Buchanan says opposition countries should poach Aussies!

[Dogwatcher]

One more to go.

[Pup]

Good to see another thread hijacked by a Quiz.

Good post REB, I think JBs heart is in the right place and to be honest i love the way he thinks, he wants cricket to be more competitive and better for the general public, While i dont think it is feasible or realistic i dont think he should be Howled down like he has been by a couple of posters. Here is a bloke who is thinking of the game not just a Australian legacy. This will never happen for 2 reasons, Australians like Haddin and co are not going to want to play for another country and it defeats the point of a Country Vs Country schedule.

[Dirko]

Whilst I agree with REB, what the problem is especially in the WI is that kids are now playing soccer instead of cricket. They see the $$$ that the good soccer players make and in the location where the WI are they have huge leagues in South America, reasonable leagues in Mexico & the US, and the UK isn't too far away (Dwight Yorke anyone ?). T&T qualified for the last worldcup, I think Jamaica the one before so that is where the kids are going.

[Dogwatcher]

Good to see another thread hijacked by a Quiz.

I'm sorry.

[Pup]

Good to see another thread hijacked by a Quiz.

I'm sorry.

Haha nah i was just stirring, i quite enjoy them

[Dogwatcher]

Another opinion from today's Tiser:



Tom Zed
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 09:39am


AUSTRALIA again looks set to dominate a long and one-sided summer of Test cricket.
The Aussies’ win by an innings and 40 runs over Sri Lanka at the Gabba suggests the new-look Test side is every bit as competitive as it was before Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn retired. And that should be a wakeup call for the ICC.


Ricky Ponting’s Aussies, with 13 Test wins in a row after their latest success, are on track to challenge the world record of 16 straight Test wins set by Steve Waugh’s side in 2001.

The Australians have been accused of being arrogant and perhaps I will be also but it is time for the International Cricket Council to do something about returning Test cricket to the competitive, unpredictable contest it once was.

About five years ago, the ICC discussed creating a three-tiered Test competition.

Under the proposed set-up, the “premier league” would have consisted of eight sides, with six sides each in the second and third tiers.

The proposal was widely canned with most critics asking how adding 10 new Test-playing nations would help when at least half of the 10 existing Test countries were struggling to compete.

The ICC’s model was flawed but it is time for a tiered Test competition.

There should be two tiers, not three, and only two extra sides should be added to the list of Test nations to create two divisions of six teams each.

After a full round of Tests in which each of the six teams in a division plays each other team in a best-of-three Test series, the bottom side in the top division would be relegated to the second tier while division two’s top side would be promoted.

Which sides should be added to make 12 is debateable but the obvious choices are Australia A and a composite side.

It has been done before. The six-day Super Series match between Australia and a World XI in 2005 was ruled to be an official Test match by the ICC.

Australia A would start in the lower division and nobody would argue it would probably be one of the stronger teams.

Creating a composite side as the second new team would avoid throwing another minnow to the sharks. My suggestion is a Transatlantic team featuring players from the USA, Canada, Ireland and Scotland.

If this plan were put in place tomorrow, Pakistan, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe would be in the second division along with Australia A and the Transatlantic side. Division one would comprise Australia, England, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand.

A full round could be completed in two to 2 1/2 years.

Some might say this plan is not fair on Pakistan and the West Indies, both long-time Test nations. But they’d both have the chance to top division two and be back up in the top tier after only about two years.

They would be able to build confidence while at the same time providing good competition for the battling newcomers to Test cricket.

If the ICC wants to keep the crowds rolling in to Test matches outside the sub-continent and the Ashes then it must do something about making all Test series more competitive.

But cricket’s not the only one-sided competition.

The Rugby Union World Cup is practically a four-horse race between Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England, with Wales, France, Scotland, Argentina and Ireland sometimes threatening.

The Netball World Titles, under way in New Zealand, are even more top heavy.It may be time for all of these sports to look at the qualification systems for their world championships to ensure they don’t become farcically uncompetitive.

[sasquatch]

Ha! Sammy Woods. Played over 400 F/C games, and took 1000 F/C wickets.
He'd be the last one DW?

[Dogwatcher]

Got 'em all Sasquatch. Now Pup can rest easy, as the trivia buffs' appetites have been sated in this thread.

[Ron Burgundy]

DW. Was the reporter Tom Zed from Murray Pioneer fame. if so he is doing alright.

[Dogwatcher]

Yes, it's the same TZ RB. He's doin ok. I've seen him around the city a few times - and he's very happy.

[Ron Burgundy]

AH very good.

i wonder if another pioneer sports reporter can follow in his humble footsteps. One BD.

[Dogwatcher]

Too lazy

[Dogwatcher]

BTW - bumped into HC a couple of weeks ago.

[GWW]

DW. Was the reporter Tom Zed from Murray Pioneer fame. if so he is doing alright.

I dont want to be pedantic but he was the reporter who said Mark Bickley was drafted by the Crows (and not in initial squad)

[Hondo]

This is like the debate about Centrals in the SANFL

Is it healthy for the game to have the same team winning all the time?

I presume JB is talking about guys who wouldn't make our 1st 11 or even or first 20 but would walk into another team. Is it better they play test cricket or better they try to play for their country. I expect 90% would take the Andrew Symonds approach.

Not sure what my view on this is other than I would like to see more of a competition when we play. How that comes about ... not sure really

[Rik E Boy]

Yeah, except we are talking about sport at the highest level here, rendering the Centrals comparison officially irrelevant.

regards,

REB

[(S)aintbackline]

Why poach players, all it creates is tension between the team the player could have played for (eg Australia) and the country who poached him, why arnt these lesser countries (all except Australia)
developing there younger players, you cant expect to get a quick fix for international cricket by having Australia basically playing against their own countrymen. We might aswell call the Pura Cup the international Test sides and have token international players playing in each side, would that make alot more even Test Cricket scene. Just because Australia have developed their players to be able to take over from retiring players with out really having a phase of settling in should make the other countries take notice...

on the other hand i am in big favour of having other countries young players come to Australia for training aslong as it is paid for by the other country.