International Cricket

[littlebabyjesus]

tbh it is a case of 'don't care'. And it's also a case of administrators not believing in their game. You've seen this in England with the Hundred and the relentless promotion of it as the only way to bring kids to matches. It isn't. There were loads of kids at the test match in Centurion last week. Schedule games over the holidays and price tickets in a way that allows whole families to attend, and they come. To test matches.

 

[Petcha]

It's all about the money though. Test cricket is 5 days. Plus loads of downtime between matches. And travel. Let's break down the hourly rate for a player playing an IPL match vs playing a 5 day match in Auckland. I mean - there's no competition. Even the numbers you've mentioned can't possibly compete.

Bazball has ignited things a bit but they have what, 6 or 7 months break for the IPL and other silly shit like the big bash. Would you honestly, hand on heart, as a 27yo cricketer for example with a shelf life of probably 33 years, opt for test cricket?

 

[Petcha]

Here we go. $10k per ball.

Cummins will earn approximately $262,000 for each game and $10,900 every time he sends down a delivery. A breathtaking 14-ball half century in the 2022 tournament would have also increased added to the value of Cummins' new deal.

Our dear old game of test cricket cannot compete with that.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Cummins is a good example of a player who is totally committed to test cricket. Starc is another - he turned down IPL for a number of years to concentrate on tests. Meanwhile, Aus do still prioritise test cricket over the Big Bash. If you're playing tests over the home summer, you miss most of the Big Bash.

India clear their schedule for the IPL. All the Indian all-format stars play for India and in the IPL and nothing else. Look at Kohli. 374 t20s, just 22 of which have not been either for India or in IPL, most of those coming when he was a teenager. And he barely plays non-international first class or List A. I've not cherry-picked Kohli here - all the top Indians are the same, and none of them have opted out of tests, because they don't have to.

So the 'big three' don't have to opt out of playing test cricket. It's not either earn loads or play test cricket for them.

It's very different when you look at the other teams, but if West Indies, say, were scheduled for a month-long three-test tour and all the players were guaranteed a £20k appearance fee per game, that would be £60k for a month's work for most of the squad. Even in IPL times, that's good money. Times that by three for an average year of test cricket and you get £180k, with lots of time still to play other things - it's only three or four months out of the year.

It absolutely could be done, and it needs people like Steve Waugh speaking out. It won't happen if nobody calls for it to happen.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Sydney New Year test about to start. Generally the second-best attended test in the world after Melbourne. Huge occasion.

And Pakistan are resting their star bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi so that he's fresh for the t20s. Fuck's. Sake.

 

[planetgeli]

Sydney New Year test about to start. Generally the second-best attended test in the world after Melbourne. Huge occasion.

And Pakistan are resting their star bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi so that he's fresh for the t20s. Fuck's. Sake.

His own decision apparently, ripped into by Wasim and Waqar. "Do these people want to be greats, or millionaires?"

 

[Petcha]

SA knocked over for their lowest first innings total (i think) - 55, before lunch. Siraj with 6-15

 

[littlebabyjesus]

SA knocked over for their lowest first innings total (i think) - 55, before lunch. Siraj with 6-15

Well done Siraj, but as a neutral, it's a shame for the game when that happens. Could be over in two days.

In Sydney, Pakistan got out of jail after sliding to 40-4. We'll see how their bowlers do without their leader tomorrow. I suspect Aus may pile on the runs.

 

[Petcha]

Well done Siraj, but as a neutral, it's a shame for the game when that happens. Could be over in two days.

In Sydney, Pakistan got out of jail after sliding to 40-4. We'll see how their bowlers do without their leader tomorrow. I suspect Aus may pile on the runs.

Perhaps SA should've fielded their 3rd XI. Couldn't be much worse. Their lowest overall total since 1932.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Not even half-way through day 1 and India have the lead.

 

[planetgeli]

I know S.A only want to play two test series now but aren't they taking it a bit far with 2 day tests?


W

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34th
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India 153 all out. 6 wickets lost in the last 11 balls. 153/4 to 153 all out.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

SA still need to survive the final hour to take it into the second day.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Cricinfo saying that's the first time ever in tests that six wickets have fallen for the same score.

 

[Petcha]

The first two innings lasted only 349 balls

Crikey

 

[Spymaster]

Gordon Bennett

 

[a_chap]

I liked the quote on Cricinfo: "South Africa would have settled for being only 3 down at the end of day one".

 

[Petcha]

I watched the first innings and it actually looked like a very placid pitch. No fucking idea what went on there. It's hot as hell there though so cracks are gonna open up. Game over by Tea latest.

 

[Spymaster]

23 wickets in a day.

Not bad value for money.

 

[Petcha]

Terrible batting. From everyone. It wasn't exactly hooping around or going crazy off the pitch, just really shit shots.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Terrible batting. From everyone. It wasn't exactly hooping around or going crazy off the pitch, just really shit shots.

Just watched highlights. The ball was bouncing steeply at times, so a tricky pitch. But that SA first innings in particular, there were some terrible shots. It's a 250 pitch, not a 50 pitch.

 

[Petcha]

More terrible batting and we're only half an hour in

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Very variable bounce, though. I might have been a bit generous to the pitch calling it a 250 pitch.

Really poor from SA administration tbh to produce a pitch like this for one of their big holiday test matches. This whole series has only lasted five days.

India need 79. Should be easy peasy, but a couple of early wickets and who knows?

ETA: Lots of chat on comms about how much grass was left on the pitch. 9 mm, which is more than usual. They made a mistake, basically.

 

[planetgeli]

Elgar's last game deserved a better pitch than that. India lost 3 and there were 2 dropped catches. Rabada got a wicket with one that got about 6 inches high. Terrible pitch, illustrative of South Africa's approach to test cricket now.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

642 balls

Shortest test ever. And that includes the 19th century, when these kinds of scores were the norm.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Elgar's last game deserved a better pitch than that. India lost 3 and there were 2 dropped catches. Rabada got a wicket with one that got about 6 inches high. Terrible pitch, illustrative of South Africa's approach to test cricket now.

Yeah it takes most of the skill out of the game. Bowlers just bang it into the right length. Batters swing, knowing that their time will be up soon enough and a quick 20 is a good innings.

 

[Petcha]

Honestly I couldn't see a massive problem with the pitch. Just terrible strokeplay. Markram demonstrated how to play on it. I think they all just wanted three days to chill in the sun, drink wine and play golf.

 

[Petcha]

The player is Jewish, hence the reason for his demotion. Not helpful.

 

[andysays]

The player is Jewish, hence the reason for his demotion. Not helpful.

As has been pointed out to you on the other thread, he hasn't been demoted because he's Jewish, it's because of

comments he made in support of Israeli soldiers at an awards ceremony in October. The teenager was recognised at the Jewish Achiever Awards and said: “I’m now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel. And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora.”

 

[Petcha]

I still don't see that as a reason for sacking him, sorry.

 

[Petcha]

He's a young cricket player, a very young one, not a politician