Why

[Dave]

all of a sudden is the idea of a second rate zimbo side playing test cricket a joke? Was it any less inappropriate than the series against Sri Lanka?

If the forthcoming series is to be scrapped/stripped of test status, why not the last one as well?

What's the difference?

 

[Mog]

Whilst I doubt this is where you're going, I will be waiting for the conspiracy theorists to come out and whine about Australia not getting the chance to bulk up their averages and take some cheap wickets like the Sri Lankans if the series get canned.

But I agree that both series should be scrapped. There's no value in either.

 

[Russian]

One for the conspiracy theorists

527 wickets???


I don't know if they can retrospectively strip Tests of their status but if they can it should be done IMO. Otherwise, just get it right from now.

 

[Spogs]

Agree completey Dave. The quality of the players on the park is irrelevant as long as the nation has test status.

Back in World Series days Australia lost its top 15-20 players to the Packer show but the next 15-20 players in the 'offical' side still played matches that were given test status. Most if not all of the players in the official test side would not have made it had World Series not gone ahead.

I struggle to see the difference between the two situations. If this series doesn't go ahead for safety or political reasons then fine but not because the best 11 won't be on the park.

 

[jim boy]

Originally posted by Spogs
I struggle to see the difference between the two situations. If this series doesn't go ahead for safety or political reasons then fine but not because the best 11 won't be on the park.

The difference between the two situations was that the ACB always tried to put out the best possible team, while the ZCU haven't.

Also in the packer days, it wasn't only Australia that lost top line players. Most if not all the test-playing nations did. Should all test cricket have been stopped during this time?

While I think the last Sri Lanka tour was regrettable and ideally should be scrapped of Test status, it obviously won't happen. Also the tour started either after or just before the dispute commenced, not really enough time to pull the plug on it.

 

[SpecialBruce]

The matches Zimbabwe V Sri Lanka were a joke and now they know how much of a joke it will be if Australia V Zimbabwe stays as test match status.

IMO if this series is counted for test match status, then the ICC need to give Kenya test match status ASAP as Kenya will be better than the current Zimbabwean side. Because I don't see the difference between Kenya and this Zimbabwe side and if this Zimbabwe side is still there, Kenya after the World Cup deserves to be there.

 

[DIG]

Dave - i've been asking myself exactly the same question. Call me sceptical but no-one bats an eyelid about the Sri Lankans playing a team of second rate *******s, but when the world champs come out it suddenly urgently needs to be stopped.

In any case I hope we do come home, there's nothing we can gain from a series like this (aside from Warne potentially grabbing the world record!)