This is just wierd.

[MWaugh]

tbh in the beginning i thought this was a good marketing idea. however after thinking about it today there are 2 key issues that i think outway the positives.

1. its taking away the chance for a promising new south wales cricketer to gain experience in twenty20 cricket and help make a name for himself

2. the skill of johns against the speed of tait or gillespie could be a serious health liability. it could create huge safety issues for johns should he get hit.

my 2 cents

MWaugh

 

[Left_Hander]

Yeah I agree with you 100% MWaugh. There is probably a kid who has worked really hard to get to this level, but Johns wants to take his opportunity. He only plays for a local 5th Grade team.

 

[rickyp]

my god people cant you see its an attendance drawing stunt. Hes playing 20/20 cricket for 2 maybe 3 games, do you think that hes there because of his cricket ability! 20/20 is about the people, its about revenue raising and this is exactly what it is going to do. Its gonna be a laugh, MWaugh, if there is a promising cricketer at nsw worthy of playing 20/20 im sure he can get a guernsey in the fc or one day side

 

[Gilchrist]

Thats what I have been saying all along. Someone at last woke up. Remember what happend to Gillespie (in the ING Cup game) after he hit him for six, the next ball must of been around 95mph, hit him the ribs. This will be ugly.

 

[rickyp]

johns will just look like a dick for a few balls before being clean bowled, he wont last long but it will be a laugh and it will draw the crowds

I think the goal is to bring some of the NRL diehard fans to the cricket to see their old boy johnsy have a go

 

[James219]

Yeah, but it'll only be a temporary switch- it's not like they're gonna think "hey, Johns is playing cricket, so why don't I!?"
I realise it's a means to generate revenue, and that it has NOTHING to do with cricketing ability as stated in one of my previous posts in this thread, but I'm not really a fan of the idea. That emerging cricketer thing is sort of a hypothetical situation, and just represents the fact that some have tried endlessly for years and haven't got the chance. (This is where you're missing the point by the way- in this, I don't mean that there's a current cricketer who's career depends on a stupid 20/20 fixture, rather, I'm saying that others before him have missed out on the opportunity to represent their state, and now Johns walks in and registers a FC record)
Anyway, it will be funny, but it's now official that 20/20 domestic cricket's going nowhere...

 

[MWaugh]

johns has stated from the get go that it is about publicity and he is fine with it. there are no illusions about the fact from anyone (including cricket nsw, ca and johns and the knights) however it is creating a marketing hype which is helping promotions.

MWaugh, if there is a promising cricketer at nsw worthy of playing 20/20 im sure he can get a guernsey in the fc or one day side

but a 20/20 match is still an opportunity to test yourself against your peers and get that foot in the door potentially at state level. nsw selectors will have to drop someone for this 20/20 match to let johns in. possibly thats a player like mcgrath or one of the established australia rep players. in this case the youngster may get a chance in this 20/20 game to remind selectors of his potential when they come to pick the 4 day or one day sides.

20/20 is still a novelty but its a form of cricket representing your state none the less

 

[rickyp]

you do realise he isnt playing every 20/20 match dont you? just the home ones, so 2

 

[James219]

Yeah, and quite possibly the final if NSW progress that far...

 

[MWaugh]

you do realise he isnt playing every 20/20 match dont you? just the home ones, so 2

yes of course i do.

however its still 2 games that someone isnt able to play in. put yourself in the shoes of a fringe player for the blues. youve worked hard to get yourself in a position to be picked for the squad. your an emerging one day belter suited to twenty20 cricket and then they pick a football player who hasnt played in 2 seasons (cricket that is) to take a spot you could have used to show selectors that your worth considering. twenty20 may be the arena that selectors test youth out and experiment with different things.

 

[rickyp]

so you play in the next 20/20, whats the problem? your hypothetical is true, but extremely unlikely, and if they are willing to put johns in the team, they would be willing to rest an experienced campaigner for the match so the hypothetical fringe player can have a go.

 

[andrew_nixon]

This is a joke. To make things fair, the NSW State of Origin Rugby League team should have to play a member of the NSW cricket team on Wednesday.

 

[James219]

Actually, that'd be awesome- I wouldn't mind seeing QLD win for once!
Anyway, in the scheme of things, it may be argued that the origin is slightly more important than the KFC Big Bash (or whatever it's called) Twenty20 cricket tournament, but once again, that's flawed- this format's never going to progress if it isn't taken seriously at domestic level, and if the ICC/national board see the shortened version as a long term investment into the mass appeal of the game, as they do and quite rightly so, they'll have to think about this. Either way, it's farcical, and takes away the merit, honour and reward of working towards a goal and ultimately achieving it. I'm not necessarily in support of MWaugh's specific hypothetical situation, but do completely agree that it's devaluing cricket and handing out free FC records. It won't do anything in terms of marketing, either, so that's a poor excuse.

 

[rickyp]

@ james, no ones doubting that its a joke, because it is, and its degrading the game of 20/20 cricket

 

[andrew_nixon]

@ james, no ones doubting that its a joke, because it is, and its degrading the game of 20/20 cricket

It's degrading cricket full stop. Surely Cricket Australia has rules regarding teams selecting their best available side?