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Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:22 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
The loss of cricket on fta in UK is commonly cited as a factor in people losing interest in the sport, of my generation anyway. And the management of the ECB was a massive factor in people in the UK growing disillusioned with cricket. I get most of my opinion from the Guardian, so maybe that doesn't represent the entirety of the breadth of opinion out there, but the governance of the game has seemed to be a big breaking point in people's support. Maybe the KP affair most of all out of any single incident, perhaps the sake of rights to Sky similarly.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 1:09 am
by Alviro Patterson
At Associates and Affiliate level, the game is expanding to a point where Afghanistan and Ireland are elevated to test status.

I'd argue Twenty20 has put cricket on the world map of sport and a format which can be genuinely compared to football, rugby, basketball etc. Realistically emerging nations are never going to produce a first class competition at a standard comparable to current test nations, their best chance of sustaining professional cricket is the one day game and having a flagship t20 tournament at domestic level as the bread and butter.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:36 am
by sussexpob
Arthur Crabtree wrote:The loss of cricket on fta in UK is commonly cited as a factor in people losing interest in the sport, of my generation anyway. And the management of the ECB was a massive factor in people in the UK growing disillusioned with cricket. I get most of my opinion from the Guardian, so maybe that doesn't represent the entirety of the breadth of opinion out there, but the governance of the game has seemed to be a big breaking point in people's support. Maybe the KP affair most of all out of any single incident, perhaps the sake of rights to Sky similarly.


Is this not a case of the old establishment being in control of the message, and established bias having an effect on their interpretation?

We are told that cricket is in crisis, that counties are dying a death, but in 2016 (the last figures available) counties were getting on average 7000 people through the gate to watch a T20 game. Thats near 130,000 people over a whole spread of each team hosting a home game, taking away the showpiece finals for the rugby union that attract over 85,000, its a similar amount of people that rugby union can drum up if all teams hosted a home game in the same week. Its about the same as League One football attracts. Its a couple of thousand off super league, but again take away the showpiece games played in much bigger stadiums, you are looking a similar amount on average non finals situations. In comparison to other sports, it doesnt show an absolute disaster. This situation gets even more indicative when you travel around the world; the IPL and Big Bash are now returning some of the best average attendances (both comfortably top 10) out of any sports in the world.

Attendances in the Big Bash have nearly doubled over 5 years. They now stand at over 30,000 per game average, and havent stopped rising. IPL has touched these figures too (over the 30,000 per game mark). These firmly place T20 cricket in the most watched sports in the world.

More people are going to watch cricket than ever live, so I am not sure where we can bring in this "cricket is dying". The inconvenient truth is, we fans are making the decision on the product alone. Bank Holiday Monday, cost drops to get in and a series on the line with a full day cricket foreseen, 2,000 turned up for the day (Sri Lanka v England at Headingly)..... 3.5 times lower than a normal T20 game.

Its debatable as to whether or not First Class/Test cricket is even sustainable anymore, or more likely, is it the reason for reliance on the ECB that creates the administration problems. If First Class counties spent all summer in a much expanded calendar of T20 games, they would be raking in income. It seems the whole county system is rotting to produce a sport that 300 to 400 people turn up every day to watch. In a short season, for nearly a whole month, these players trot out on lose making missions to play in front of more livestock than humans.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:32 pm
by Durhamfootman
there's a lot of truth in that, SP. Sadly it is of very little consolation for people like me who don't really like, appreciate, or enjoy the faint edge that flies for six. If it wasn't so artificially managed... short boundaries, fielding restrictions and so on, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more than I do and that goes for ODI's too, btw. I confess to never having been interested in dancing girls, fireworks and music blasting out, so that doesn't help me out, either.

I almost never watch other peoples teams playing any sport, so maybe my apathy to T20 is just as simple as my team being utterly hopeless at it, and usually getting a right old kicking, often in an embarrassingly incompetent fashion, but I do find it rather galling when a product that I do enjoy is being watered down and marginalised in favour of something that I don't. At the same time, I'm not in a position to go to watch the format that I do enjoy, so I probably shouldn't complain, because I represent part of the problem that is affecting the type of cricket that I do enjoy and appreciate. Perhaps I'm just worried that when I do eventually have the time to resume my membership, and go down to the ground more often, that there won't be anything there that I'll want to watch.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:36 pm
by andy
Really wish the Zimbabwe series was on sky....also why have they stopped showing series, in the UAE and Bangladesh home series..?

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:43 pm
by sussexpob
andy wrote:Really wish the Zimbabwe series was on sky....also why have they stopped showing series, in the UAE and Bangladesh home series..?


I remember reading another Pay per view channel had the away ashes series this year. Have SKY not lost the rights for some games to their competitior ( I dont know who, I dont live there).

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:46 pm
by sussexpob
Durhamfootman wrote:there's a lot of truth in that, SP. Sadly it is of very little consolation for people like me who don't really like, appreciate, or enjoy the faint edge that flies for six. If it wasn't so artificially managed... short boundaries, fielding restrictions and so on, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more than I do and that goes for ODI's too, btw. I confess to never having been interested in dancing girls, fireworks and music blasting out, so that doesn't help me out, either.

I almost never watch other peoples teams playing any sport, so maybe my apathy to T20 is just as simple as my team being utterly hopeless at it, and usually getting a right old kicking, often in an embarrassingly incompetent fashion, but I do find it rather galling when a product that I do enjoy is being watered down and marginalised in favour of something that I don't. At the same time, I'm not in a position to go to watch the format that I do enjoy, so I probably shouldn't complain, because I represent part of the problem that is affecting the type of cricket that I do enjoy and appreciate. Perhaps I'm just worried that when I do eventually have the time to resume my membership, and go down to the ground more often, that there won't be anything there that I'll want to watch.


Good post. We share personal views, but I think we represent a shifting minority.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:50 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
Still haven't seen a plan for how T20 can make a future for international cricket.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:00 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
Chris Gayle seems to be on trial for indecent exposure.

One day soon I'm going to wake up and find out I'm the only person who hasn't committed a sexual offence.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 8:43 pm
by GarlicJam
I don't think he is on trial - he is suing Fairfax media (started with the SMH) for reporting that he indecently exposed himself to a masseuse. (heck, it looks like I spelt that correctly)

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:31 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
OK, thanks. I got the wrong end of that stick. Shouldn't judge a story by the headlines.

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:56 am
by bigfluffylemon
Over on cricinfo, we have a new entry in 'world's most unfortunate name'. Take a look at the reporter on this story:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... brilliance

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:24 am
by Arthur Crabtree
Ouch!

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 9:27 am
by sussexpob
bigfluffylemon wrote:Over on cricinfo, we have a new entry in 'world's most unfortunate name'. Take a look at the reporter on this story:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... brilliance


:clap

Re: Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 9:38 pm
by Durhamfootman
Oh dear :facepalm