Scheduling Lunacy

[Plugger35]

I don't mind women's cricket but isn't there a rather large gulf between these two teams?

'
Yeah there is, the Australian womens team are even more dominant here than the mens team so most of their games are dull one sided contests.

If they were playing against India, England or NZ there might be some semblance of a contest but not Pakistan, they will get flogged.

we had:
3 odi's v zimbabwe
3 odi's v new zealand
3 odi's v england

2 t20's v west indies
3 t20's v england
t20 world cup

The ODI series against Zimbabwe and NZ were played at the end of the AFL/NRL seasons and during the finals so no one gave a stuff about them while the England ODI series was played straight after the T20 World Cup so no one gave a stuff about that either, there would be more interest in them now.

 

[The 747]

Current ICC Women's ODI rankings have Thailand above Pakistan

Aiya, massacre coming up.

 

[The 747]

that's ok - give us a 6 or 7 test sunmer then

let's face it - 2 test series are rubbish.

I liked the idea CA went with a while ago which was play a 2 test series against a minnow first* then get into the summer starting Boxing Day or two weeks before.

*Noting that for all our posturing about the good of the game we don't make any effort to help the developing sides by hosting them.

 

[corbies]

Usually because there is a battle for the 3 teams to make a final that makes it more interesting. The team that misses out feels like chumps.
With two teams there no variety but I personally have not said it meaningless due to only two. That is your take it would seem on my preference for 3,

You said "stop scheduling meaningless stuff and actually give us some real ODI series of three teams." What is the meaningless stuff being scheduled in this scenario?

 

[Nuggetz]

Not even convinced about that.

I suspect when CA set the schedule this year, they figured leaving January clear of any international cricket would pave the way for a huge BBL... hasn't really worked out that way. They've managed to screw up the BBL and ODIs and Test matches. It's a pretty colossal cluster*.

Screw up the BBL, this is has been one of the best bbl's in years from ratings to crowd attendance and media coverage. The only answer for the test match debacle is to have Aus play more competitive sides over here which is India, England, NZ. CA can't control how other nations play their cricket. Heaps of people thought the SA series would be infinitely more competitive but SA shithouse batting ruined it. CA can't do anything about that.

 

[footyfan1978]

You said "stop scheduling meaningless stuff and actually give us some real ODI series of three teams." What is the meaningless stuff being scheduled in this scenario?

The meaningless aspect comes about when we do not have teams picking their best 11 most games, but rather rotating players around that we rarely seen a meaningful ODI in decades apart from World Cup. Why do they rotate their players?... because the schedule is so full the better bowlers need a rest from time to time. That is actually more of the point about the meaningless call. When the schedule was not lunancy level, the Aussie ODI in our summer tended to be our best 11 most matches. So for us in our summer they were meaningful until there just so many matches we rarely see it a time when the best 11 were picked. So if you a fan that used to goto a few ODI's (like myself), when they were meaningful are seeing players rotated more and more , it just becomes a point where you do not turn up as you no longer seeing the best 11 picked most matches.
They then became fairly meaningless and not worth paying to see. That bascially has been going on for so long now I struggle to remember the last ODI outside of World Cup time, that I went to.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

In reality, no one who likes the Tower of BaBeL, would notice if the bulk of the likely Indian Touring Party was pulled from cow corner cricket to play a 4 day game of Probables and Possibles. Let Warner and maybe Carey play for their bbl teams.

Players would inc. Cummins, Ussie, Renshaw, Hunt, Marnus, Handscomb, Hardie, Lyon, Agar, Swepson, Murphy, Inglis, Boland, Neser, Sutherland, Kellaway, Wild Thing the 2nd, Doolan, Abbott, etc.

The match would dominate media attention and 7 and Fox could get the rights free of charge.

 

[The 747]

In reality, no one who likes the Tower of BaBeL, would notice if the bulk of the likely Indian Touring Party was pulled from cow corner cricket to play a 4 day game of Probables and Possibles. Let Warner and maybe Carey play for their bbl teams.

Players would inc. Cummins, Ussie, Renshaw, Hunt, Marnus, Handscomb, Hardie, Lyon, Agar, Swepson, Murphy, Inglis, Boland, Neser, Sutherland, Kellaway, Wild Thing the 2nd, Doolan, Abbott, etc.

The match would dominate media attention and 7 and Fox could get the rights free of charge.

This is the cricket board, this sort of creative thinking (that might work) is not welcome.

 

[footyfan1978]

In reality, no one who likes the Tower of BaBeL, would notice if the bulk of the likely Indian Touring Party was pulled from cow corner cricket to play a 4 day game of Probables and Possibles. Let Warner and maybe Carey play for their bbl teams.

Players would inc. Cummins, Ussie, Renshaw, Hunt, Marnus, Handscomb, Hardie, Lyon, Agar, Swepson, Murphy, Inglis, Boland, Neser, Sutherland, Kellaway, Wild Thing the 2nd, Doolan, Abbott, etc.

The match would dominate media attention and 7 and Fox could get the rights free of charge.

That's just a red ball version of Australia v Australia B concept that we saw play a final against each other when Zimbabwe and England failed to make the finals in the ODI series.
Problem with those matches is not the cricket itself, but for fans, there no one to really barrack for as a team. Would be more like an exhibition red ball match for fans and not what we really want. I want to see best 11 from one nation v best 11 from another.
I really do not get why NZ and Australia boards have not worked together on this to have an ODI three team series most summers from this time in January until early Feb. I guess this is the issue, our boards and admins of cricket around the world are basically a mess so we have the lunancy schedules we currently see.

 

[sherb]

So it's early January... effectively mid-Summer... and international cricket in Australia has finished.

WTF.

OK, so there was the T20 World Cup last year. But the Australian summer has consisted of 3 one-dayers against England, 2 Tests against West Indies and 3 Tests against South Africa.

Am I the only one that thinks this seems very lean?

In fairness, the Australian Test team will be in India from early February onwards.

Given that, what international cricket would you have taking place here now that the Tests are over?

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

That's just a red ball version of Australia v Australia B concept that we saw play a final against each other when Zimbabwe and England failed to make the finals in the ODI series.
Problem with those matches is not the cricket itself, but for fans, there no one to really barrack for as a team. Would be more like an exhibition red ball match for fans and not what we really want. I want to see best 11 from one nation v best 11 from another.
I really do not get why NZ and Australia boards have not worked together on this to have an ODI three team series most summers from this time in January until early Feb. I guess this is the issue, our boards and admins of cricket around the world are basically a mess so we have the lunancy schedules we currently see.

It is not. It is designed to give our blokes some red ball cricket before hopping on the plane. The public interest would be high with a lot of eyes focussed on how those close to selection performed under pressure. It would be no exhibition game! The teams would mix the probables and the possibles.

It would rate well.

 

[footyfan1978]

It is not. It is designed to give our blokes some red ball cricket before hopping on the plane. The public interest would be high with a lot of eyes focussed on how those close to selection performed under pressure. It would be no exhibition game! The teams would mix the probables and the possibles.

It would rate well.

Ok, you making sense.
Yes, it better than nothing we have now but I still want what I once had, which was a January full of international cricket here and into early February and we have donuts for me to watch or attend for next four weeks here which is just lunacy.

 

[melanChronic]

Is complaining about West Indies coming 2 summers in a row a bit like complaining that your AFL side plays home games against the same side in Rd 21, 2022 and Rd 3, 2023?

Australia play 13 Tests between those two series against the other 3 best sides in the World before going back and playing WI as its the start of a new FTP cycle. Its just happened that they played at the end of one cycle and the start of another.

I don't think it's similar at all. Test cricket has always been based on bilateral tours where each team reciprocates. The fact Australia hasn't been to the Caribbean for 8 years (and won't for another 2 cycles at least) but will be saturated with two Windies tours in two years just further highlights the gap between the two nations. At least WI could maybe be competitive at home, and if Aus were heading there this winter or next I don't think anyone would mind the sudden glut of matches between the two.

Whilst the WTC has moved the calendar somewhat to resemble a biyearly "season", it was designed to preserve the existing bilateral tour set up and add more context to it. If they are no longer going to consider the need for reciprocity then the WTC just becomes another tool for the big members of the ICC to engineer their most preferable outcomes and ignore the obligation to give anything back to poorer cricketing nations.

 

[Plugger35]

I don't think it's similar at all. Test cricket has always been based on bilateral tours where each team reciprocates. The fact Australia hasn't been to the Caribbean for 8 years (and won't for another 2 cycles at least) but will be saturated with two Windies tours in two years just further highlights the gap between the two nations. At least WI could maybe be competitive at home, and if Aus were heading there this winter or next I don't think anyone would mind the sudden glut of matches between the two.

Whilst the WTC has moved the calendar somewhat to resemble a biyearly "season", it was designed to preserve the existing bilateral tour set up and add more context to it. If they are no longer going to consider the need for reciprocity then the WTC just becomes another tool for the big members of the ICC to engineer their most preferable outcomes and ignore the obligation to give anything back to poorer cricketing nations.

It's a cost issue as well for the West Indies, Brian Lara was saying that they don't get crowds these days for test cricket in the West Indies so it's hard for them to a fund an Australian test tour there whereas when the West Indies tour here they at least get some crowds for their tests here to fund it.

It's one of the reasons that NZ has tests tours here more often than Australia has test tours of NZ, they get smaller crowds for tests there than here.

 

[footyfan1978]

It's a cost issue as well for the West Indies, Brian Lara was saying that they don't get crowds these days for test cricket in the West Indies so it's hard for them to a fund an Australian test tour there whereas when the West Indies tour here they at least get some crowds for their tests here to fund it.

It's one of the reasons that NZ has tests tours here more often than Australia has test tours of NZ, they get smaller crowds for tests there than here.

Pluggy, why the **** is NZ not working with Cricket Australia to have a regular one day series where they both compete in it nearly every summer around this time of year on both sides of the Tasman and have a third nation always be part of the series?

Surely a three week series would be ideal in future but I been thinking about this for a few years and it crazy it never happens.

 

[010203]

Pluggy, why the * is NZ not working with Cricket Australia to have a regular one day series where they both compete in it nearly every summer around this time of year on both sides of the Tasman and have a third nation always be part of the series?

Surely a three week series would be ideal in future but I been thinking about this for a few years and it crazy it never happens.

I haven't included meetings in ICC events but Australia and New Zealand have played numerous white ball series against each other over the last 7 years.

February 2016 - New Zealand hosted a Chappell-Hadlee series.

December 2016 - Australia hosted a Chappell-Hadlee series.

January/February 2017 - New Zealand hosted a Chappell-Hadlee series

February 2018 - Australia and New Zealand co hosted a T20 tri series also involving England.

March 2020 - Australia was supposed to host a 3 game ODI series but the series was cancelled after 1 game due to covid

February 2021 - New Zealand hosted a 5 game T20 series against Australia

September 2022- Australia hosted a 3 game ODI series against New Zealand.

I haven't included meetings in ICC events

 

[footyfan1978]

I haven't included meetings in ICC events but Australia and New Zealand have played numerous white ball series against each other over the last 7 years.

I think you did not get my desire to see a one day series of three teams with a third team in it.
We used to traditionally have the WSC One day series. I'd love to see something a little similar in Australia and New Zealand and always have a third team in it. A three week series where we play each other 4 times each and top two teams on table have a best of three final is what I would look for. Sadly, it just does not seem possible anymore due to the scheduling lunacy.

 

[Cleavy]

Pluggy, why the * is NZ not working with Cricket Australia to have a regular one day series where they both compete in it nearly every summer around this time of year on both sides of the Tasman and have a third nation always be part of the series?

Surely a three week series would be ideal in future but I been thinking about this for a few years and it crazy it never happens.

Because cricket boards are ruled by self-interest.

 

[big_e]

Adding a third team to a one-day tournament doesn't magically make it any less meaningless.

 

[Jamurp]

Because cricket boards are ruled by self-interest.

yeah, unfortunately CA doesn't make much money with AUS/NZ series so we don't get as many. Such a shame, the Boxing Day test crowd a couple of years back for the Aus/NZ test was one of the best in ages.

 

[footyfan1978]

Adding a third team to a one-day tournament doesn't magically make it any less meaningless.

Correct. On it's own it is does not. The schedule has to be fixed to allow for a three team tournament and in a way where the teams are picking their best players nearly all matches and none of the resting players bullshit that has happened in recent decade because there is so much cricket crammed in the crazy schedules. I'd rather see us play 20 ODI's in a calender year of which about 10 here each summer and 10 overseas. But a three team tournament when that is all balanced out is way better than just two nations playing a three or five match one day series.

 

[Plugger35]

Pluggy, why the * is NZ not working with Cricket Australia to have a regular one day series where they both compete in it nearly every summer around this time of year on both sides of the Tasman and have a third nation always be part of the series?

Surely a three week series would be ideal in future but I been thinking about this for a few years and it crazy it never happens.

Australia used to play ODI series against NZ pretty regularly but they have dropped off recently, not helped by Covid where a planned ODI series got postponed twice in 2020 and 2021 before they finally played it in September 2022 which was a terrible time to play it as the footy finals were on here.

 

[footyfan1978]

Australia used to play ODI series against NZ pretty regularly but they have dropped off recently, not helped by Covid where a planned ODI series got postponed twice in 2020 and 2021 before they finally played it in September 2022 which was a terrible time to play it as the footy finals were on here.

Ok, so it sounds like nobody in either board has canvassed the idea with each other to work together on such a series regularly.
Absolute clowns, the both of them.

 

[corbies]

Correct. On it's own it is does not. The schedule has to be fixed to allow for a three team tournament and in a way where the teams are picking their best players nearly all matches and none of the resting players bullshit that has happened in recent decade because there is so much cricket crammed in the crazy schedules. I'd rather see us play 20 ODI's in a calender year of which about 10 here each summer and 10 overseas. But a three team tournament when that is all balanced out is way better than just two nations playing a three or five match one day series.

How many ODIs do you think Australia play each year at the moment?

We played less than 20 in 7 of the last 9 years. Your ideal amount of matches actually increases the amount of cricket crammed in to the crazy schedule.

 

[footyfan1978]

How many ODIs do you think Australia play each year at the moment?

We played less than 20 in 7 of the last 9 years. Your ideal amount of matches actually increases the amount of cricket crammed in to the crazy schedule.

I should have clarified i meant 20 at most for ODI and T20 combined. It has come down over co vid riddled years but there was a time not long ago it used to be well over 25. I think T20 removed a few of those on their own.