General Cricket Discussion

[IceAgeComing]

the idea that you need to be "worthy" to play Test Cricket is an indication of the awful snobbery that Cricket has traditionally been built up on, and needs to just go away. Especially with a team like Zimbabwe, who're seen as being "not good enough" despite having less chances to play decent multi-day Cricket recently compared even to the Associate teams that get to play in the Intercontinental Cup. That feeling just leads to eight or nine teams playing each other all the time, and that's just incredibly dull.

I'll use the current series that England are playing as an example: I'd be a lot more excited about this series that England are playing if they were playing someone a Bangladesh or Zimbabwe; simply because both of those teams haven't played a series in England for over ten years so it'd be a new thing; while Sri Lanka played here a couple of years ago and so its not that different to then. Sure I'd prefer Bangladesh over Zimbabwe since the games (especially the ODIs and T20s) would be closer - you also might just get higher attendances in England since they have quite a large Bangladeshi community...

 

[Yash.]

Take a look at this.

 

[Deleted member 149013]

We played Sri Lanka just two years ago it seems a pointless series because not much time has passed and I love the Ashes but that home & away series took away anything special from the event it was too soon.

I mean imagine England V Ireland at Lords the first test match that would bring in a huge crowd I think. If Ireland and Scotland had test status it would solve this stupid bidding process that counties have to host a test match. Scotland could host India or Australia in a two match series I think it would be great fun and also create some friendly banter between teams like England/Scotland.

Zimbabwe should be playing test cricket no question. England were five down before reaching a hundred runs who is to say that an associate nation could do worse or better (Sri Lanka 16-3) I would imagine a skill gap to begin with like if Australia were to play Scotland but over time I would see it improving.

 

[cricket_icon]

It doesn't matter who gets the 'spot' if they still have Zimbabwe's complete lack of test fixtures, you simply cannot develop as a cricket team if you don't get consistently scheduled matches. Especially not when the money side of things results in tests being replaced with ODIs and T20s.

10 test sides is just as arbitrary of a number as 11 or 9 would be, Zimbabwe is no more or less worthy of playing test match cricket than any team likely to be in a position to replace them.

Tbh its Zimbabwes own fault for this lack of test cricket.

 

[MattW]

Tbh its Zimbabwes own fault for this lack of test cricket.

What could they have done? End up not playing any T20s and ODIs either by trying to make other international sides play Test matches as part of series with them?

 

[Satan666]

the idea that you need to be "worthy" to play Test Cricket is an indication of the awful snobbery that Cricket has traditionally been built up on, and needs to just go away. Especially with a team like Zimbabwe, who're seen as being "not good enough" despite having less chances to play decent multi-day Cricket recently compared even to the Associate teams that get to play in the Intercontinental Cup. That feeling just leads to eight or nine teams playing each other all the time, and that's just incredibly dull.

I'll use the current series that England are playing as an example: I'd be a lot more excited about this series that England are playing if they were playing someone a Bangladesh or Zimbabwe; simply because both of those teams haven't played a series in England for over ten years so it'd be a new thing; while Sri Lanka played here a couple of years ago and so its not that different to then. Sure I'd prefer Bangladesh over Zimbabwe since the games (especially the ODIs and T20s) would be closer - you also might just get higher attendances in England since they have quite a large Bangladeshi community...

Agreed quite a silly structure that has encouraged the skill and experience level to remain exclusively to a specific block of Nations!

 

[Satan666]

Anantha Narayanan uses runs per Test to show consistency of batsmen | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Interesting read

 

[zwarrior]

India-Pakistan in same group for Champions Trophy | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Not surprised at all.

 

[CerealKiller]

India-Pakistan in same group for Champions Trophy | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Not surprised at all.

That's not a coincidence. I bet Shashank Manohar and Giles Clarke made the groups.

 

[Aalay]

That's not a coincidence. I bet Shashank Manohar and Giles Clarke made the groups.

It's not about Shashank Manohar or Giles Clarke, even if I was making group I would do the same because it is so obvious. It's going to bring the most money which they have realized and that is the reason India and Pakistan has been in the same group at ICC events since 2007 T20 WC I think. The major boost for ICC here is India Pakistan don't play each other in bilateral series so we are not getting an overkill of this contest like we had for Ashes recently.

 

[Satan666]

It's not about Shashank Manohar or Giles Clarke, even if I was making group I would do the same because it is so obvious. It's going to bring the most money which they have realized and that is the reason India and Pakistan has been in the same group at ICC events since 2007 T20 WC I think. The major boost for ICC here is India Pakistan don't play each other in bilateral series so we are not getting an overkill of this contest like we had for Ashes recently.

Either way I am glad whenever Pakistan beat India.

 

[CerealKiller]

It's not about Shashank Manohar or Giles Clarke, even if I was making group I would do the same because it is so obvious. It's going to bring the most money which they have realized and that is the reason India and Pakistan has been in the same group at ICC events since 2007 T20 WC I think. The major boost for ICC here is India Pakistan don't play each other in bilateral series so we are not getting an overkill of this contest like we had for Ashes recently.

The groups should be drawn randomly like in football.

 

[Yash.]

Either way I am glad whenever Pakistan beat India.

That's really never in the past 5 years

 

[CerealKiller]

That's really never in the past 5 years

Asia Cup 2014 and bilateral series 2012/13. Ages ago.

 

[Satan666]

Asia Cup 2014 and bilateral series 2012/13. Ages ago.

They normally wipe those type of matches from their memory, as if it never happened.