It's the end of the game as we know it

[The Cadet]

Test cricket is sadly on a fast track to being extinct, sadly the 20/20 revolution is taking over with many people over the world falling for the fast food style of cricket. In the past few weeks we have seen the West Indian cricket team go on strike for contract issues meaning that they picked a sub stanard side to take on Bangladesh for a test match which they lost. There captain Chris Gayle is considering quiting to take up IPL full time.
Today Andrew Flintoff retires becuase of continuous knee and ankle problems to concentrate on ODI and IPL which he has a massive contract in. How many other cricket players will follow in the near future and take up IPL ahead of there country.
Last year we saw the tour of India a tour that usually has packed stadiums over 100,000 people crammed into some stadiums last year the grounds were empty.
Pakistan is a no go zone.
N.Z and Bangladesh continue to struggle at test level with a number of there stars attracted to the ICL.
West Indies will be folded in the near future.
Apart from the Ashes in England and Tests played in Australia no one is watching the game live, with most people waiting for there 20/20 fix to go to the game.

How can we get test cricket to survive.

[dedja]

Very good question ... unfortunately, the lure of the dollars from media rights dominates and T20 satisfies that market perfectly.

The unhealthy hold that India has on the ICC just makes the problem worse ... look at how the ICC lay down to let India open the can of worms with the formation of the IPL.

I really don't know the answer, other than to continue to have matches like the 1st Ashes test I'm afraid.

Interested to hear what others think.

[Pottsy]

West Indies will be folded in the near future.

Big call. Yes, it's sick. But one hell of a lot of West Indians still love cricket, and plenty over there are purists. There's still a market for the game.

How can we get test cricket to survive.

We can attend it, watch it and appreciate it. And hope that if enough people do that, it'll be enough. Test Cricket has survived all sorts of major dramas over the years, it's capapble of surviving this one too.

[Rik E Boy]

Bloody L Cadet, welcome to a REB post from 2007.

regards,

REB

[Dogwatcher]

I felt a little sick for Test cricket when I heard of Flintoff's retirement.

[mal]

Agree with everyone
Except that I would be glad if Test Cricket crowds diminish
I luv watchin my State cricket for a variety of reasons compared to Test Cricket
1 easier parking
2 less people , and can sit in the Bayman I mean Bradman stand in comfort
3 cheaper entrance fees
4 less line ups for food and drinks
5 less traffic
6 etc etc

But the thing I like best is less % drunks at State cricket compared to Test Cricket
Test Cricket you are crammed into a sardine confinement area and you have to eventually put up with some boisterous drunkards
The same types of drunkards I used to cricketise with in the 80s [some of REBS WYC mates Macca/Champ and the boys]
Good days out on the piss yes ....

And the main reason I like State cricket to Test Cricket is when people like me and Bayman yell out to the players they can hear us !

Now the reason why 20/20 is appealing
1 less drunks[less time to get drunk !]
2 a 3 hour package like a footy game
3 non stop action
4 exciting
5 YOUNG KIDS LUV IT [all kids growing up love bashing a cricket ball as far as possible and 20/20 is just that]

SUMMARY
If the crowds shift from Tests to 20/20 sobiet
Will there be any less revenue generated with the combo of 20/20, 50/50 + test cricket ?????
As long as the revenue stream is uncompromised so what !

And maybe if the crowds fall in Test Cricket and I can roll up with more luxuries I might go ...

As for softcocks and over the hill cricketers playing 20/20 cricket only, so what
There is enough younger dedicated talent to go around in Test Cricket

[rod_rooster]

Now the reason why 20/20 is appealing
1 less drunks[less time to get drunk !]
2 a 3 hour package like a footy game
3 non stop action
4 exciting
5 YOUNG KIDS LUV IT [all kids growing up love bashing a cricket ball as far as possible and 20/20 is just that]

Simple things.................

[catchisthecry]

Agree with everyone
Except that I would be glad if Test Cricket crowds diminish
I luv watchin my State cricket for a variety of reasons compared to Test Cricket
1 easier parking
2 less people , and can sit in the Bayman I mean Bradman stand in comfort
3 cheaper entrance fees
4 less line ups for food and drinks
5 less traffic
6 etc etc

But the thing I like best is less % drunks at State cricket compared to Test Cricket
Test Cricket you are crammed into a sardine confinement area and you have to eventually put up with some boisterous drunkards
The same types of drunkards I used to cricketise with in the 80s [some of REBS WYC mates Macca/Champ and the boys]
Good days out on the piss yes ....

And the main reason I like State cricket to Test Cricket is when people like me and Bayman yell out to the players they can hear us !

Now the reason why 20/20 is appealing
1 less drunks[less time to get drunk !]
2 a 3 hour package like a footy game
3 non stop action
4 exciting
5 YOUNG KIDS LUV IT [all kids growing up love bashing a cricket ball as far as possible and 20/20 is just that]

SUMMARY
If the crowds shift from Tests to 20/20 sobiet
Will there be any less revenue generated with the combo of 20/20, 50/50 + test cricket ?????
As long as the revenue stream is uncompromised so what !

And maybe if the crowds fall in Test Cricket and I can roll up with more luxuries I might go ...

As for softcocks and over the hill cricketers playing 20/20 cricket only, so what
There is enough younger dedicated talent to go around in Test Cricket

I prefer watching the Redbacks play too!

Mal could i add to this list????
I like the fact that each match is a contest..

You go to SA v TAs and you have a contest between two sides, not knowing who's going to win.

Honestly I'm not going to bother going to Aus v WI this summer, you know who is going to win now!!

I think T20 provides this as well... as seen by IPL and Aussies playing T20

[smac]

Opportunities for younger players to make test teams, sounds like a good thing to me.

We need blokes to hit the test arena at Phil Hughes age more often, perhaps 'retirements' like Freddy's will lead us down that path.

[spell_check]

And for those Indians who say the IPL is good for the game like WSC was, well, there's one big difference. Two in fact.

The ICC endorses this tournament.
Therefore there is no compromise like WSC had with the establishment. The IPL is the compromise.

I saw a good name for it - the Indian Pension League.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Honestly I'm not going to bother going to Aus v WI this summer, you know who is going to win now!!

Who?

[ironknob]

test cricket at the Adelaide oval is unmatched for atmosphere and excitement. The Ashes test 2 years ago was amazing and one that you will brag about being there to your friends forever (if you were lucky enough to go) . Test cricket will always be my favorite form of the game because it is more a battle than a game. If you have played cricket at a decent level you will always appreciate Test matches. unfortunately $$ is the root of all evil and that is where twenty/20 comes in. it brings the crowds and TV revenue. The answer is simple .... pay the test cricketrs more than the 20/20 wannabe's. If freddie Flintoff were gettng offered as much to pay tests as 20/20 then he would be playing tests for another 3-5 yrs.

[Adelaide Hawk]

The answer is simple .... pay the test cricketrs more than the 20/20 wannabe's. If freddie Flintoff were gettng offered as much to pay tests as 20/20 then he would be playing tests for another 3-5 yrs.

The trouble with that is there are people in other countries with more money than love of the game who are bankrolling 20/20 at a price to high for the Test boards to compete with.

[Dissident]

There was a story recently about starting a test world cup.

I have to refrain from reading comments on CricInfo in the future, it makes me want to kill penguins.

Posted by BangaloreKid on (July 15 2009, 13:40 PM GMT)

Not going to help! No matter how much lipstick (test championship) you put on a pig (test), it is still a pig. People are not going to turn up to and watch a 2nd or 3rd day of a test match because there is a test championship (fought over a long period) going on. There is always going to be a niche crowd for test cricket, but that is what it is - a niche crowd. It might provide some motivation for a few players in a few countries but it is not going anywhere to resuscitate test cricket over T20. The train has left the station and if any board tries to forcefully restrict T20 games from being played, you will have private operators like ICL coming and cleaning the clock and eating the boards would-have-been profits. What administrators need to do is accept reality and cater to T20 market while at the same time satisfying the niche market of tests. It cant be one over the other because test cricket cannot win over T20 with mass audience. It is written in stone.

[brod]

Honestly I'm not going to bother going to Aus v WI this summer, you know who is going to win now!!

Who?

Have a look and see what sort of WI side makes the journey

[The Cadet]

Cricinfo staff

July 26, 2009




New Zealand cricketers may choose to play in the lucrative IPL instead of their country in the future if the Twenty20 tournament's schedule clashes with their international commitments, Daniel Vettori has said.

On Friday, six senior New Zealand players signed their national contracts after two weeks of "agonising" over whether to forgo them. They could now miss out on half their earning from next year's IPL because it coincides with their home series against Australia.

"It's a difficult decision and people have families and other issues to work through but our priority was to play for New Zealand," Vettori told the Herald on Sunday. "But we realise that if these situations continue to come up it will be difficult for players to continue to turn down the money, so we implore the powers that be to (find a solution) so we don't have to make these decisions every year."

The trans-Tasman battle is one of New Zealand's marquee series, and Vettori said players might have chosen differently if it had been a lower-profile opposition. "If Bangladesh were here [rather than Australia] it might have been an easier decision for players. It didn't come into my thinking because my priority is to play for New Zealand."

Former Australian legspinner Shane Warne and Federation of International Cricketers' Associations chief executive Tim May are among those who have called for the creation of a window in the international cricket calendar for the IPL.

Last year, five senior New Zealand cricketers including Vettori and Brendon McCullum had arrived in England a week after the rest of the touring party so that they could appear in more IPL matches. In a similar incident, West Indies captain Chris Gayle came in for plenty of criticism earlier this year when he reached England just two days before the first Test.

[Iron Fist]

I think this is relevant in this topic
Wayne 'flippa' Phillips came to my work tuesday night and did a speech for me and all my collegues!
he is a pretty funny bloke!
One hing he did say and I thought it was a great idea was a form of cricket called quarter cricket.
The way it works is the game is 80 overs long, each side batts for 40 overs, similar to a one dayer
but the twist is that you batt in 20 over blocks
so say you win the top and elect to bat, you go out, bat for 20 overs, once the 20 overs is up, you then go out and bowl at the opposition for 20 overs, at which stage you then go back and bat for a further 20 overs and then you bowl the last twenty at the oposition.
The positives out of it is if the game was played during the week like some one dayers are, people that work till 5 could still go down to the game and watch both sides have a bat and a bowl!
I think it is a great idea, there is obviously plenty of negatives to it but overall I think it could be an exciting way of playing and could keep the game from turning into a total slog fest!

whats everyone else think???

[RoosterMarty]

I would watch that actually as it does sound pretty interesting. Almost like a shortened Test match.

[topsywaldron]

I would watch that actually as it does sound pretty interesting. Almost like a shortened Test match.

For the Ritalin generation anyway.

Pfft.

[Iron Fist]

I would watch that actually as it does sound pretty interesting. Almost like a shortened Test match.

I Think its a great idea
Wonder if it will ever eventuate??