originally posted by Player
As one of the few supporters on this forum of a team with a mixed inheritance I would like to point out out.
New Zealand played its first test in 1929.
New Zealand won its first test test in 1954.
O.K. Bangladesh are currently an embarrassment to test cricket, but give them five years before you write them off completely. For any body who can remember Sri Lanka were c rap around 1980, and they are at least respectable now.
.
My response to that Player is that New Zealand also started too early. They were so effectively demolished by Australia that the Aussies refused to play them again for 40 years!
Pies rock
17 Jan 2002, 09:17
Sri Lanka's current 'brilliant' run of eight consecutive test wins includes three against West Indies, three against Zimbabwe and two against Bangladesh. The West Indies must still be counted as a test nation, but the other two are disgraceful. Muralitheran is breaking every record in the book, now what credibility does the chucker have playing against these duds?? Put McGrath and Warne in Test series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, then watch the records tumble...