ICC News: Restructuring the ICC, BCCI Influence & more

[War]

Features : Test cricket | Chappell: Two-Test series not worth it | Cricket videos, MP3, podcasts, cricket audio | ESPN Cricinfo

Yes ICC, END TWO TEST SERIES!

 

[War]

News and Analysis : ICC news | Chappell: I'm in favour of a World Test Championship | Cricket videos, MP3, podcasts, cricket audio | ESPN Cricinfo

Well Packers warning has come to pass, TV companies totally control cricket due the ICC incompetence & BCCI manipulation. The ICC & all cricket boards deserve the blame if they can't convince the broadcasters & sponsors to held fund the test championship - that the game desperately needs.

 

[War]

ICC news : ICC mulls two-tier Test cricket | Cricket News | Cricinfo ICC Site | ESPN Cricinfo

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/710075.html?genre=34 - Brettig: Ireland, Afghanistan could benefit from relegation-based system

Right so the ICC idiots can't implement the simple idea of the test championship now they are mulling the misconceived idea of "tiers". And in these tiers they are going to protect the traditional top 8 nations, mainly the weak financial ones like WI/NZ/SRI "It will be introduced on the "no disadvantage" condition that none of the current ICC Full Member nations would lose that status and its financial advantages.

So instead of properly developing the associates properly before they play test, we are going to be changing new poor test nations every 4 years

ICC incompetence has hit a new low.


http://www.espncricinfo.com/mcc/content/story/710047.html

- MCC reiterates Test Championship support

At least the MCC CC, which although indeed powerless - has the former cricketers that have brains to realize the sense & urgency needed behind this.

 

[SaiSrini]

Why waste all this time? Apart from the Ashes, scrap all other test cricket. Ashes should be the only test cricket that should happen (even for the Ashes, only die hard test cricket fans watch/follow it). Test cricket is on its death bed. Why struggle to keep it alive?

 

[War]

Why waste all this time? Apart from the Ashes, scrap all other test cricket. Ashes should be the only test cricket that should happen (even for the Ashes, only die hard test cricket fans watch/follow it). Test cricket is on its death bed. Why struggle to keep it alive?

Are you one of the broadcasters that are rejecting the idea of funding the the WTC in disguise?

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

tiers is an awful idea, I know some people are for for it but I've stressed time and time again why I think it's a major problem if you want to secure the financial future of the sport.

one thing I don't understand, it will protect the full members but bangladesh and zimbabwe are in danger? aren't they full members?

will england/australia/india be eligible for relegation to tier 2? I somehow doubt it.

 

[SaiSrini]

Are you one of the broadcasters that are rejecting the idea of funding the the WTC in disguise?

I wish.... That'd be good money

But tell me seriously, does test cricket need all this sympathy and help to keep it floating? If the format is this unattractive to the current mainstream, something drastic must be done to the FORMAT ITSELF to revive it, or it should be scrapped, with a few high profile series being retained.

 

[War]

@ SBH

I think (& thinking what the ICC are trying to do is a dangerous task) they are protecting the major nations from a financial standpoint. If lets say a WI/NZ/SRI also could get relegated, they won't loose their financial & voting power in the ICC.

But if we are being fair that shouldn't be the case, because then shouldn't a Ireland or other promoted associates get added financial benefit?

You look at football leagues or even the english county championship - relegation/promotion comes with a financial cost. Its ridiculous - the WTC is so easy to implement & is clearly the answer.

But as its well documented, cricket finances are way too lopsided for tiers to work & broadcasters are very picky with regards to what teams/tournaments they back. Too many teams depend on playing India & England to get money.

News and Analysis : ICC news | Dravid: In principle, two-tier Test system is a good idea | Cricket videos, MP3, podcasts, cricket audio | ESPN Cricinfo

As Sir Dravid rightfully mentioned in this video, the ICC should be spending more money helping to get WI/NZ/SRI/PAK up to scratch financially & structurally before they spend all this time trying to push associates.

 

[CG123]

The thing is there are already tiers, when was the last time NZ played an away Test series that wasn't only two Tests? Last time in England 2, Australia 2, India 2, SL 2, SA 2, I think WI was 3 because they're about the same level as us, can't remember Pakistan. This India tour was meant to be 3, but they only wanted 2...

We're already well down the peaking order because we don't generate the money that others countries do, hence there are already unofficial tiers in place and that's a massive problem for NZC, and they want to make these tiers official, that's fishen ridiculous imo.

They need to do the opposite of tiers and promote 3 Test series' for us against the bigger teams so we can actually get better, or cricket is never going to grow internationally, and if anything will start to die in the likes of NZ and the WI with the amount of other sports that are now offered these days.

 

[War]

I wish.... That'd be good money

But tell me seriously, does test cricket need all this sympathy and help to keep it floating? If the format is this unattractive to the current mainstream, something drastic must be done to the FORMAT ITSELF to revive it, or it should be scrapped, with a few high profile series being retained.

Call it a clash of views, but i don't subscribe to the theory that test dying or even unattractive in the main stream. It just more popular in countries like AUS/ENG than anywhere else.

I believe cricket has a new set of fans via T20 - but the mainstream of fans all over the world still view tests a paramount.

One of the best statistical evidences of this was mentioned by sambit bal recently, the editor of cricinfo, which we all know is the biggest & best cricket news website in the world.

2013 in review: No dirges for Test cricket, and the importance of Misbah | Cricket News | Review 2013 | ESPN Cricinfo

But the truth about Test cricket might be located somewhere in between. Attendance, or lack of it, at cricket grounds can no longer be considered an accurate measure of support. In most parts of the developing world, going to a cricket ground is, in fact, a luxury. Fans engage with Test cricket in different ways.

We at ESPNcricinfo know it because Test matches remain our biggest draw outside of World Cups. Not only do fans follow scores avidly on computer screens, tablets and mobile phones, they also read our match reports and analyses, and comment on and discuss them. Match Point, our newly minted live analysis show during India's Test engagements with West Indies and South Africa, easily became our most-watched video programme from its very first day, and the numbers have kept multiplying. Almost every cricket fan I know watches Test matches on TV - not in their entirety but enough to keep pace with the plot and narrative. And for broadcasters in most part of the world, Test cricket is a relatively cost-effective way to fill airtime with fairly high-quality programming.

Test cricket just needs to be promoted better & it needs a similar tournament to the 50 & T20 world cups where a champions is properly defined for the games premier format. The test championship is the clear logical & very simple way to do this.

And this not being able to be implemented as you can see, is not because sane cricket people don't want it to happen. Its because of the broadcasters, who don't have a vision for cricket - just their bank balances & the incompetent ICC executives who are an ineffective governing body - can't find a common agreement to get the finances to run the tournament.

 

[ferg512]

They need to do the opposite of tiers and promote 3 Test series' for us against the bigger teams so we can actually get better, or cricket is never going to grow internationally, and if anything will start to die in the likes of NZ and the WI with the amount of other sports that are now offered these days.

The problem is that will never happen because of the money issue. Pretty much no one wants to play us or WI anymore. Its a good point though, I mean how can you be expected to get any better when you don't play enough test cricket. From the sounds of things cricket is already dying in the WI, most kids these days just play football or basketball.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

I'm actually coming round to the idea that 2 test series are not necessarily a bad thing, there have been a load of them that have been exciting and it's probably where the best matches of recent years have been showcased (new zealand v australia and india v south africa)

but they leave us a bit unsatisfied, and the key to that is trying to incorporate some elements of the WTC. I'm kinda resigned to the fact it's not going to get off the ground, but imo the ICC should still be taking more control over the FTP so it can dictate terms to teams a bit more and taking more charge of revenue distribution.

with cricket series being just made up on the spot the bigger teams opt out of 3 test series so they can go off and play someone else that will make more money, but if the revenue was distriputed more evenly then I'm happy with bigger teams playing 2 tests series against smaller ones.

say india play england in 4 tests and NZ in 2, that's ok, it makes sense actually because the england series will bring in more money but the pot should be split evenly with NZ.

 

[CG123]

fearsome tweak that's annoying, had a reasonably sized post written out and the thing stops responding. Anyway the essence of it was:

I'm actually coming round to the idea that 2 test series are not necessarily a bad thing, there have been a load of them that have been exciting and it's probably where the best matches of recent years have been showcased (new zealand v australia and india v south africa)

NZ is never going to get any better at playing spin if we only play two Tests in the subcontinent/WI a year, so we're never going to demand more than two Tests.

If you look at our team then imo there's no reasons why we can't be a top four side in a couple of years (looking at the state of England/WI, and SL post Jaya/Sanga). Talent wise we've got it all there - Rutherford, Guptill, Ryder, Taylor, McCullum, Williamson, Watling, Anderon, Neesham, Southee, Boult, Milne, Sodhi just to name the guys who've been exposed to international cricket.

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Yes it's comparing apple's and orange's but our Rugby team is easily the most in demand team in the world to play against, so there's no reasons why our cricket team can't have some of the same appeal about it if we start putting some results on the board.

 

[sifter132]

News and Analysis : ICC news | Chappell: I'm in favour of a World Test Championship | Cricket videos, MP3, podcasts, cricket audio | ESPN Cricinfo

Well Packers warning has come to pass, TV companies totally control cricket due the ICC incompetence & BCCI manipulation. The ICC & all cricket boards deserve the blame if they can't convince the broadcasters & sponsors to held fund the test championship - that the game desperately needs.

If the ICC really wanted a Test Championship then they would have one, despite the lack of revenue. Blaming the TV companies is only part of the story. When they blame TV companies, they are basically saying Indian TV is luke-warm on the idea. Fair enough I guess, if India has no guarantee of a spot, no one will advertise. If ICC listens to money, then it will be just like the Champions League which has become Indian dominated.

tiers is an awful idea, I know some people are for for it but I've stressed time and time again why I think it's a major problem if you want to secure the financial future of the sport.

The problem with Tests is that the new teams haven't been competitive enough. Tiers doesn't really help those teams get any better. In theory it does, as there is incentive there to get to the top tier, but the reality is that they can't afford the development to consistently match it with the top teams. How can we help Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan etc. get better? From a cricket perspective, my preference is sending 'A' teams to those countries much more frequently.

I wish.... That'd be good money

But tell me seriously, does test cricket need all this sympathy and help to keep it floating? If the format is this unattractive to the current mainstream, something drastic must be done to the FORMAT ITSELF to revive it, or it should be scrapped, with a few high profile series being retained.

Yes, Test cricket does need sympathy. The most important thing to note is that the PLAYERS want to be good at Test cricket, enjoy Test cricket and want it to succeed. To them, it's seen as the pinnacle of the sport. If you suddenly axed a lot of Test cricket, then you would see a lot of young players choosing other sports because they couldn't get that opportunity to rise to the top. It would be like axing a sport from the Olympics, there would just be less incentive to play it. Now that may not be a problem in India where EVERYONE plays cricket anyway, but in other nations it would be a huge problem, and as a result the quality of cricket globally would drop.

Changing the format of Tests just because it's not popular is not the answer in my view.

 

[ferg512]

If you look at our team then imo there's no reasons why we can't be a top four side in a couple of years (looking at the state of England/WI, and SL post Jaya/Sanga). Talent wise we've got it all there - Rutherford, Guptill, Ryder, Taylor, McCullum, Williamson, Watling, Anderon, Neesham, Southee, Boult, Milne, Sodhi just to name the guys who've been exposed to international cricket.

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Yes it's comparing apple's and orange's but our Rugby team is easily the most in demand team in the world to play against, so there's no reasons why our cricket team can't have some of the same appeal about it if we start putting some results on the board.

A big problem though is the grassroots cricket and the domestic competitions are just nowhere near as strong as in rugby. I do agree though there is no reason why we can't be a top 4 test side in the next few years. Its easily forgotten how young our side is, just imagine how good guys like Williamson, Southee and Boult will be in a few years.