ODI ODI Cricket and how to revive it

[Peter Bixley]

Well let's bring it back to boxing. You don't want the middle rounds of the fight to be the two guys dancing around and hugging each other. You'd rather see one guy bashing the other's brains in.

A 250-300 score nearly always goes like this.

2/70 in the first 10 overs. Bashing.
2/120 in the next 30 overs. Hugging.
4/85 in the last 10 overs. Bashing.

All the action taking place in 20 overs, separated by the boring part where neither team tries to knock the other out. I think what will happen is a new and more popular format will come along that gets rid of the middle section of autopilot.

Unlike games where the first team scores 400+, the second team loses early wickets and the result is virtually known by the 10th over of the second innings. You get fewer close games on a batting paradise. I'd argue you're right about the middle overs, but there are perhaps things that can be done to make them more exciting.

 

[Cleavy]

Mark Nicholas: ODI cricket should only be played at World Cups

Incoming MCC president believes club needs to make better use of soft power to retain relevance

www.espncricinfo.com

Not sure how well this would work.

 

[big_e]

Mark Nicholas: ODI cricket should only be played at World Cups

Incoming MCC president believes club needs to make better use of soft power to retain relevance

www.espncricinfo.com

Not sure how well this would work.

"The problem at the moment is that the ICC see us a bit of a threat," he said. "When we put our head above the parapet, they're like 'whoa, settle down, we run the game'.

Rightio.

 

[NYRB]

Mark Nicholas: ODI cricket should only be played at World Cups

Incoming MCC president believes club needs to make better use of soft power to retain relevance

www.espncricinfo.com

Not sure how well this would work.

Rightio.

I actually kind of agree with him.

When was the last time Australia sold out a mens ODI fixture on home soil even?

Will be see interested to see what kind of crowds we get for this summer in Feb involving West Indies for a best of 3 in : Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. One imagine we will be lucky to get 20k for any of those host cities.

I found that the fact that India has hosted Australia in a best of 3 series format this year , twice in the year almost absurd. In fact, Id even say it doesnt take much planning for a board to host a series within a 6 month time frame.

The pinnacle of 50 over should always be the World Cup and you dont want to dilute the statistics and the history of the ODI game by playing 'meaningless' series or fixtures. Your also noticing that teams now are even sending 2nd string teams due to overload or fixturing.

T20 cricket has overtaken ODI cricket now. But you dont want to lessen the ODI product by having more.

 

[big_e]

I actually kind of agree with him.

When was the last time Australia sold out a mens ODI fixture on home soil even?

Will be see interested to see what kind of crowds we get for this summer in Feb involving West Indies for a best of 3 in : Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. One imagine we will be lucky to get 20k for any of those host cities.

I found that the fact that India has hosted Australia in a best of 3 series format this year , twice in the year almost absurd. In fact, Id even say it doesnt take much planning for a board to host a series within a 6 month time frame.

The pinnacle of 50 over should always be the pinnacle and you dont want to dilute the statistics and the history of the ODI game by playing 'meaningless' series or fixtures. Your also noticing that teams now are even sending 2nd string teams due to overload or fixturing.

T20 cricket has overtaken ODI cricket now. But you dont want to lessen the ODI product by having more.

The biggest problem with cricket (of all formats) is that it has historically been done on a bilateral basis. Which is historical of course, going back to what the original tours were privately funded exercises that were only given "Test" status decades later.

But that doesn't mean cricket should remain primarily bilateral.

I'm on the record as saying the World Test Championship is a great idea - far from perfect but something to build on - because it means that all test series now mean something to everyone (in the test world, at least). Ten years ago, the Ashes meant something to England and Australia, and nobody else gave a toss. Now it matters to India, Pakistan, South Africa, et al because it affects their own prospects for qualification for the final.

Similarly, the ODI Super League was a good start. It meant we in Australia had to keep an eye on other results to ensure our qualification for the CWC. Of course, the ICC don't want to risk the "big" teams missing out on their premier event, so it was deeply flawed. But it's a start.

Stick with me, I'm getting to the point now.

The CWC Qualifier in Zimbabwe and the regional T20WC qualifiers that have been going on for the last year or so are the perfect example of how to make ODIs even more relevant between World Cups. It's tournament play.

Instead of bilateral series, you have a series of qualification tournaments around the world in the year or two leading up to the World Cups (both CWC and T20WC). They can be done regionally (like the T20WC qualifiers) or smaller, punchier versions of the Super League. They get done more quickly, they get done during windows in the calendar which allows for players to go off to franchise cricket or play tests. They mean that all games matter, unlike the ones we've played in South Africa and India recently which may as well have been deemed friendlies.

There's nothing inherently wrong with the 50-over format - but the fact a bunch of old farts in London can't be bothered thinking how to make it work says more about them than it says about 50-over cricket.

 

[candyapple]

Not having every game on FTA doesn't help ODI cricket in Australia

 

[big_e]

While Cricket Australia refuse to select a full-strength team outside world cups it will never be revived

You know other countries play ODIs, too, yeah?

 

[big_e]

Have the impression other countries don't pick B players through choice as much and Australia is a big deal in this sport

England played an ODI last week with precisely zero members of their World Cup squad.

 

[akkaps]

Have the impression other countries don't pick B players through choice as much and Australia is a big deal in this sport

Most countries don’t play their A sides until it’s necessary. Or until they are trying to figure out their best XI for WCs.
Even the Dutch didn’t play their their best XI at the WC qualifiers.

 

[ioppolo]

Most countries don’t play their A sides until it’s necessary. Or until they are trying to figure out their best XI for WCs.
Even the Dutch didn’t play their their best XI at the WC qualifiers.

The Dutch couldn't because a fair few were held ransom to their county contracts.

 

[akkaps]

The Dutch couldn't because a fair few were held ransom to their county contracts.

Why you allowing the truth get in the way of the point that I am trying to make

 

[corbies]

Have the impression other countries don't pick B players through choice as much and Australia is a big deal in this sport

Tell me you don't watch cricket outside Australia without telling me etc etc.

 

[NYRB]

Chopra mentions that this tournament might be a crucial moment in ODI cricket and I dont disagree with him.

 

[Gethelred]

I know how not to.

Have Ian Smith repetitively stressing out over squad size limits, ludicrously colourful graphics (which are gone to every 2 seconds), Nasser Hussein, the constant ******* cuts between cameras (let's look at the point fielders. Let's look at the drummers. Let's look at the two spectators up very close. Let's look at Mitchell Santner from three different angles. Let's have an up close look at his face), Jonny Bairstow wearing what looks like his best blue pyjamas, and a refusal to recognise that what we're all here for is just a game of cricket.

Not the context or the hullaballo. Just the cricket. Let it evolve, let it be exciting or boring or gripping or holding or accelerating as it happens.

 

[cricketnut14]

several good points raised.

no odi's on free to air TV since channel 7 have had the TV rights.

australia have hosted 34 odi's in the last 8 aussie summers (after this summer is complete) - that's 4 per summer !



the previous 35 years saw australia average 11 odi's per home summer plus another average of 5 neutral odi's.

 

[Cleavy]

several good points raised.

no odi's on free to air TV since channel 7 have had the TV rights.

australia have hosted 34 odi's in the last 8 aussie summers (after this summer is complete) - that's 4 per summer !



the previous 35 years saw australia average 11 odi's per home summer plus another average of 5 neutral odi's.

because the schedule was less compacted, and T20s didn't exist.