The Cricket Thread.

[buttsie]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

The problem is the summer is full to over flowing with cricket, next week the one day cup starts after the current round of county matches finish on Monday.
Most of July & August is the T20 blast and the final round of county matches starting at the end of August. If you stagger the start day the cricket season would have to run into late October for it to work.

As most counties rely on the money from the pyjama game, I can only see a diminishing county structure with the possibility of a three tier league or counties only play each other once within the current two division system, either of which would also save counties money.

All countries are going down the same path because the the younger audience has made the choice of T20 or less - UKs 100 ball cricket dream

The recent Australian tour in South Africa showed how dis-interested the public are
Might be they only have enough money for the affordable ticket pricing of T20s

Forcing players to chop & change between 3 formats has had a huge detrimental impact on the quality of test batsmen

Australias top 6 for at least the past decade hasnt been anywhere near the quality it was in the previous 10 before that and the Shield competition isnt producing any bright stars.

Guys averaging in the 30s are a walk up start for Australias top 6

When they head overseas they average even worse

The paying public arent interested in paying top dollar to see also rans
when a test series is painted as a showdown between the best

The best example Adam Voges - retired averaging 62

West Indies: 5 matches, 542 runs @ 542.00, 3 100s

New Zealand: 5 matches, 594 runs @ 99.00, 2 100s

England: 5 matches, 201 runs @ 28.71, 2 50s

Sri Lanka: 3 matches, 118 runs @ 19.66

South Africa: 2 matches, 30 runs @ 7.50


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...4773b9a714b6ff

[judy84]

For Yorks and Surrey supporters, Kia oval has live coverage:

https://www.kiaoval.com/main-news/li...shire-day-1-2/

[Oswald]

Congratulations to Ireland for becoming the 11th full test playing nation.

Their first day's play against Pakistan was washed out. Good to see Boyd Rankin back in Irish colours again.

The ICU admit that the interest in test cricket worldwide is diminishing and combined with the fact that Ireland has the wettest summer weather amongst the other nations will have financial implications on their chances of making a profit from their test matches.

[judy84]

The events in the last 6 months have really cursed cricket.


This morning i see a couple of county bowlers swinging the ball like a boomerang....they should be playing for England.


But then i think, erm....a 36 year-old and a 19 year-old...erm....ok.


I used to love cricket because i thought it was free of blatant cheating like in say football.
Now i think, oh well, golf is a pretty good game to watch if you record it and put it on fast forward, double speed. That improves a lot of sports in that you don't have to listen to the inane commentators as well.

[rupertramjet]

I will probably post this in things noticeable too, but I hope it ius relevant here.

As judy says, cricket is taking on some of the worst characteristics of football, as is Rugby, cheating, calling the referee for penalties, arguing with referees and so on.

Last night we sat and watched the U17 European quarter final, this might seem incredible, but, they played football! They did not argue with the referee, they showed fantastic skills, they plated flat out for the whole game, one player got a yellow card for an offence, he opened his hands as if to say that is a bit harsh, but not a word! Brilliant, you know what if the so called adult game goes to this style, it might be worth watching gain!

Brilliant game by both teams thank you!

[judy84]

Watching schoolboy football and cricket reminds of what sport can be like.


I will give you a couple of experiences.


1) Before widespread TV coverage of sport, I used to coach and ref schoolboy football and umpire cricket.
In football I hardly ever had to use the whistle because there wasn't much foul play. The boys simply used to love playing the game with the bonus of having nets and a referee. In cricket it was the same with hardly any appealing. The only time i remember any dissent was when I gave one batsman out caught behind and he pointed to his forearm before walking off.


2)While teaching in London one of the boys in one of my classes was a very good footballer. It seems he (and his father) had decided he was going to be a professional footballer. He didn't play for the school team. He disrupted most of his classes and did very little schoolwork. In my classes he had his own teaching assistant (thicker than most of the pupils) who helped him follow the lessons and write a few things down. He had writing like a 5 yo.


A few years later I think I remember him making a couple of sub appearances for QPR, then never heard of him again. I think the money and commercialization of sport have given a lot of kids unreasonable aspirations.

[rupertramjet]

At risk of sounding boring, I have three adopted sons, all Rugby players, two are professionals, signed in the Premiership, one is in the Navy and plays for a Championship club, I also worked with elite young players, all, at home were told by parents that as they were going to be professional players, school was not that important, my boys were told the opposite, although well educated, they would not set the academic world alight, I was very touched when I was PMed by a friend who had seen him in an Interview and said how well he came across, 'You should be very proud!' To bloody right I am!

I had one very bright young man, who was being told he was going to make it, and thought he would leave school at sixteen, I persuaded him not to, as an injury could end the dream in a second, he carried on and is soon to retire from Rugby, having gained every honour possible in the game, he also picked up a medical doctorate on the way. I am bloody proud of him too!

Too my mind, as a coach and a father, all academies must make it clear to young players how few make the top ranks, and also that injury can change it all for ever, so work hard on alternative careers, after all very very few make it to the top and the paying game!

[Oswald]

The ECB are going ahead with yet another format of the game (if you can actually called it Cricket) of this 100/100. Ten 10 ball overs per side. Captain's will be able to change bowler mid-over if they wish.

According to the ECB T20 is not bringing the "youth and people who've never been to a cricket match". I thought that was the entire purpose of T20?

The ECB have stated that they, and they alone, have come up with this new format and it's nothing to do with appeasing any potential broadcasters? Really?

Test match cricket is in a moribund state, and four-day first-class cricket is dying, so let's introduce another hit-and-giggle format. It's ridiculous!

[victor meldrew]

What might actually help rather than various mickey mouse formats is to get the game back on the School curriculum.

Kids will at least then have an opportunity to play the game.

[countjimmoriarty]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

What might actually help rather than various mickey mouse formats is to get the game back on the School curriculum.

Kids will at least then have an opportunity to play the game.

Never going to happen, unfortunately. Far too expensive (in equipment and groundskeeping), and time consuming for state schools. The disappearance of many school playing fields is also a factor. Even 40 years ago, the only reason I played at school was that we had an English teacher who was also a good standard league cricketer who was prepared to put his time and commitment in to run the team. Even then, it was really only playing after school, there was no time for coaching.