Cricket Thread

[Cripps_orig]

Right about what - that ODIs and Twenty 20s are better? No, it's just childish stuff that I'm not even sure he believes but it has been refreshing not to have to read it. Test Cricket is proper cricket; it is a much better test of technique and 99% of cricketers (including those who have, or do, play cricket to a decent level - like myself) know this. It's much more than it being 'longer', the red ball and wickets behave completely differently. There's not much to debate over this.

Right about the interest of Test Cricket dropping? This is more debatable but I don't think so. At the grassroots level (upto Country Cricket), interest has definitely dropped massively. At the international scene, I don't think there is much difference. There might be some logical foundation to the claim if it weren't for the fact that SA are almost as bad as West Indies when it comes to their management of cricket. Their stadiums are quite often empty - so if you're looking for a fall in interest over time, you're not going to find it. In any case, I'm not sure ticket sales are the best way to measure interest. A Test match runs for 5 days, each day starts from 10:30am (or 11) and finishes around 6pm. Due to the length of the game, it doesn't do any favours in that everyone needs to go to work or have other 1 or 2hr commitments throughout the day. Viewing figures on the box will be as high as ever.

Where shorter cricket is more successful is attracting new non-cricket fans to watch games. In the same way even non-football fans are excited when a penalty shoot-out is going on. But I think that effect is diminishing fast.

What does annoy me though are the commentators and pundits these days (particularly tend to be English) who feel the need to keep defending Test Cricket. The post-match analysis in the studio was littered with comments like "That's why Test Cricket is the purest form of the game" or "There's no real substitute for Test Cricket..." etc. There's nothing wrong in calling it a great game when it's a great game, but it reeks of desperation when they feel the need to keep bigging up the format. There is no need. Everyone watching knows it. I get a feeling they'll stop as soon as England go and get battered in 3 Tests in Asia against Pakistan, before they get battered in the Test series in Sri Lanka which they will have played by March. By the time the next Ashes comes around, they'll have gone down the rankings after those sub-continent series.

Why is it childish? Its more entertaining and you get to see what Cricket is about ie taking wickets and scoring runs and we dont need 5 days to see it.

The interest in Tests have dropped rapidly at the same time the limited over cricket has come to the fore. There is a link there. Fans are more excited in seeing runs scored and wickets taken regularly rather than balls being left or blocked every other ball. There is no skill in that. Anyone who thinks that has no idea about cricket whatsoever.

The Test Championship scheduled for 2013 has been cancelled purely because no one is interested in it. They havent come out and said this is the reason because it would put the final nail in to the coffin but what reason have they given for cancelling it? I havent heard any.

As you say, to get more people in to the game, not just the crowd but playing, you need T20s for that. Ive asked this many a time on here which has never been answered so il ask one more time. Ask a kid whos just heard of Cricket and wants to get in to it, what would he rather watch/play? What do you think he would say? The old timers/purists need to realise that Tests are not at all entertaining anymore and not a crowd puller. You get the odd match here and there like today which is excellent but the last exciting Test was in 2005 so an exciting Test match every 6 years doesnt wash.

The fact they keep bigging up Tests pretty much confirms Tests are ona downward spiral. Dont get me wrong, Tests wont die out completely but they clearly come 3rd. When you have a 27 year old Malinga, one of the best in the world and at his peak retiring from Tests to concentrate on limited over games, its a damning indictment on where Tests stand

[Cripps_orig]

WI 267-2

Top 4 all got half centuries

Ashwin with the 2 wickets

[Cripps_orig]

575-9 at the end of day 2

Looks like a draw is best India can hope for.

Looks a great batting wicket. Expecting the 100 100s to happen within the next couple of days

[Syn]

I fucking hate Bombay - everyone (apart from Tendulkar) and everything about it is tacky, backwards and wrong. They are bigoted subhuman filth and must be wiped out.

So naturally the Indians in charge put Tendulkar's potential milestone ahead of the team and prepared the kind of wicket that a decent side could score 1000 runs on. Per innings. When, not if, when Sachin gets his 100 tomorrow (or the next day), it'll be the most hollow and cheapest hundred of them all. And the moronic thing about it is - if they had known anything about Tendulkar, it's that he would've much preferred the 3-0 whitewash than a draw where everyone capable of holding a bat can get 50+.

Anyway, Varun Aaron is rapid and should play in Australia alongside the Indian Peter Crouch. Kohli will probably block his way to a ton and be in the frame too.

[Marc Overmars]

Nothing wrong with Mumbai tbf. Good restaurants and GHEL bars.

[Cripps_orig]

The series is won

The only thing every true Indian wants to see in this Test is the 100 100s. More important than anything else

[Syn]

Yeah, if you're not Muslim and not poor, it's a friendly place. They have wannabe, tacky GHEL bars at Marine Drive - but it's like they're trying to catch up with the West but are still lagging way behind. The freshies with the collar up are good to laugh at. The only good thing about them is they play 90s music that you 'big fish, little fish' through ironically. I've got close (blood-wise) relatives in Mumbai that I never talk to and don't want to know - disgusting people. Just like the rest. Thankfully the apple fell far from the tree. #TMIandgeneralisingftwandollieisstillabender

Dehli's the best place in India - I wouldn't mind working there for a year or two trying to sort that shithole out.

[Marc Overmars]

I did find it a bit disconcerting walking back to our hotel pissed, only to stumble past several slums. You can imagine the looks we must have got. Goa was where it was at though tbf. I think it combined Indian and GHEL culture well.

Need to revist India at some point tbh.

[Syn]

Surprised you didn't get mugged. Forgot about Goa - actually that's the best place in India....mainly because it's not India - just beaches full of stoner 'musicians'/hippies.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

India are 236-3. Tendulkar is on 50. Is today the day?