Double-edged sword. I understand what your saying about a two-tier Test championship and to a certain degree, I agree.
However, there's issues, like with most things I suppose. If say the West Indies spend 2/3 years in the second-tier without playing the marquee series, what will it do for the game there?
It's already struggling to attract the crowds and talent to play the game. No England, Australia etc touring could seriously damage the game and the income they receive, on the back of those teams touring. Likewise, a young talented cricketer mightn't see much of a future if he's stuck playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe every summer.
There's plenty of merits to the idea but its risky. A risk worth taking though?
OK, this five to ten years into the future stuff is all a distraction. Maybe the ECB will have someone looking at long term strategy in a business sense, but that should be it!
No one involved with the actual playing side should be looking any further than the next match being played.
In terms of what would please me most, it would be getting back to the top of the test rankings and staying there longer than 6 months this time.
I think winning a series in sub-continental conditions would be a necessity for that to happen anyway, so it's not worth mentioning specifically.
After that ODI's
After that T20.
In other words, the more of a test of the skill and temprament of the cricketer the game is, the more I value the outcome.
Simples.
The OP said (sic) "we often hear/read some England fans saying test cricket and the ashes in partciualr is the real cricket and the rest is meaningless/boring".
Substantiate this claim please.
I'll accept that many England fans would put an Ashes series as the MOST interesting and exciting that England play in. That's just common sense because of the history and rivalry between the teams.
Any follower of any sport is going to have a favourite match-up, and the very concept of having a favourite means the other choices are less favoured.
I think your claim about meaningless & boring is more to do with your own desire to write a controversial article than any reality supported by the majority of English cricket followers.
Try to see the shades of grey instead of only seeing black and white.
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England next 5 years
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posted on 22/7/13
Double-edged sword. I understand what your saying about a two-tier Test championship and to a certain degree, I agree.
However, there's issues, like with most things I suppose. If say the West Indies spend 2/3 years in the second-tier without playing the marquee series, what will it do for the game there?
It's already struggling to attract the crowds and talent to play the game. No England, Australia etc touring could seriously damage the game and the income they receive, on the back of those teams touring. Likewise, a young talented cricketer mightn't see much of a future if he's stuck playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe every summer.
There's plenty of merits to the idea but its risky. A risk worth taking though?
posted on 24/7/13
OK, this five to ten years into the future stuff is all a distraction. Maybe the ECB will have someone looking at long term strategy in a business sense, but that should be it!
No one involved with the actual playing side should be looking any further than the next match being played.
In terms of what would please me most, it would be getting back to the top of the test rankings and staying there longer than 6 months this time.
I think winning a series in sub-continental conditions would be a necessity for that to happen anyway, so it's not worth mentioning specifically.
After that ODI's
After that T20.
In other words, the more of a test of the skill and temprament of the cricketer the game is, the more I value the outcome.
Simples.
posted on 24/7/13
The OP said (sic) "we often hear/read some England fans saying test cricket and the ashes in partciualr is the real cricket and the rest is meaningless/boring".
Substantiate this claim please.
I'll accept that many England fans would put an Ashes series as the MOST interesting and exciting that England play in. That's just common sense because of the history and rivalry between the teams.
Any follower of any sport is going to have a favourite match-up, and the very concept of having a favourite means the other choices are less favoured.
I think your claim about meaningless & boring is more to do with your own desire to write a controversial article than any reality supported by the majority of English cricket followers.
Try to see the shades of grey instead of only seeing black and white.
Page 2 of 2