ICC Chairman - "Test cricket is dying"

Aug 27, 2014
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The lack of ability of most bats to hang around in this game is scary. T20 creeping into the ability to knuckle down is rampant. Thankfully some players can adjust but it is a worry. Anyway, hopefully Perera or someone else can at least bat for 2 hours or more tonight and get them home for surprise 2-0 win of series. South Africa should still be able to get out of jail though and draw the series.
 

MC Bad Genius

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Wild!

In what world does the Sri Lankan team decimated by injuries that was humiliated in Australia by a team low on confidence and consistency somehow win BOTH Tests against a far superior South African side, becoming the first Asian team to win a series there? That is just crazy!
 
Aug 27, 2014
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The product has always been strong.

Test cricket is still dying because no one wants to go to the games.

It is not a product, It is a sport. If anything T20 is a product for our sport of cricket. Just because there are not a lot of strong teams now does not mean it is dying. People love to goto extremes. either something is greatest ever or it is dying. Please, give this superficial thinking a rest. Test cricket been in a trough, yes, but that is all. The game and sport goes on.
 
Sep 21, 2002
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It is not a product, It is a sport. If anything T20 is a product for our sport of cricket. Just because there are not a lot of strong teams now does not mean it is dying. People love to goto extremes. either something is greatest ever or it is dying. Please, give this superficial thinking a rest. Test cricket been in a trough, yes, but that is all. The game and sport goes on.

Yes, there have been many periods in Test cricket history where the game was in the doldrums. I recall hearing about how dull the game was in the late 1950s, and then along came the West Indies and woke everyone up. As a lad I began watching Test cricket in the mid 1960s and loved it. Little did I realise in the mid-late 1960s, Test cricket wasn't all that good. The Windies were getting old, the Indians and Pakistan cricketers weren't up to standard, we didn't even play New Zealand because they weren't much chop, the South Africans were about to be banned, Sri Lanka wasn't even a Test nation, it was all about Australia v England, that was the only thing keeping Test cricket alive.

Then as if by magic, along came the Chappell brothers, Marsh, Lillee, etc, and Test cricket was suddenly extremely popular. World Series Cricket gave the game the boost it needed, and the West Indies set a standard nobody could match. Then by the mid 80s, the game began to wane once more when along came Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, two absolute freaks.

Test cricket has always had it's ups and downs, and now with the Windies showing great improvement against England, the Sri Lankans knocking off South Africa, you just get the feeling a new era of Test cricket is on the horizon. I look forward to what the next few years may bring.
 
May 5, 2016
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Yes, there have been many periods in Test cricket history where the game was in the doldrums. I recall hearing about how dull the game was in the late 1950s, and then along came the West Indies and woke everyone up. As a lad I began watching Test cricket in the mid 1960s and loved it. Little did I realise in the mid-late 1960s, Test cricket wasn't all that good. The Windies were getting old, the Indians and Pakistan cricketers weren't up to standard, we didn't even play New Zealand because they weren't much chop, the South Africans were about to be banned, Sri Lanka wasn't even a Test nation, it was all about Australia v England, that was the only thing keeping Test cricket alive.

Then as if by magic, along came the Chappell brothers, Marsh, Lillee, etc, and Test cricket was suddenly extremely popular. World Series Cricket gave the game the boost it needed, and the West Indies set a standard nobody could match. Then by the mid 80s, the game began to wane once more when along came Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, two absolute freaks.

Test cricket has always had it's ups and downs, and now with the Windies showing great improvement against England, the Sri Lankans knocking off South Africa, you just get the feeling a new era of Test cricket is on the horizon. I look forward to what the next few years may bring.

This.

And there seems to be this pervading view by the pessimists that without a truly great team dominating, there must be something wrong. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Look at women’s tennis, for example.
We are in the midst - well the back end, really - of an era dominated by probably the greatest player of all time. What has it led to in terms of the health of the game? Nothing. At the height of her powers what was the overall standard like, and the spectator rewards like, during the Serena era? Fairly average I’d have thought.

I will always enjoy watching truly great teams and players in cricket regardless of the overall standard but if I have to choose between one great side, a big gap and then the rest, or an era where basically anyone can win a series against anyone, I choose the latter.
 

Park cricketer

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Black Caps achieve history, jumping to second in ICC test rankings for first time

Screenshot_20190225-110233__02.jpg


https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket...to-second-in-icc-test-rankings-for-first-time

It's incredible for a small nation with a miniscule population where cricket isn't even the main sport, how often the Kiwis manage to punch above their weight and produce quality cricketers especially in the last few years. This despite them playing few tests in comparison to the big 4.

This must surely be New Zealand's best ever era and the best team in their history. New Zealand play England and India at home, and visit Australia next year. I can't wait for India's tour of New Zealand tbh, think it would be a very competitive series.
 
May 5, 2016
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Australia will thrash the Kiwis next time they play.

Any particular reason? Not trying to start a debate but in their past 5 tests in Australia they’ve won 1, drawn one, and lost another by 3 wickets that in all probability was a match they’d have won but for one of the most bizarre DRS decisions ever made (Nathan Lyon sweeping).

The sides they fielded in those series (and the loss in NZ for that matter) were nowhere near as strong as what they’ve got now.
 
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Any particular reason? Not trying to start a debate but in their past 5 tests in Australia they’ve won 1, drawn one, and lost another by 3 wickets that in all probability was a match they’d have won but for one of the most bizarre DRS decisions ever made (Nathan Lyon sweeping).

The sides they fielded in those series (and the loss in NZ for that matter) were nowhere near as strong as what they’ve got now.
I was exaggerating a bit trying to get a bite.

I think with the best players back though it will be pretty difficult for the Kiwis to beat Australia here even with how much they have improved.
 

StingBitten

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What a farce the domestic four-day game has become.

Half of that WA line up should still be wrapping up their 3 month Contiki tour. It's Richardson, NCN, Turner, Behrendorff, Stoinis and Short who should be plying their craft here pushing for Ashes selection.

Instead they wrap up one T20 domestic comp, fly over to India for a meaningless t20/ODI series and come back for a brief cameo before the seasons wrapped up.

Imagine like, playing half a dozen matches and getting 12 innings to build form before something really important like an away Ashes series?

Nahhhhhh
 
What a farce the domestic four-day game has become.

Half of that WA line up should still be wrapping up their 3 month Contiki tour. It's Richardson, NCN, Turner, Behrendorff, Stoinis and Short who should be plying their craft here pushing for Ashes selection.

Instead they wrap up one T20 domestic comp, fly over to India for a meaningless t20/ODI series and come back for a brief cameo before the seasons wrapped up.

Imagine like, playing half a dozen matches and getting 12 innings to build form before something really important like an away Ashes series?

Nahhhhhh

You don’t rate the World Cup as an important tournament to try to win?
 

to1994

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You don’t rate the World Cup as an important tournament to try to win?

If I had to pick one I'd rather we win the Ashes in England which we haven't done since 2001. The World Cup is good spectacle and all but a 5 Test series is a far better showcase of who is the better team compared to a One Day tournament where it basically all comes down to how the team goes in literally 2-3 50 over games. It doesn't hold much weight for me and with how they've trimmed it down it's really just another Champions Trophy with a bigger name behind it.

I'm of the opinion we don't need to rush Warner/Smith back for the event, let them re-enter the set up through Aus A/County Cricket so they have solid game time before The Ashes. Let them join the limited overs teams after the Ashes as if Cricket Australia wanted them to be a part of our World Cup squad they shouldn't have made the short sighted decision of banning them for 12 months.

That being said I wouldn't mind us rejigging the schedule as we shouldn't be playing Ashes series in the same year as a World Cup as it leads to this issue where we're lacking in preparation one way or the other.
 

Belnakor

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Any particular reason? Not trying to start a debate but in their past 5 tests in Australia they’ve won 1, drawn one, and lost another by 3 wickets that in all probability was a match they’d have won but for one of the most bizarre DRS decisions ever made (Nathan Lyon sweeping).

The sides they fielded in those series (and the loss in NZ for that matter) were nowhere near as strong as what they’ve got now.

those tests in Australia are pretty old now. The previous series in NZ, Australia pretty much flogged them.
 
If I had to pick one I'd rather we win the Ashes in England which we haven't done since 2001. The World Cup is good spectacle and all but a 5 Test series is a far better showcase of who is the better team compared to a One Day tournament where it basically all comes down to how the team goes in literally 2-3 50 over games. It doesn't hold much weight for me and with how they've trimmed it down it's really just another Champions Trophy with a bigger name behind it.

I'm of the opinion we don't need to rush Warner/Smith back for the event, let them re-enter the set up through Aus A/County Cricket so they have solid game time before The Ashes. Let them join the limited overs teams after the Ashes as if Cricket Australia wanted them to be a part of our World Cup squad they shouldn't have made the short sighted decision of banning them for 12 months.

That being said I wouldn't mind us rejigging the schedule as we shouldn't be playing Ashes series in the same year as a World Cup as it leads to this issue where we're lacking in preparation one way or the other.

It's weird, because the whole point of playing back to back Ashes in 2013/14 was to avoid England having to go straight from an Ashes into a World Cup, but it's led to Australia having to do the opposite!
 
It's weird, because the whole point of playing back to back Ashes in 2013/14 was to avoid England having to go straight from an Ashes into a World Cup, but it's led to Australia having to do the opposite!

because the actual real point was to make money
 
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