G. Chappell:
Test cricket is not dead, but Australia can improve its health by again touring Pakistan
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/te ... 59js9.html
"South Asia is crucial to the survival and health of Test cricket. Very few countries have cricket as their main sport. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are four such nations and they need to be supported at every turn.
West Indies are another proud Test-playing region that must be backed to the hilt in their quest to return to their halcyon days.
The “big three” of India, England and Australia have an inexorable responsibility to ensure the survival and prosperity of cricket in all other Test-playing nations.
It is noteworthy that in the midst of a pandemic and despite a new strain of COVID-19, the Indian men’s team is currently touring South Africa to fulfil its commitments. Minimal fuss, no reconnaissance visits and without the fear, doubt and negativity that has characterised Australia’s recent cricket sojourns.
...
I do hope that Australia will not cry off from the nation’s first cricketing tour of Pakistan in over two decades. Pakistan, in particular, deserve to host a full-strength Australian team, having had to play almost all of their cricket in the UAE for the past decade.
...
Terrorism has been a scourge in Pakistan for various historical and political reasons, too numerous and complex to elaborate in this column, but from all reports (and my personal experience of a visit in 2019), Pakistan offers touring sides security at the level normally extended only to international heads of state."
Death of Test cricket?
Brettig:
England’s Test team have been run into the ground
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 59kj0.html
"... Joe Root’s team, for all their hapless displays over these past three Test matches, have at least done one thing worthy of praise in the time of COVID-19. They turn up.
Twenty-one times England have taken the field for a Test match since the onset of the pandemic, nine of those games played overseas. Australia ... have now played seven Tests in that time, all on home soil.
So, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Australian and English systems must be viewed against this disparity, as much as, in the shadows of this MCG slaughter, it may be hard to do so.
...
Systemically, England’s younger players are struggling to learn how to hone their games for Test matches in the early years after seismic changes to the domestic calendar, marginalising the county game in much the same way as the Sheffield Shield had to make room for the Big Bash League over a decade ago.
...
Having flipped the England system to a strong emphasis on white ball cricket, to the detriment of Tests, and then rejigged the domestic structure for reasons of commercial return and audience size, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) must consider recalibration. Not least because too many of the best talents in the current system have scant interest, and insufficient incentive, for the hard graft required of Test cricketers."
England’s Test team have been run into the ground
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 59kj0.html
"... Joe Root’s team, for all their hapless displays over these past three Test matches, have at least done one thing worthy of praise in the time of COVID-19. They turn up.
Twenty-one times England have taken the field for a Test match since the onset of the pandemic, nine of those games played overseas. Australia ... have now played seven Tests in that time, all on home soil.
So, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Australian and English systems must be viewed against this disparity, as much as, in the shadows of this MCG slaughter, it may be hard to do so.
...
Systemically, England’s younger players are struggling to learn how to hone their games for Test matches in the early years after seismic changes to the domestic calendar, marginalising the county game in much the same way as the Sheffield Shield had to make room for the Big Bash League over a decade ago.
...
Having flipped the England system to a strong emphasis on white ball cricket, to the detriment of Tests, and then rejigged the domestic structure for reasons of commercial return and audience size, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) must consider recalibration. Not least because too many of the best talents in the current system have scant interest, and insufficient incentive, for the hard graft required of Test cricketers."
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Skids
- Posts: 9901
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:46 am
- Location: ANZAC day 2019 with Dad.
- Has liked: 24 times
- Been liked: 30 times
Geez, the Windies are the big disappointment for me.
I was lucky to grow up watching that magnificent pace attack; Garner, Holding, Walsh, Ambrose, Marshall, Roberts, Croft & Bishop terrify opposition. Backed up by sensational batsmen; Lloyd, Richards, Haynes, Chanderpaul, Greenidge, Gayle, Lara & Hooper.
Their record over the last 15 years has been abysmal, even losing a couple of series to Bangladesh.
They're 2 -0 down in the current series against Sri Lanks, having been comprehensively smashed in both matches.
How long until they are amongst the contenders in World cricket? Have they got any up & comers?
I was lucky to grow up watching that magnificent pace attack; Garner, Holding, Walsh, Ambrose, Marshall, Roberts, Croft & Bishop terrify opposition. Backed up by sensational batsmen; Lloyd, Richards, Haynes, Chanderpaul, Greenidge, Gayle, Lara & Hooper.
Their record over the last 15 years has been abysmal, even losing a couple of series to Bangladesh.
They're 2 -0 down in the current series against Sri Lanks, having been comprehensively smashed in both matches.
How long until they are amongst the contenders in World cricket? Have they got any up & comers?
Don't count the days, make the days count.
Miller, cricinfo:
Ashes long-con exposed: England's dereliction of Test cricket threatens format as a whole
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the- ... le-1294657
"... is this really the world's most enduring expression of sporting rivalry taking place in Australia right now, or is it a pointless turkey shoot that exists only to justify the exorbitant sums that TV broadcasters are willing to cough up for the privilege of hosting it… a privilege that, in itself, feeds into the self-same creation myth that keeps the hype ever hyping, and the bubble ever ballooning.
On Tuesday, that bubble finally burst. After weeks of barely suppressed panic behind the scenes, England's capitulation in Melbourne deserves to be Test cricket's very own Lehman Brothers moment - the final, full-frontal collapse of an institution so ancient, and previously presumed to be so inviolable, that it may require unprecedented emergency measures to prevent the entire sport from tanking.
...
And yet, Silverwood is just another symptom of English cricket's wider malaise. From the outset, and irrespective of his theoretical influence, he was only ever an uninspiring over-promotion from within the team's existing ranks - more than anything, a recognition of how undesirable the role of England head coach has become in recent years.
In an era of gig-economy opportunities on the T20 franchise circuit ... who wants or needs the 300-hotel-nights-a-year commitment required to oversee a side that, like an overworked troupe of stadium-rock dinosaurs, fears that the moment it takes a break from endless touring, everyone will forget they ever existed in the first place?
...
on Harrison's watch, the ECB has essentially spent the past six years preparing the life-rafts for the sport's post-international future - most notably through the establishment of the Hundred, but also through the full-bore focus on winning the 2019 World Cup, precisely because it was the sort of whiteboard-friendly "deliverable" that sits well on a list of boardroom KPIs… unlike the lumpen, intangible mesh of contexts by which success in Test cricket will always need to be measured.
...
The warnings about Test cricket's fragility have been legion for decades. But if England, of all the Test nations, doesn't remember to care for the format that, through the hype of the Ashes, it pretends to hold most dear, this winter's experiences have shown that the expertise required to shore up those standards may not be able to survive much more neglect."
Ashes long-con exposed: England's dereliction of Test cricket threatens format as a whole
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the- ... le-1294657
"... is this really the world's most enduring expression of sporting rivalry taking place in Australia right now, or is it a pointless turkey shoot that exists only to justify the exorbitant sums that TV broadcasters are willing to cough up for the privilege of hosting it… a privilege that, in itself, feeds into the self-same creation myth that keeps the hype ever hyping, and the bubble ever ballooning.
On Tuesday, that bubble finally burst. After weeks of barely suppressed panic behind the scenes, England's capitulation in Melbourne deserves to be Test cricket's very own Lehman Brothers moment - the final, full-frontal collapse of an institution so ancient, and previously presumed to be so inviolable, that it may require unprecedented emergency measures to prevent the entire sport from tanking.
...
And yet, Silverwood is just another symptom of English cricket's wider malaise. From the outset, and irrespective of his theoretical influence, he was only ever an uninspiring over-promotion from within the team's existing ranks - more than anything, a recognition of how undesirable the role of England head coach has become in recent years.
In an era of gig-economy opportunities on the T20 franchise circuit ... who wants or needs the 300-hotel-nights-a-year commitment required to oversee a side that, like an overworked troupe of stadium-rock dinosaurs, fears that the moment it takes a break from endless touring, everyone will forget they ever existed in the first place?
...
on Harrison's watch, the ECB has essentially spent the past six years preparing the life-rafts for the sport's post-international future - most notably through the establishment of the Hundred, but also through the full-bore focus on winning the 2019 World Cup, precisely because it was the sort of whiteboard-friendly "deliverable" that sits well on a list of boardroom KPIs… unlike the lumpen, intangible mesh of contexts by which success in Test cricket will always need to be measured.
...
The warnings about Test cricket's fragility have been legion for decades. But if England, of all the Test nations, doesn't remember to care for the format that, through the hype of the Ashes, it pretends to hold most dear, this winter's experiences have shown that the expertise required to shore up those standards may not be able to survive much more neglect."
I. Chappell:
If players believe Test cricket is the pinnacle, they need to call for a summit on its future
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ian- ... re-1273267
15 Aug. 2021
"The addition of the Hundred to cricket's array of formats should concern players because of the adverse effect the unwieldy schedule has on one of the game's most important aspects - player development.
...
The first question should be: "How many forms of the game allow a workable schedule that provides for player and fan satisfaction, along with ample revenue?"
If it's decided Test cricket is part of the game's future, then a decision needs to be made on what form it takes to best fit into modern society. After all, it's better to have a streamlined version than no Test cricket.
...
During a Test series in Australia, the situation isn't much different. An Australian player has to press his claims through the Big Bash T20 tournament.
That's two countries with a reasonably strong first-class competition. What chance do the lesser nations have when their potential Test players either have a weak first-class competition or none at all in which to hone the required skills?
...
If players truly believe Test cricket is the pinnacle then they need to agitate for a summit on the game's future; they could do no better than appoint Kohli their spokesperson."
If players believe Test cricket is the pinnacle, they need to call for a summit on its future
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ian- ... re-1273267
15 Aug. 2021
"The addition of the Hundred to cricket's array of formats should concern players because of the adverse effect the unwieldy schedule has on one of the game's most important aspects - player development.
...
The first question should be: "How many forms of the game allow a workable schedule that provides for player and fan satisfaction, along with ample revenue?"
If it's decided Test cricket is part of the game's future, then a decision needs to be made on what form it takes to best fit into modern society. After all, it's better to have a streamlined version than no Test cricket.
...
During a Test series in Australia, the situation isn't much different. An Australian player has to press his claims through the Big Bash T20 tournament.
That's two countries with a reasonably strong first-class competition. What chance do the lesser nations have when their potential Test players either have a weak first-class competition or none at all in which to hone the required skills?
...
If players truly believe Test cricket is the pinnacle then they need to agitate for a summit on the game's future; they could do no better than appoint Kohli their spokesperson."
-
23 YIPPEE!!!
Think its the death of proper test batting.
I think t20 has killed the classic art of batting and no ones really have a good batting technique anymore apart from a few Indian test batters Vohli eg....... and NZ Kane Williamson.
Even the Aussies are suspect.
Gone are the days where 400 plus runs are scored first up.
And the days of 100 run partnerships either.
I think t20 has killed the classic art of batting and no ones really have a good batting technique anymore apart from a few Indian test batters Vohli eg....... and NZ Kane Williamson.
Even the Aussies are suspect.
Gone are the days where 400 plus runs are scored first up.
And the days of 100 run partnerships either.
O. Brown, The Telegraph, London:
"Even in a game overflowing with white-ball distractions, the Ashes should still matter. It is an examination of national character, a series that John Howard once described as a “marvellous metaphor for that ambiguous relationship between our two countries”. ...
...
He made a telling observation here, arguing that the county environment from which England players were emerging did not equip them well enough for the demands of Test cricket. This reflects the fundamental paradox that the England and Wales Cricket Board must resolve. On the one hand, the English still adore the five-day game, with several home Tests in 2022 already close to selling out. But on the other, the longer format feels as if it is being shunted to the periphery. The Hundred is emblematic of this marginalising, colonising the domestic midsummer schedule while half the County Championship is consigned to the damp weeks of April and May.
This imbalance is crying out to be corrected. England’s dismal rolling-over in Melbourne has shone the harshest light on players wholly unprepared, in both technique and temperament, for the threat of an Australian pace attack in full cry.
Inadvertently, Silverwood just about summed it up when he said: “We have young players learning on the job.” It might just help England, if they are not to suffer repeat humiliations in Australia, if they select players who have already mastered their craft."
"Even in a game overflowing with white-ball distractions, the Ashes should still matter. It is an examination of national character, a series that John Howard once described as a “marvellous metaphor for that ambiguous relationship between our two countries”. ...
...
He made a telling observation here, arguing that the county environment from which England players were emerging did not equip them well enough for the demands of Test cricket. This reflects the fundamental paradox that the England and Wales Cricket Board must resolve. On the one hand, the English still adore the five-day game, with several home Tests in 2022 already close to selling out. But on the other, the longer format feels as if it is being shunted to the periphery. The Hundred is emblematic of this marginalising, colonising the domestic midsummer schedule while half the County Championship is consigned to the damp weeks of April and May.
This imbalance is crying out to be corrected. England’s dismal rolling-over in Melbourne has shone the harshest light on players wholly unprepared, in both technique and temperament, for the threat of an Australian pace attack in full cry.
Inadvertently, Silverwood just about summed it up when he said: “We have young players learning on the job.” It might just help England, if they are not to suffer repeat humiliations in Australia, if they select players who have already mastered their craft."
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Jezza
- Posts: 29175
- Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:28 pm
- Location: Ponsford End
- Has liked: 127 times
- Been liked: 191 times
T20 seems to be the catalyst for the decline of test cricket sadly.
Test cricket still remains my favourite form of cricket, but in a world of instant gratification I wonder whether it will still have traction for the next generation.
I've always seen test cricket as consisting of the "big 8":
- Australia
- England
- India
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- West Indies
In order for it to thrive, these 8 teams need to be thriving especially behind the scenes with their respective cricketing bodies.
Test cricket still remains my favourite form of cricket, but in a world of instant gratification I wonder whether it will still have traction for the next generation.
I've always seen test cricket as consisting of the "big 8":
- Australia
- England
- India
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- West Indies
In order for it to thrive, these 8 teams need to be thriving especially behind the scenes with their respective cricketing bodies.
| 1902 | 1903 | 1910 | 1917 | 1919 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1935 | 1936 | 1953 | 1958 | 1990 | 2010 | 2023 | I. Chappell:
"Does their [England's] disarray also offer a preview of Test cricket's future?
Test cricket could eventually be limited to matches between the eight major nations. Sometime in the future Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland and Zimbabwe won't be featuring in longer matches. This is easy to visualise for reasons that include lack of ability as well as lack of home-ground facilities.
What about the major nations?
Unless something is done to bolster West Indies' finances, there will continue to be a question mark over Caribbean participation. The lack of cricket initiative deserves criticism, for letting the West Indies Test team sink to a low level.
Because of the country's unsettled political situation, there will continue to be concern about South Africa. ...
Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand have problems ranging from political uncertainty to player-pool depth. Nevertheless they do have an affinity for producing good players, and Pakistan and New Zealand, particularly, appear to prosper in adversity.
That leaves the big three: India, Australia and England.
..."
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ashe ... at-1295036
"Does their [England's] disarray also offer a preview of Test cricket's future?
Test cricket could eventually be limited to matches between the eight major nations. Sometime in the future Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland and Zimbabwe won't be featuring in longer matches. This is easy to visualise for reasons that include lack of ability as well as lack of home-ground facilities.
What about the major nations?
Unless something is done to bolster West Indies' finances, there will continue to be a question mark over Caribbean participation. The lack of cricket initiative deserves criticism, for letting the West Indies Test team sink to a low level.
Because of the country's unsettled political situation, there will continue to be concern about South Africa. ...
Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand have problems ranging from political uncertainty to player-pool depth. Nevertheless they do have an affinity for producing good players, and Pakistan and New Zealand, particularly, appear to prosper in adversity.
That leaves the big three: India, Australia and England.
..."
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ashe ... at-1295036
G. Chappell:
Test cricket is under threat and the game needs strong administrators to save it
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/te ... 59tqq.html
"... I am increasingly alarmed at how T20 leagues dominate the cricket landscape. Test cricket’s greatest competition is coming from within. Administrators from around the world are going to have to deal with this problem or Test cricket will become another threatened species.
India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India more precisely, will have the biggest say in whether this continues or not. If they choose the path of least resistance and keep pushing the IPL barrow, to the exclusion of all else, it will be hard for cricket administrators to stand up to.
I would like to see the ICC representatives from each country be chosen from the ranks of former Test captains, so that the integrity of the game in all its forms is zealously guarded and steered by those who understand its nuances and value best. If we continue to populate the ranks of administration with those from the business and the political world, money and power will always be the winner. ...
... Too often, sadly, the cricket voices are drowned out by the expediency of the next round of television rights and the bottom line for those who will not be around in 10 years time to see the damage that they have inflicted upon the game.
One thing is for sure, once Test cricket becomes a format that is only considered important to a handful of countries, it will be as good as dead. I don’t want to be around to see the day when the IPL is the equivalent of football’s EPL and players ply their trade with venture capital firms and occasionally suit up for their country in a Test match.
We desperately need some strong leaders who will stridently resist all further encroachments on the red-ball game. Since the invasion of the shortest format, I have witnessed an alarming erosion of batting standards. Building an innings is becoming a lost art. Under pressure, the first inclination is to swing for the rafters, rather than dig deep and push back against challenging bowling. The depth of the pool of quality batsmen around the world is shallower than I have ever seen. The hard-fought draw that we saw in the recent Sydney Test match is fast becoming a rare event.
Cricket is a unique game. I can’t think of another sport that has three distinct formats that all work at the highest level. We need to fight hard to stem the hemorrhaging of Test cricket."
Test cricket is under threat and the game needs strong administrators to save it
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/te ... 59tqq.html
"... I am increasingly alarmed at how T20 leagues dominate the cricket landscape. Test cricket’s greatest competition is coming from within. Administrators from around the world are going to have to deal with this problem or Test cricket will become another threatened species.
India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India more precisely, will have the biggest say in whether this continues or not. If they choose the path of least resistance and keep pushing the IPL barrow, to the exclusion of all else, it will be hard for cricket administrators to stand up to.
I would like to see the ICC representatives from each country be chosen from the ranks of former Test captains, so that the integrity of the game in all its forms is zealously guarded and steered by those who understand its nuances and value best. If we continue to populate the ranks of administration with those from the business and the political world, money and power will always be the winner. ...
... Too often, sadly, the cricket voices are drowned out by the expediency of the next round of television rights and the bottom line for those who will not be around in 10 years time to see the damage that they have inflicted upon the game.
One thing is for sure, once Test cricket becomes a format that is only considered important to a handful of countries, it will be as good as dead. I don’t want to be around to see the day when the IPL is the equivalent of football’s EPL and players ply their trade with venture capital firms and occasionally suit up for their country in a Test match.
We desperately need some strong leaders who will stridently resist all further encroachments on the red-ball game. Since the invasion of the shortest format, I have witnessed an alarming erosion of batting standards. Building an innings is becoming a lost art. Under pressure, the first inclination is to swing for the rafters, rather than dig deep and push back against challenging bowling. The depth of the pool of quality batsmen around the world is shallower than I have ever seen. The hard-fought draw that we saw in the recent Sydney Test match is fast becoming a rare event.
Cricket is a unique game. I can’t think of another sport that has three distinct formats that all work at the highest level. We need to fight hard to stem the hemorrhaging of Test cricket."
-
What'sinaname
- Posts: 20035
- Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 10:00 pm
- Location: Living rent free
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^I agree.
Test cricket has "been on its last legs" for as long as can remember. The 1961 tied Test saved it, then Wes Hall, Sir Garfield, Lance Gibbs and the gang saved it, then Thomson and Lillee saved it, then Sir IVAR ("I don't take offence to being called the 'Black Bradman' - in Antigua, they call Bradman the White Vivian Richards"), Holding, Roberts, Garner, Marshall (God rest his soul, taken too soon from us) and Ambrose saved it, then Steve Waugh, saved it, then Shane Warne saved it, then Hayden, Langer and Ponting etc etc.
What actually saved Test cricket (and the thing "old salts" like Greg Chappell forget) is that Test cricket became so moribund, at one stage, that no-one much could ever win a Test. The response was to implement the 90 overs in a day (roughly put) rule. Suddenly, Tests went from being (in many cases) 5 days of excruciating tedium on wickets made of concrete to being lively, contested affairs, mostly because each game involved much more actual cricket. Test cricket is better than it was years ago in most senses, except that it has lost primacy of commercial focus to the shortest version of the game.
Test cricket won't "die" because it has become intrinsically less-competitive or less-interesting. It may "die" for commercial reasons. Whatever happens, it won't be the "way" Test cricket is "played" or anything at all about the skill and finesse of the modern players (still less "declining standards") that causes the "death" of Test cricket.
Test cricket has "been on its last legs" for as long as can remember. The 1961 tied Test saved it, then Wes Hall, Sir Garfield, Lance Gibbs and the gang saved it, then Thomson and Lillee saved it, then Sir IVAR ("I don't take offence to being called the 'Black Bradman' - in Antigua, they call Bradman the White Vivian Richards"), Holding, Roberts, Garner, Marshall (God rest his soul, taken too soon from us) and Ambrose saved it, then Steve Waugh, saved it, then Shane Warne saved it, then Hayden, Langer and Ponting etc etc.
What actually saved Test cricket (and the thing "old salts" like Greg Chappell forget) is that Test cricket became so moribund, at one stage, that no-one much could ever win a Test. The response was to implement the 90 overs in a day (roughly put) rule. Suddenly, Tests went from being (in many cases) 5 days of excruciating tedium on wickets made of concrete to being lively, contested affairs, mostly because each game involved much more actual cricket. Test cricket is better than it was years ago in most senses, except that it has lost primacy of commercial focus to the shortest version of the game.
Test cricket won't "die" because it has become intrinsically less-competitive or less-interesting. It may "die" for commercial reasons. Whatever happens, it won't be the "way" Test cricket is "played" or anything at all about the skill and finesse of the modern players (still less "declining standards") that causes the "death" of Test cricket.
-
Donny
- Posts: 80071
- Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2002 6:01 pm
- Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
- Has liked: 46 times
- Been liked: 23 times
Love this Bradman story.Pies4shaw wrote: or anything at all about the skill and finesse of the modern players
An ambitious young reporter asked Sir Don, "How do you think you'd go, in this modern era" ?
Bradman: "Oh, I'd average in the fifties"
Reporter (thinking he had a 'gotcha' moment), "Aha. That's a lot less than your 99.94 days"
Bradman: "Well, I am 94"
Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
It's a game. Enjoy it.