Post by ovechkin8 on Mar 6, 2009 17:42:11 GMT -1
Following the horrific terrorist attempt to kill or kidnap the Sri Lankan team is Test cricket on the wane ?
In this age where concentration spans are limited and so is free time , five day test's seem an anachronism.
Audiences overseas have plummeted spectacularly. Where once stadiums in Karachi or Mumbai or Colombo or over the seas in Auckland and Port of Spain were packed they are often desolate bowls (until the Barmy Army turns up).
The audiences for ODIs and 20/20 seem unaffected. Unless something is done surely Test cricket will die out ?
Looking at the Test arena Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are hardly competitive and Pakistani cricket is in turmoil.
The IPL has not helped with several players most notably from NZ reneging on Test commitments or cutting careers short prematurely in order to cash in on the obscene feast.
The BCCI are to blame insofar as they control the world games direction and their interests appear selfish ie turning the ICC Trophy into a joke which was designed to raise revenue for the developing nations.
Their aims seem to be get rich quick at the cost of the long term vision for the game.
Initially the fault lies with old farts at the MCC right from the 19th century. Instead of America being obsessed by baseball they could indeed be a powerful Test nation (seeing as the first overseas matches for an England team were with them) and then not offering requisite help to countries like Argentina when during the 40-50s they could have made the step up.
Its only recently that the aim has been to grow the game internationally away from the old Commonwealth band. And now that seems in jeopardy as associations seek to grab what they can for themselves.
I don't much like baseball (glorified rounders
) but at least its records can be compared from the start of the sport to today as the pitch, equipment has stayed constant.
Current records can be devalued by the presence of Bangladesh and for a while Zimbabwe after the implodng of cricket in that country.
However Test cricket by its very nature and name is the true test of a players concentration over conditions that can differ day to day and it would be a real shame to see sich a great sport with its mini battles within a day consigned to history.
What can be done to rescue it ? More prize money ? Night Tests ? Introduction of coloured strips ? Pitches that will bring results within five days ?
I suppose Test cricket has had its crises before ie Bodyline , apartheid , the Packer revolution and has survived them all.
Lets hope the necessary changes are made whilst preserving the absorbing nature of the longer (proper) form of the game so that Test cricket can march into the 22nd century with more nations around the globe at that level.
20/20 after all may turn out to be a fad that eventually reaches saturation point beyond which its limited nuances are all played out and crowds lose interest.
In this age where concentration spans are limited and so is free time , five day test's seem an anachronism.
Audiences overseas have plummeted spectacularly. Where once stadiums in Karachi or Mumbai or Colombo or over the seas in Auckland and Port of Spain were packed they are often desolate bowls (until the Barmy Army turns up).
The audiences for ODIs and 20/20 seem unaffected. Unless something is done surely Test cricket will die out ?
Looking at the Test arena Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are hardly competitive and Pakistani cricket is in turmoil.
The IPL has not helped with several players most notably from NZ reneging on Test commitments or cutting careers short prematurely in order to cash in on the obscene feast.
The BCCI are to blame insofar as they control the world games direction and their interests appear selfish ie turning the ICC Trophy into a joke which was designed to raise revenue for the developing nations.
Their aims seem to be get rich quick at the cost of the long term vision for the game.
Initially the fault lies with old farts at the MCC right from the 19th century. Instead of America being obsessed by baseball they could indeed be a powerful Test nation (seeing as the first overseas matches for an England team were with them) and then not offering requisite help to countries like Argentina when during the 40-50s they could have made the step up.
Its only recently that the aim has been to grow the game internationally away from the old Commonwealth band. And now that seems in jeopardy as associations seek to grab what they can for themselves.
I don't much like baseball (glorified rounders
) but at least its records can be compared from the start of the sport to today as the pitch, equipment has stayed constant.Current records can be devalued by the presence of Bangladesh and for a while Zimbabwe after the implodng of cricket in that country.
However Test cricket by its very nature and name is the true test of a players concentration over conditions that can differ day to day and it would be a real shame to see sich a great sport with its mini battles within a day consigned to history.
What can be done to rescue it ? More prize money ? Night Tests ? Introduction of coloured strips ? Pitches that will bring results within five days ?
I suppose Test cricket has had its crises before ie Bodyline , apartheid , the Packer revolution and has survived them all.
Lets hope the necessary changes are made whilst preserving the absorbing nature of the longer (proper) form of the game so that Test cricket can march into the 22nd century with more nations around the globe at that level.
20/20 after all may turn out to be a fad that eventually reaches saturation point beyond which its limited nuances are all played out and crowds lose interest.
