'Eyebrows were raised ahead of the Ashes precursor when Ireland left out star bowler Josh Little, with the seamer ordered to rest after a successful IPL spell with runners-up Gujarat Titans ahead of next month's 50-over World Cup qualification tournament.
Cricket Ireland's high performance director Richard Holdsworth defended their decision by insisting the Lord's Test was not a "pinnacle event" to draw further concerns over the future of international red-ball cricket with more and more franchise leagues filling the cricket calendar.'
(cricket.com.au)
Death of Test cricket?
R. Craddock:
'The fact that fewer than 3000 fans were present at the start of the fourth day, the mismatch between the teams and growing rumours that Test cricket will be further marginalised by a second IPL window are more alarming.
These are issues that threaten Test cricket in a way that a rogue deck just doesn't. In fact, it is one of cricket's great fallacies that substandard decks tear at the fabric of the game.
...
As the late, great cricket writer Peter Roebuck once asked in Sri Lanka when a dodgy deck for one Test resulted in a fine while a flat road for another was praised: "Does anyone actually ask the public what they want?"
...
Cricket needs wickets of character. The game has enough pancake-flat roads which allow batsmen to swing with impunity and hit a ball from Perth to Fremantle.'
(The Australian)
P. Lalor:
'Cricket is always better when the pitch opens up, for bowlers that's how - apologies to Leonard Cohen - the light gets in.'
(The Australian)
'The fact that fewer than 3000 fans were present at the start of the fourth day, the mismatch between the teams and growing rumours that Test cricket will be further marginalised by a second IPL window are more alarming.
These are issues that threaten Test cricket in a way that a rogue deck just doesn't. In fact, it is one of cricket's great fallacies that substandard decks tear at the fabric of the game.
...
As the late, great cricket writer Peter Roebuck once asked in Sri Lanka when a dodgy deck for one Test resulted in a fine while a flat road for another was praised: "Does anyone actually ask the public what they want?"
...
Cricket needs wickets of character. The game has enough pancake-flat roads which allow batsmen to swing with impunity and hit a ball from Perth to Fremantle.'
(The Australian)
P. Lalor:
'Cricket is always better when the pitch opens up, for bowlers that's how - apologies to Leonard Cohen - the light gets in.'
(The Australian)
Atherton:
I fear for longer format...
'... Cummins and Starc will earn more in match fees from sending down two balls - yes, only two balls - than they will for five days of a Test wearing the baggy green.
...
Oddly, while there has never been more money in it, parts of the game have never felt more impoverished. The key shift since my experience moved from playing to observing is that the game has become less self-sustainable.
...
One of the key differences to football is the much smaller talent pool in most regions, and the increasing attractions of franchise cricket means the best players are pulled between various commitments and options more than ever before. This has a knock-on effect on selection for England teams, with the best XI not always available...'
(The Times)
I fear for longer format...
'... Cummins and Starc will earn more in match fees from sending down two balls - yes, only two balls - than they will for five days of a Test wearing the baggy green.
...
Oddly, while there has never been more money in it, parts of the game have never felt more impoverished. The key shift since my experience moved from playing to observing is that the game has become less self-sustainable.
...
One of the key differences to football is the much smaller talent pool in most regions, and the increasing attractions of franchise cricket means the best players are pulled between various commitments and options more than ever before. This has a knock-on effect on selection for England teams, with the best XI not always available...'
(The Times)
Shamar Joseph:
“I’m not afraid to say this. There will be times when T20 cricket might come around. Test cricket will be there. And I will say this live. I will always be available to play for the West Indies, no matter how much money it takes or come towards me. So I will always be here to play Test cricket.”
“I’m not afraid to say this. There will be times when T20 cricket might come around. Test cricket will be there. And I will say this live. I will always be available to play for the West Indies, no matter how much money it takes or come towards me. So I will always be here to play Test cricket.”
Re: Death of Test cricket?
Test cricket to be saved by multimillion-dollar fund
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 5k4ef.html
'An Australian initiative aimed at creating a fund worth $15 million or more to keep the game’s best players in Test cricket looks set to be adopted by the International Cricket Council.
...
The fund would ensure a minimum Test payment for all players, thought to be $US10,000 (almost $15,000), and pay the costs of overseas tours for struggling countries. The West Indies spent $1 million sending men’s and women’s teams to Australia last summer.
...
The fund is unlikely to directly benefit the three most wealthy cricket nations – India, Australia and England – who all pay their players well.
Pat Cummins earned about $3 million from Cricket Australia last year as captain of the Test and one-day teams. Most regular Australian players earn between $1 million and $2 million a year.
Just how much money is available for Test cricket from the ICC may depend on a dispute with broadcaster Star.
...
The move to set up a Test fund began after South Africa named a vastly weakened squad to tour New Zealand early this year. Having sold their soul to IPL franchises for South Africa’s T20 tournament, SA administrators were then unable to pick their best players.
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh was furious, claiming that administrators “don’t care” about Test cricket.'
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 5k4ef.html
'An Australian initiative aimed at creating a fund worth $15 million or more to keep the game’s best players in Test cricket looks set to be adopted by the International Cricket Council.
...
The fund would ensure a minimum Test payment for all players, thought to be $US10,000 (almost $15,000), and pay the costs of overseas tours for struggling countries. The West Indies spent $1 million sending men’s and women’s teams to Australia last summer.
...
The fund is unlikely to directly benefit the three most wealthy cricket nations – India, Australia and England – who all pay their players well.
Pat Cummins earned about $3 million from Cricket Australia last year as captain of the Test and one-day teams. Most regular Australian players earn between $1 million and $2 million a year.
Just how much money is available for Test cricket from the ICC may depend on a dispute with broadcaster Star.
...
The move to set up a Test fund began after South Africa named a vastly weakened squad to tour New Zealand early this year. Having sold their soul to IPL franchises for South Africa’s T20 tournament, SA administrators were then unable to pick their best players.
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh was furious, claiming that administrators “don’t care” about Test cricket.'
-
Donny
- Posts: 80331
- Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2002 6:01 pm
- Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
- Has liked: 65 times
- Been liked: 28 times
Re: Death of Test cricket?
That has what to do with 'Death of Test cricket' ?
Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
-
Donny
- Posts: 80331
- Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2002 6:01 pm
- Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
- Has liked: 65 times
- Been liked: 28 times
Re: Death of Test cricket?
That has what to do with 'Death of Test cricket' ?
Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
It's a game. Enjoy it.
Re: Death of Test cricket?
Are you for real, Donny??? I'm gobsmacked. 
Look at the word in the title: "Saved"... You know, as in "saved from death"? You really don't get it? Wow. Just wow... (What else would someone or something be "saved" from??)
Mebbe ya oughta look again at Steve Waugh's post. Y'know, the one where he's filthy and asks: "Is this the death of Test cricket?" Remember it? That was in response to SA picking no-names for their NZ "Test" tour. Get it? Or do you need Waugh to add extra explanation for you?
Look at the word in the title: "Saved"... You know, as in "saved from death"? You really don't get it? Wow. Just wow... (What else would someone or something be "saved" from??)Mebbe ya oughta look again at Steve Waugh's post. Y'know, the one where he's filthy and asks: "Is this the death of Test cricket?" Remember it? That was in response to SA picking no-names for their NZ "Test" tour. Get it? Or do you need Waugh to add extra explanation for you?
Re: Death of Test cricket?
Brettig:
Cricket rights cash fight threatens lifeblood of the game
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 5k4kt.html
'... the ICC’s $US3 billion broadcast partner Star is chasing a discount of up to 50 per cent of that fee, a matter of concern for India, England and Australia but absolutely life-threatening for the likes of Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies.
While their shares of that money, divvied up by the ICC last year, are minuscule next to the 40 per cent claimed proudly by Shah and India, they are the lifeblood of cricket nations that can no longer fetch big fees for bilateral tours, including those by India, Australia or England.
ICC distributions are the bedrock of those countries’ cricket business models, the spinal funding reliably baked into their budgets for the next four years and used for all manner of key costs, from paying players to upgrading facilities.
...
For Australia, of course, the ledger is flipped. The rich deals signed with Foxtel and Seven for the home market and Star for the Indian market mean the ICC distributions don’t matter anywhere near as much for CA. But an unbudgeted reduction in the size of that pie would make for increasingly famished Test match programs for the countries that Australia sorely need to maintain that bilateral broadcast value.
...
Baird, then, may be required to follow through on these words in January: “We need to support, retain and grow Test cricket, and we’re going to have to think through our priorities and part of that is how we distribute funding.”'
Cricket rights cash fight threatens lifeblood of the game
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 5k4kt.html
'... the ICC’s $US3 billion broadcast partner Star is chasing a discount of up to 50 per cent of that fee, a matter of concern for India, England and Australia but absolutely life-threatening for the likes of Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies.
While their shares of that money, divvied up by the ICC last year, are minuscule next to the 40 per cent claimed proudly by Shah and India, they are the lifeblood of cricket nations that can no longer fetch big fees for bilateral tours, including those by India, Australia or England.
ICC distributions are the bedrock of those countries’ cricket business models, the spinal funding reliably baked into their budgets for the next four years and used for all manner of key costs, from paying players to upgrading facilities.
...
For Australia, of course, the ledger is flipped. The rich deals signed with Foxtel and Seven for the home market and Star for the Indian market mean the ICC distributions don’t matter anywhere near as much for CA. But an unbudgeted reduction in the size of that pie would make for increasingly famished Test match programs for the countries that Australia sorely need to maintain that bilateral broadcast value.
...
Baird, then, may be required to follow through on these words in January: “We need to support, retain and grow Test cricket, and we’re going to have to think through our priorities and part of that is how we distribute funding.”'