The onward march of T20

[Some Idiot]

By what metric do you claim this ?

Attendance seems to be doing okay, and I assume TV ratings are good as well.

The standard of the cricket. The best Australian players don't play most of the time. There's a real mismash of grade level cricketers who can't get a game for their state and washed up internationals making up the numbers.

 

[big_e]

I understand that is what India would like/want. But it's going to be a 'leopards eating faces' scenario for them. I can't figure out how to multi-quote, but someone up thread pointed out that the threat of not being able to play in sanctioned ICC tournaments or for a national team has been able to be used as the stick to stop players kitting around for some rebel league.

If playing for a national team is limited to, say, 10 fixtures a year crammed into a window, why wouldn't you just take the $50m a year to play for the Sydney Sheiks for a 9 month 'league' then take three months off?

The ones being talked about are the Saudis, but that would be an incredibly stupid thing for them to do.

One of Saudi Arabia’s goals is greater links with India. India can buy shitloads of Saudi oil, and the Saudis would like millions of Indian tourists. You’ll see that in Aramco and the Saudi Tourism Authority being major sponsors of the IPL.

To start a new league in competition with the IPL, particularly one that buys Indian players, would piss off the BCCI. The BCCI secretary is Jay Shah.

Jay Shah’s father is Amit Shah, the Home Affairs Minister of India, and a very close ally of Prime Minster Narendra Modi.

Now, if one of your strategic goals was closer ties with India, the absolute worst thing to do would be to steal their cricketers.

 

[The Passenger]

It's sadly very easy to Invision a scenario where the Saudi's team up with the BCCI and basically have T20 franchise cricket played for around nine months of the year across the world.

The BCCI would be able to reflect responsibility for the death of the test cricket, whilst - as already mentioned - the Saudi's would give zero shits.

 

[The Passenger]

FTR I think test cricket between the big three will be around for at least the medium term, even if the above played out. But the concern would be what the quality is like - would first class cricket even have room to exist? If not those series essentially just become T20 players playing a game that lasts ten times longer, which might not have super lasting appeal.

What does give me hope is that the death of test cricket has been talked about for at least half a century and it's seen of all challengers so far. This does feel like it's biggest threat so far.

 

[eltrain]

The ones being talked about are the Saudis, but that would be an incredibly stupid thing for them to do.

One of Saudi Arabia’s goals is greater links with India. India can buy shitloads of Saudi oil, and the Saudis would like millions of Indian tourists. You’ll see that in Aramco and the Saudi Tourism Authority being major sponsors of the IPL.

To start a new league in competition with the IPL, particularly one that buys Indian players, would piss off the BCCI. The BCCI secretary is Jay Shah.

Jay Shah’s father is Amit Shah, the Home Affairs Minister of India, and a very close ally of Prime Minster Narendra Modi.

Now, if one of your strategic goals was closer ties with India, the absolute worst thing to do would be to steal their cricketers.

Yep it’s a partnership with the BCCI that is being discussed. What is being proposed is that ownership of the IPL moves to a holding company, in which the Saudis will have a $5bn stake.

The ambition as stated in this article is indeed to grow the competition to more countries.

Saudi Arabia targets US$5bn IPL investment, says report - SportsPro

The Gulf state is interested in moving the T20 domestic cricket league into a holding company valued at US$30bn.

www.sportspromedia.com

 

[4Seasons]

By what metric do you claim this ?

Attendance seems to be doing okay, and I assume TV ratings are good as well.

This is what I don’t understand.
The BBL clearly appears very popular, but the people who don’t like it seem to just make stuff up to deny its popularity.

 

[Redline]

The standard of the cricket. The best Australian players don't play most of the time. There's a real mismash of grade level cricketers who can't get a game for their state and washed up internationals making up the numbers.

Sounds like the NBL, A-League and the Australian Golf tour. May as well close them down as well.

 

[happy_eagle]

This is what I don’t understand.
The BBL clearly appears very popular, but the people who don’t like it seem to just make stuff up to deny its popularity.

He does make a good point about the lack of national talent however.

We would have to be the only country with a showpiece T20 league that doesn't involve the countries best players. The Big Bash would be a much better product if the test players were playing, and we were able to attract higher quality international talent.

Lets not forget that 80,000 showed up to a Big Bash game only a few years ago, mainly because you had Pietersen and Gayle going head to head.

 

[akkaps]

De Villiers blames T20 cricket for short South Africa-India Test series

"The players, the board and coaches will turn towards where there is more money," he said about the clash between Tests and T20 leagues

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[Gough]

Another domino.

 

[big_e]

Another domino.

Important to note that Hampshire is already privately owned.

Edit: And Yorkshire is about to be sold as well.

Yorkshire: County side's board approves takeover by Colin Graves-led consortium - Yorkshire board approves Graves takeover

 

[1989]

Apart from the threat T20 poses to Test cricket, the demise of ODI cricket is also very sad.

I can remember growing up watching day-nighters every summer attracting packed houses involving the best cricketing nations and players in the world. The atmosphere was electric and the matches felt like they mattered. Now I can turn on the TV and watch a bunch of nobodies run around for the ‘Renegades’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Thunder’.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Apart from the threat T20 poses to Test cricket, the demise of ODI cricket is also very sad.

I can remember growing up watching day-nighters every summer attracting packed houses involving the best cricketing nations and players in the world. The atmosphere was electric and the matches felt like they mattered. Now I can turn on the TV and watch a bunch of nobodies run around for the ‘Renegades’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Thunder’.

Agreed. I really miss the tri-series, was a real highlight of my summers growing up.

 

[akkaps]

Agreed. I really miss the tri-series, was a real highlight of my summers growing up.

One of the criticisms of the tri-series was no attendance at the international games. I feel that if a subcontinental team was one of the two international teams now, that you would not have this issue anymore
Australia hosts Pakistan and India next year, make it happen

 

[Gough]

Agreed. I really miss the tri-series, was a real highlight of my summers growing up.

There's so much more competition these days for eyes and dollars. One day cricket in the 80s and 90s was the only deal in town, apart from maybe tennis and golf now it's just easy watch live sport from pretty much anywhere in the world.

 

[big_e]

Apart from the threat T20 poses to Test cricket, the demise of ODI cricket is also very sad.

I can remember growing up watching day-nighters every summer attracting packed houses involving the best cricketing nations and players in the world. The atmosphere was electric and the matches felt like they mattered. Now I can turn on the TV and watch a bunch of nobodies run around for the ‘Renegades’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Thunder’.

The generation before us hated "pyjama cricket" and the generation growing up now will fondly remember the BBL. Just like music was always better when you were somewhere between 16 and 25, no matter how old you are now.

As much as I loved it, getting two other teams here at the same time for a couple of weeks is getting harder and harder to do.

 

[icyflakes]

The generation before us hated "pyjama cricket" and the generation growing up now will fondly remember the BBL. Just like music was always better when you were somewhere between 16 and 25, no matter how old you are now.

As much as I loved it, getting two other teams here at the same time for a couple of weeks is getting harder and harder to do.

It's a pretty big difference between the games though. I grew up in the 90s, absolutely part of the ODI generation. I still knew test cricket was the far more skilled game, even as a kid. Even as a sugar filled kid, you could see the strategy of test cricket was so much more interesting.

T20 is fine, I watch it casually, but there's no pretending that it's a game of strategy. It's absolute wheely bin from a strategy perspective. I know India (and to a lesser extent, the world) is in love with it right now, and its great for the broadcasters, but it's already at a saturation point that I think will come back to haunt them. The IPL T10 planned for later in the year (not this year) might be the tipping point. ODI's werent saturated like T20 is now, particularly in the streaming era where you can watch all the international domestic leagues.

Maybe it's the AFL childhood in me, but I just don't understand how anyone can get attached to these plastic brands in the t20 domestic leagues. There's no heart, there's no local vibe, it's just plastic to its core. That players just jump ship constantly makes it so much worse. The AFL plastic clubs are cultural icons compared to t20. I've watched the BBL since day dot and can honestly say I feel absolutely zero attachment to a single club, and I've genuinely tried to get into it.

 

[NYRB]

Maybe it's the AFL childhood in me, but I just don't understand how anyone can get attached to these plastic brands in the t20 domestic leagues. There's no heart, there's no local vibe, it's just plastic to its core. That players just jump ship constantly makes it so much worse. The AFL plastic clubs are cultural icons compared to t20. I've watched the BBL since day dot and can honestly say I feel absolutely zero attachment to a single club, and I've genuinely tried to get into it

In WA, having attended 4 Perth Scorchers games this season. I think there could be a strong case right now, Perth Scorchers are the most popular sporting brand over there. Yep bigger than the : Eagles, Dockers, Wildcats, Glory or Western Force.

Scorchers probably more so than the Victorian clubs really understand the fans too.

Maybe the solution to the multiple teams in the same state, is to reduce it down to 1 team per state or territory? When the BBL was planned 13 seasons ago, no one would have envisaged that other leagues would poach key international players.

 

[NYRB]

The Big Bash Draft for BBL 13

1. Rashid Khan (retention-Adelaide)
2. Harry Brook
3. Tom Curran (retention- Sydney Sixers)
4. Chris Jordan (Hobart)
5. Quinton De Kock (Renegades)
6. Alex Hales (Thunder)
7. Colin Munro (Brisbane)
8. - (Perth)
-----------------------------------------------
9. Rauf (Stars)
10. Overton (Adelaide)
11. Sam Hain (Hobart)
12. Mujeeb (Renegades)
13. Zamin Khan (Thunder)
14. James Vince (Sydney Sixers)
15. Sam Billings (Brisbane)
16. Zak Crawley (Perth)


It doesnt help when you have an international draft where players cant play the whole season or dont want to turn up. Rashid Khan is currently with the Afghan squad. Tom Curran has been suspended for most of the games. De Kock playing in South Africa now.

Picks 9 and 13 are off with Pakistan. Being part of the Platinum group isnt that valuable given the players that are available are a huge question mark to even rock up. Higher picks dont necessarily improve teams as well.

 

[akkaps]

Rashid Khan is currently with the Afghan squad.

Rashid Khan is injured, has just had back surgery. He would be in SA by now anyway

Rashid Khan Cricket Stats & News

www.rotowire.com

 

[1989]

In WA, having attended 4 Perth Scorchers games this season. I think there could be a strong case right now, Perth Scorchers are the most popular sporting brand over there. Yep bigger than the : Eagles, Dockers, Wildcats, Glory or Western Force.

Scorchers probably more so than the Victorian clubs really understand the fans too.

Maybe the solution to the multiple teams in the same state, is to reduce it down to 1 team per state or territory? When the BBL was planned 13 seasons ago, no one would have envisaged that other leagues would poach key international players.

I used to really like the domestic T20 competition when I could follow Victoria. Couldn't really care less about the Stars or the Renegades, as much as I tried. Following Victoria actually meant something and you didn't have players jumping around so much like they do with the franchises.

 

[big_e]

In WA, having attended 4 Perth Scorchers games this season. I think there could be a strong case right now, Perth Scorchers are the most popular sporting brand over there. Yep bigger than the : Eagles, Dockers, Wildcats, Glory or Western Force.

Scorchers probably more so than the Victorian clubs really understand the fans too.

Maybe the solution to the multiple teams in the same state, is to reduce it down to 1 team per state or territory? When the BBL was planned 13 seasons ago, no one would have envisaged that other leagues would poach key international players.

When the Champions League began in 08/09-ish, there was controversy then about players being eligible for multiple teams. And by the time the BBL started in its current format, guys playing the T20 circuit around the world was pretty common. To think that nobody would have envisaged guys flying in and out for part of the season is pretty naive. And of course, it happens all the time in county cricket.

And the number of BBL teams will not reduce, people are wasting their energy thinking about it.

 

[akkaps]

And of course, it happens all the time in county cricket.

You gotta stop comparing everything to county cricket. No one here has an issue with how county cricket is run.

Plus don't we want more people playing First Class cricket anyway.

 

[big_e]

You gotta stop comparing everything to county cricket. No one here has an issue with how county cricket is run.

Plus don't we want more people playing First Class cricket anyway.

I continue to reference it because there are a bunch of things that are very common and widely accepted in county cricket that, when they also happen in T20s, are seen as the death knell for the sport as we know it. If it's OK for people to play a handful of county games then leave, it's OK in T20s.

 

[swingdog]

I know this is a different sport but I could see the same scenario playing out as T20 franchises take over and break away from national boards, which seems inevitable even for the BCCI:

China wanted to become a football powerhouse to inspire the nation. Instead, its team has been an embarrassment

Chinese football has been through many ups and downs over the past three decades. Is a return to a top-down government approach the right answer?

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