ICC Chairman - "Test cricket is dying"

[Blackhawk42]

One thing that drives me crazy about t20 is when they play some poxy electronica track between balls. Why is there the perception that every quieter moment needs to be filled with some visual or audio stimulus?

Merica'

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

One thing that drives me crazy about t20 is when they play some poxy electronica track between balls. Why is there the perception that every quieter moment needs to be filled with some visual or audio stimulus?

It's to prevent people from thinking. T20 fans don't like that type of thing. A silent moment would cause instant boredom.

 

[footyfan1978]

So beating Australia and England in tests, winning series against West Indies, that doesn’t mark an improvement?

Considering how Windies and Australia have fallen away badly at times, no, not to me anyway. I want to see high standard Test cricket.

 

[footyfan1978]

Test Cricket has a very flat hierarchy at the moment and there is no side that is especially convincing and consistent in all conditions.

Exactly, the standards have dropped away in general. We need it to rise again, not fall away so we can have 12 to 20 ordinary sides in world.

 

[PhatBoy]

Considering how Windies and Australia have fallen away badly at times, no, not to me anyway. I want to see high standard Test cricket.

The West Indies have won 9 of their last 22 tests. It’s not fantastic but it’s not hopeless either. They themselves have just flogged a side that have won 8 of their previous 9 matches before this series. So I’d say smashing the Windies 2-0 by huge margins is reasonable. Especially considering the Windies have taken a test in the UAE relatively recently - something Australia couldn’t manage.


Mate you can live in your fantasy island all you want. The fact remains, there were less results, less sides capable of beating anyone on a good day, and less choice for good players 35-40 years ago whether you want to believe it or not.

Unless you just want draws all the time, the nature of team sport dictates that there will be winners and losers when they clash, now the two most likely outcomes when there are winners and losers across a team sport, is that there’ll be a couple of really dominant sides, and couple of ok sides, and a couple of absolutely f***ing woeful sides. OR, basically any team can beat any other team on a given day in the right conditions. I know what I’d prefer. Aside from the two newcomers and Zimbabwe who for the sake of this discussion don’t really count, there are 9 teams playing that could conceivably find a way to beat any of the other 8, with the exception of a side playing India in Asia. They are the only lock at the moment.

Now, whether the standard of play is up to this amazing level that you continually refer to in the other thread, is subjective.

But it is an inescapable mathematical fact that test cricket at the moment across a high number of teams is extremely competitive.
Look up the most prolific opening batsmen this decade. You’ll note that, with Cook retired, Vijay almost certain never to play again, the fourth most prolific opener is from.... Bangladesh.
The best all rounder over over that period.... from Bangladesh.
Most runs as a wicketkeeper in that period (at an average over 40 I might add) .... why he’s from Bangladesh.
Who should rank 5th, 6th, and 7th among active Test spin bowlers this decade based on averages (minimum qualification of 10 tests as a specialist spinner): why Nathan Lyon doesn’t find himself in that group... but there Bangladeshi bowlers do. The only ones in front of them are Jadeja, Ashwin, Maharaj and Yasir, who between them have broken more records than Usain Bolt.

I get the impression reading your posts on these sorts of topics that you si ply don’t watch a Lot of cricket unless it’s shoved down your throat, and that’s a shame because there have been some great series to watch, and a whole host of really entertaining players starting to come into their own from across the world at the moment

 

[sherb]

One thing that drives me crazy about t20 is when they play some poxy electronica track between balls. Why is there the perception that every quieter moment needs to be filled with some visual or audio stimulus?

That's because it is entertainment first and foremost, and sport second.

 

[to1994]

Considering how Windies and Australia have fallen away badly at times, no, not to me anyway. I want to see high standard Test cricket.

I have a feeling you haven't actually watched Bangladesh play Test Cricket recently. The only thing stopping them from improving is boards like ours refusing to play them because it's not "commercially viable". Idiotic, it's never going to be commercially viable unless we give them a chance to improve in all conditions so it becomes a feat to beat them.

The main issue effecting competitive Test cricket is the lack of tour games which leaves teams not really adjusting to conditions until the tour is effectively over. You look back at old Ashes tours and the amount of competitive FC games we played before and in between Tests shows a huge difference. With the scheduling there's no easy fix but when you see boards like England's cutting back on A tours in order to inject more cash into the "100" you can see nothing is going to change any time soon.

What would really help is the ICC having some sort of neutral FC competition each year where the best performers from around the world (who don't currently have national contracts with their boards) play in randomly selected teams (let's say 4 in total playing something like 6 rounds to keep it realistic) in a different country each year. Games like this would be immensely valuable to some of the fringe players and really mix up the conditions and quality of players. I know we play A tours but it's mostly against England/India and there's not enough time devoted to it for the players to get a heap out of it. We can't keep relying on individual boards to grow the game when they clearly couldn't care less.

 

[Pedantic]

Is there any actual evidence to support the notion that kids don't like Test cricket anymore? Or that they have shorter attention spans than previous generations?

Just anecdotally, I go to the Boxing Day Test each year and it seems like there's just as many kids there as ever -- if not more.

 

[big_e]

Could go back the the pre-Wars England model where you select a second tier XI of players to play the fledgling Test nations (kind of a joke they get classed as Tests tbh. There's one England Test player whose only FC game is their 'Test' in South Africa from memory).

Tours of West Indies and New Zealand 1929/30.

Several records broken in the Windies tour, including oldest test cricketer (Wilf Rhodes, aged 52), first triple century (Andy Sandham, 325), average age of touring party was 38. The side itself had some very good players, but the captain in all four tests was playing his only four tests.

Both tours were the first tests in each country.

 

[footyfan1978]

The West Indies have won 9 of their last 22 tests. It’s not fantastic but it’s not hopeless either.

You missing the whole reality of Test cricket situation. The standards have dropped so just beating other poor teams in itself means little. Only recently winning a few Tests are they improving from basically shite. It is encouraging to see Windies win against Poms recently but lets not kid ourselves Poms are a quality team. They are an ok team only. There are two decent teams in the world right now, not great teams, decent teams. I want to see one or two great teams, a few highly quality teams vying for best in world. Not a lot of ordinary teams because we got too many nations playing Tests against each other when many are not what I would even call Test standard. If you want to believe it is high quality, feel free.

 

[footyfan1978]

I have a feeling you haven't actually watched Bangladesh play Test Cricket recently.

That's correct.. Unless you got Foxtel cricket, not many of us are going to see them. But given how crap we are and even worse what Sri Lanka dished up, I'm not missing much. If the 5th and 6th sides in world are as bad as Aussie batsmen and Sri Lanka, I really not keen to watch Test series like Bangladesh v Zimbabwe. However, I have got Kayo sports in recent months so now I can watch a few other Tests other than FTA stuff here. Been catching a bit of West Indies v England series which nice to see Windies on improve from the crap they been dishing up for over a decade.

 

[footyfan1978]

The main issue effecting competitive Test cricket is the lack of tour games which leaves teams not really adjusting to conditions until the tour is effectively over. You look back at old Ashes tours and the amount of competitive FC games we played before and in between Tests shows a huge difference. With the scheduling there's no easy fix but when you see boards like England's cutting back on A tours in order to inject more cash into the "100" you can see nothing is going to change any time soon.

What would really help is the ICC having some sort of neutral FC competition each year where the best performers from around the world (who don't currently have national contracts with their boards) play in randomly selected teams (let's say 4 in total playing something like 6 rounds to keep it realistic) in a different country each year. Games like this would be immensely valuable to some of the fringe players and really mix up the conditions and quality of players. I know we play A tours but it's mostly against England/India and there's not enough time devoted to it for the players to get a heap out of it. We can't keep relying on individual boards to grow the game when they clearly couldn't care less.

I just do not see that happening. The schedule around the world with T20 tournaments has too much money it is just not going to happen. Players just do not make themselves available if they are doing well for themselves in T20 circuit as they have money to make. We already see guys like Chris Lynn basically just forego longer form cricket for T20 cricket as he commits to T20 tournaments around the world. He has money to make and who can blame him. Unless our board gives him monetary incentive to make first class cricket worthwhile to skip some T20 tournaments things are not changing on that front any time soon. It really is up to boards around the world have the will to want to make Test cricket more important in the schedule and giving enough lead up games to allow touring teams to adjust. ICC are pretty toothless on these matters.

 

[footyfan1978]

One thing that drives me crazy about t20 is when they play some poxy electronica track between balls. Why is there the perception that every quieter moment needs to be filled with some visual or audio stimulus?

I noticed in the Test matches between West Indies and England started to play music in breaks of plays. Even between wickets plenty of music happening.

 

[PhatBoy]

You missing the whole reality of Test cricket situation. The standards have dropped so just beating other poor teams in itself means little. Only recently winning a few Tests are they improving from basically shite. It is encouraging to see Windies win against Poms recently but lets not kid ourselves Poms are a quality team. They are an ok team only. There are two decent teams in the world right now, not great teams, decent teams. I want to see one or two great teams, a few highly quality teams vying for best in world. Not a lot of ordinary teams because we got too many nations playing Tests against each other when many are not what I would even call Test standard. If you want to believe it is high quality, feel free.

Sigh.

You just don’t get it. They won a test - and nearly won a series (they fell about 30 short of a big chase led by a Bravo century) in the UAE. One tough place to win a test let alone a series. They have just trounced England, who less than a year ago beat India 4-1 (you know, the top ranked side in the world) and won 3-0 in Sri Lanka. And they are the 8th best side in the world. (They also took a series in England to a deciding test after chasing 320 at headingley) When you have the 8th best side destroying the (then) second best side in the world, how can you say that test cricket is a) not competitive and b) losing any of its appeal due to quality?

I’ve just watched Shannon Gabriel torment the England line up by bowling rockets at around 150km/h consistently hitting batsmen, and Kemar Roach bowl like he has the ball on a string for 3 matches.


I get the impresssion that if the game isn’t in Australia you don’t watch at all

 

[PhatBoy]

I noticed in the Test matches between West Indies and England started to play music in breaks of plays. Even between wickets plenty of music happening.

Yeah that’s only been happening either through live bands or stadium music for about 40 years

 

[footyfan1978]

Yeah that’s only been happening either through live bands or stadium music for about 40 years

Wrong. Was not happening last time I watched Test series in West Indies. Music used to come from fans which was fun. Not from speakers blaring out. I think you just disagree for hell of it...lol Did you even read what me and other poster were taking about. Seems not.

 

[footyfan1978]

Sigh.

You just don’t get it.

Yes, I do not get the delusion Test cricket standard is ok because a lot of ordinary sides exist. I am ok with not buying into such delusions.. I think the standard can rise in time. Especially if West Indies and Australia get their shit together in coming years. With Holder leading the way out of quagmire we have hope again for West Indies.

 

[PhatBoy]

Yes, I do not get the delusion Test cricket standard is ok because a lot of ordinary sides exist. I am ok with not buying into such delusions.. I think the standard can rise in time. Especially if West Indies and Australia get their shit together in coming years. With Holder leading the way out of quagmire we have hope again for West Indies.

The delusion is that you think for some reason that this era is inherently inferior to a non existent past era where allegedly every team was fantastic.

That era never existed.
There are no all time great teams right now, that much is true. The same goes for literally 90 per cent of test cricket history. That doesn’t mean there is not great cricket to be watched.

You have openly admitted you don’t want any overseas cricket so I don’t really see what qualifies you to make such a blanket statement anyway

 

[PhatBoy]

Wrong. Was not happening last time I watched Test series in West Indies. Music used to come from fans which was fun. Not from speakers blaring out. I think you just disagree for hell of it...lol Did you even read what me and other poster were taking about. Seems not.

You must have misssd the bit where I mentioned live music.

 

[footyfan1978]

You must have misssd the bit where I mentioned live music.

We were talking about the music from speakers by stadium officials. If you read the context of what me and other poster were getting you would not even needed to reply. Weird post mate.

 

[footyfan1978]

The delusion is that you think for some reason that this era is inherently inferior to a non existent past era where allegedly every team was fantastic.

You have openly admitted you don’t want any overseas cricket so I don’t really see what qualifies you to make such a blanket statement anyway

Just your weird comprehension. Why you think I don't want overseas cricket just weird. I love cricket when it is good. Loved many overseas cricket. Been enjoying some of cricket in morning from West Indies recently too.
You off with the fairies. Put the beers down and sober up mate.

 

[Richard Pryor]

The delusion is that you think for some reason that this era is inherently inferior to a non existent past era where allegedly every team was fantastic.

That era never existed.
There are no all time great teams right now, that much is true. The same goes for literally 90 per cent of test cricket history. That doesn’t mean there is not great cricket to be watched.

You have openly admitted you don’t want any overseas cricket so I don’t really see what qualifies you to make such a blanket statement anyway

I think the main difference between today and past eras is there isn't one team which is at the very least competent in all aspects of the game. Probably the weakest era since the 60's in that respect (going off the top of my head with that though, so might be B.S. based on the numbers).

 

[PhatBoy]

I think the main difference between today and past eras is there isn't one team which is at the very least competent in all aspects of the game. Probably the weakest era since the 60's in that respect (going off the top of my head with that though, so might be B.S. based on the numbers).

India - while not amazing - would surely be considered at least competent at all areas wouldn’t they?

 

[PhatBoy]

Just your weird comprehension. Why you think I don't want overseas cricket just weird. I love cricket when it is good. Loved many overseas cricket. Been enjoying some of cricket in morning from West Indies recently too.
You off with the fairies. Put the beers down and sober up mate.

You said above that you don’t have fox and you only just got Kayo.

So aside from Australia touring England, how do you watch any overseas cricket?

 

[MC Bad Genius]

I wonder if the bigger perception in Australia of Test cricket dying is more to do with the fact that the Australian Test team has been ordinary-rubbish for some time?