West Indies Tour of Australia cancelled?

[Milenko]

Article in the West Australian newpaper today stated that next year's tour to Australia by the West Indies has been cancelled, and is to be replaced with 3 Tests Pakistan series and 2 Test New Zealand. (Also muses that the Perth test is under threat from Hobart which i find to be an utterly ridiculous assertion given that any cricket administration worth their salt would grant a test to a 1.2million population town over 400,000).

This is the first i have heard of it, and i can only speculate the cancellation is due to financial difficulties encountered by the Windies.

Has anyone else heard any more about this?

[Black Thunder]

There was a planned tour of Sharjah after the upcoming Sri Lankan series which was cancelled during the week.

But heard nothing off the Windies tour being cancelled and I'd be majorly shocked if it was.......

possibly a paper just trying to make some dosh.

[Lidge]

Not ridiculous pulling the plug on a WA test - as attendances have generally beed sub standard in Perth for many years now. While Hobart can't fit as many into their ground - the locals do support international fixtures.

Your argument on granting a test to a population of 400K compared to a city of 1.2m (ie Hobart over Perth) is flawed.

If the ACB (or CA as they now call themselves) were solely driven by $$, every test would be played in Melbourne and Sydney. 1 days attendances in Melbourne are greater than 5 days in Perth, and one test match in Melbourne attracts more $$ and bodies than aggregate figures for Perth, Hobart, Brisbane combined.

While Sandgropers would be pi$$ed at losing a Test fixture to Hobart - it is not without some reason. The only way to fix the problem is start attending matches en masse.

[wang]

Have you got a web source for this.

[larrikin]

Originally posted by Lidge
Not ridiculous pulling the plug on a WA test - as attendances have generally beed sub standard in Perth for many years now. While Hobart can't fit as many into their ground - the locals do support international fixtures.

Your argument on granting a test to a population of 400K compared to a city of 1.2m (ie Hobart over Perth) is flawed.

If the ACB (or CA as they now call themselves) were solely driven by $$, every test would be played in Melbourne and Sydney. 1 days attendances in Melbourne are greater than 5 days in Perth, and one test match in Melbourne attracts more $$ and bodies than aggregate figures for Perth, Hobart, Brisbane combined.

While Sandgropers would be pi$$ed at losing a Test fixture to Hobart - it is not without some reason. The only way to fix the problem is start attending matches en masse.
Your arguments are sound, except the WACA this year only had a Zimbabwe test, hardly the kind of spectatle that is going to draw a huge crowd. Last season's Ashes test was sold out on the first two days and near to capacity on day 3 from memory.....

[CatManDo]

Originally posted by Lidge
Not ridiculous pulling the plug on a WA test - as attendances have generally beed sub standard in Perth for many years now. While Hobart can't fit as many into their ground - the locals do support international fixtures.

Without having any figures to support me, Id say you are very wrong about attendances in Perth. And support of internationals is probably as strong as any other city - Melbourne excluded.

[BrownDog2]

the West Indies tour of Australia has been cancelled.
Next summer we will play Pakistan for 3 tests and NZ for 2

[Mickey]

The West Indies Board of Control has postponed the tour due to other commitments organised by the ICC. Cricket Australia are still hoping that the West Indies will be here for the One Day series though. This was released by Cricket Australia on Tuesday. They may come out the following summer with South Africa.

[Lidge]

Originally posted by CatManDo
Without having any figures to support me, Id say you are very wrong about attendances in Perth. And support of internationals is probably as strong as any other city - Melbourne excluded.

same here (as I don't have any figures to back this up)....

But my perception is that Perth's crowds are good for Sth Africa and England games - due to the high number of ex pats - with games for other teams (India, pakistan, WIndies, NZ) being disappointing. Due to that - you are now being punished with the likes of the Zimbos playing in town.

[The Spornstar]

Originally posted by BrownDog2
the West Indies tour of Australia has been cancelled.
Next summer we will play Pakistan for 3 tests and NZ for 2

Any reason why it can't be 3 v Pakis and 3 v NZ?

[GOALden Hawk]

I agree, much prefer 3 against NZ, that promises to be a very good series.

BTW - when do we head over there again?

[jacqui9]

Anyone who doubts the attendances of Tasmanian people is completely stupid. Tasmanians love their international test cricket when Australia is playing. Bellerive is normally to capacity and the crowd enjoys the game as much as anyone in Australia.

Took Tasmanians long enough to get regular AFL Home and Away matches, why deprieve them of cricket as well.

That was one of the bull$hit things about living in Hobart.

Perth's population may be bigger, but the Tasmanian people will travel to see the world's best test team (I use the term loosely at the moment) in action.

[fatmike]

Originally posted by Milenko
(Also muses that the Perth test is under threat from Hobart which i find to be an utterly ridiculous assertion given that any cricket administration worth their salt would grant a test to a 1.2million population town over 400,000).

You need to check your population figures.

[CatManDo]

No test in Perth: I doubt it would happen any time soon. The WACA would get right off its rocker. Cant see it.

Just the way the cookie crumbles - if we only play 5 Tests in a summer, Tassie misses out.

[jacqui9]

Originally posted by CatManDo
No test in Perth: I doubt it would happen any time soon. The WACA would get right off its rocker. Cant see it.

Just the way the cookie crumbles - if we only play 5 Tests in a summer, Tassie misses out.

Dont be so sure.

[Russian]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
BTW - when do we head over there again? If you mean NZ, February 2004/5

[Mickey]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
I agree, much prefer 3 against NZ, that promises to be a very good series.

BTW - when do we head over there again? We head to NZ in Feb 2005. I'll be there with my wife drinking plenty.

[scmods]

A Test against Zimbabwe in OCTOBER of all times, and still better attended in relative terms than the Sydney one. And only twelve months since sellouts against England.

I really can't see why every summer isn't six tests, with one in each state.

[Mr Q]

Originally posted by Lidge
same here (as I don't have any figures to back this up)....

But my perception is that Perth's crowds are good for Sth Africa and England games - due to the high number of ex pats - with games for other teams (India, pakistan, WIndies, NZ) being disappointing. Due to that - you are now being punished with the likes of the Zimbos playing in town.

For a start your perception is flawed in that South Africa have never played a Test Match in Perth. Ever. If you're talking one-day matches, the one match each year in Perth is always sold out.

[Edit: this should be "the one match each year Australia play in"]

India have not played here for over a decade - their last two series were 3 test (Adel, Melb, Syd) and 4 test (Bris, Adel, Melb, Syd). Every single time there are two series played, Perth gets a Test from the less interesting series, and this year we had a Test that was 1) against Zimbabwe, 2) during the RWC 3) in October 4) before we went to a OD series in India (and thus divorced from the rest of the summer) and 5) on the same weekend as an International Rules game in Perth. And you wonder why the crowds are ****e? How did the crowds compare between the Zim and India tests in Sydney this year?

The only real evidence you have to compare attendances between say Adelaide and Perth for instance is in years where both cities get the same Tests - in recent years that's ONLY been the Ashes series, where attendances in Perth were excellent. I doubt that if Hobart had an annual Test, but always got a second rate Test like Perth does that the crowds would remain up for very long.

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by Mickey
We head to NZ in Feb 2005. I'll be there with my wife drinking plenty.

Thanks. Always thought it would be a good time to go see NZ as I've never been there, and it can be tough to win over there.

Doubt I will have the funds as I will have just returned from Europe unfortunately.

[ThePope]

Lets not let the facts get in any ones way...
From 98/99 to 00/01 each Perth test was over in 3 days.
Eng - total attendance 45922
Pak - 40449
WI - 39924
Don't have day by day for Eng, but for the other 2 it was 15-16k, 12-14k, 11k.
NZ in 01/02 was 40k total, 12.7, 9, 10, 4,5
Don't have Eng in 02/03.
Zim this season was 7.6, 8, 5.9, 2.3 for 23.9k total

In Hobart, cricinfo only has 3 games
NZ, 1997/98, 2150, 3055, 3655, 2592, 934 = 12386 total (was rain affected)
Pak, 1999/00, 3447, 4206, ?, ?, ?
NZ, 2001/02, 4429, 3663, 3306, 2837 = 14235 total

So Hobart's total attendance is likely to be about what Perth gets on day 1 of a decent test. It's become a corporate event in Perth. All the big end of town take the day off and sit in there boxes drinking and eating.

So, by all means make it 2x 3 test series and give Hobart a test, but don't take Perth's away. If you do, the WACA will fold and say goodbye to cricket in WA.

Edit: just checked what Sydney's Zim test attendance was this year...
5455, 5707, 6058, 1312 = 18532 or 5393 less than what Perth's was! I think Cricket Australia will learn never to give Sydney 2 tests in a single year again. (I know that in Hobart you probably can't play cricket in October, but hopefully they'll learn that lesson too)