By Kersi Meher-Homji
October 23rd 2009 @ 6:36am
From can’t wait to ho-hum: is Test cricket dying?
England's Andrew Strauss, 2nd left, drives a ball from Australia's Nathan Hauritz, obscured at right behind umpire, during the first day of the second Ashes Test cricket match at Lord's cricket ground, London, Thursday July 16, 2009. Hauritz dislocated the middle finger of his right hand, as he missed a difficult chance to take the wicket on England's Andrew Strauss. AP Photo/Tom Hevezi
The prognosis about the death of Test cricket is exaggerated and premature. But the passion for a five-day game is losing its spectator appeal in competition with the shorter three or eight hour versions.
Still, The Ashes draws big crowds and so do Test series’ involving Australia, India and South Africa. It’s the way tours are planned and the way meaningless matches are inserted in between Tests that is robbing the game of interest.
There is just too much limited-overs cricket.
I used to count the days before a Test would commence. Now I tend to forget who played the Adelaide Test in 2006.
Look at the tremendous interest that the 2009 Ashes in England evoked before and during the matches. The final Test at The Oval should have been left as the climax.
But no!
Soon after, there were seven one-dayers between England and Australia. The latter led 4-0, which made the next three ODIs ho-hum.
“Who cares?”, was the general attitude.
Then there were the Champions Trophy in South Africa and the Champions League in India, before one could say Venkataraghavan Sivaramakrishna.
Let’s face it, foreplay should come before the orgasm. But it was the other way around this season and most seasons in recent memory.
The organisers think that Test matches are the appetizers for the real thing: ODIs and Twenty20s. In my opinion, this is wrong.
It reminds me of movies these days. In the past, they ended with The End, and everyone went home thinking of the plot and the drama.
Not now.
After an exciting movie, the entire cast is shown, with the names of not only the stars, director, producer, photographer, and musical programmer, but also of every extra actor, every location … It lasts for some ten minutes of tedium as the names go up the screen ad-nauseum, spoiling the impact of the production.
The seven ODIs in England following the 2009 Oval Test were just like that.
Three or five ODIs (not seven) should have been played before the Ashes Tests as an entrée, but not after the Tests as a post-mortem.
It should have been aborted once Australia led 4-0 in the “when-will-it-stop” seven-match series.
Test cricket is not dying, but first-class cricket is.
The Sheffield Shield has long been lauded as the world’s toughest cricket competition, but how many go to watch it? A few decades ago, a crowd of 10,000 on a Saturday was the norm.
Now, barely a hundred faithfuls turn up to watch Shield cricket.
How will a rocket reach the moon if the launching pad is shaky?
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(29)
Brett McKay said | October 23rd 2009 @ 7:39am | Report comment
Sivaramakrishna – there’s a name from the past!! Didn’t he have some talent (until he disappeared five minutes later)
Kersi, it’s a delicate balance, for sure. Test cricket looks rock solid in Australia, England, and probably South Africa too, but elsewhere struggles to draw a crowd. 20 and 50 over cricket is king in India, and generally speaking, pays the cricket world’s bills.
The answer for all formats has to lie is smarter scheduling, and meaningful contests. There should never ever be another stand-alone 7 game ODI series. Never ever. There shouldn’t be ODI-only tours, like we’re about to see in India. Scrap international T20 cricket completely, and leave that format to the domestic and franchise leagues. Get rid of the Champions Trophy every two years. Shorten the overall length of the World Cup (2 months?!!?) Smarter scheduling..
Of course cricketing nations will then want to protect their patch though, and already this morning I’ve read that Aus, Eng, SA, and Ind have agreed to play each other more regularly. Which is fine for them, but what about the other 4.5 Test nations?? I can see this creating as many problems as the Future Tours Program…
Ian Whitchurch said | October 23rd 2009 @ 7:45am | Report comment
First class cricket, just like club cricket, is now purely a nursery or feeder competition. Its been overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of reasonable-to-good cricket fans now have access to, and that is just the way of the world. That said, if the idea of Provincial-level sides competing against each other in games funded by Indian pay TV/gambling interests keeps going, then we might see a revival in first-class cricket.
Personally, I treated the ODI series after the Ashes just like I treat the credits of a movie – I upped and left as they were being shown. Heck, I can hardly pay attention when my team is playing ODIs
An indication of the contempt that everyone shows First Class cricket nowadays is the alleged Australian tour of England and Scotland. I say alleged, because while Australia did play a full slate of Tests in England, they played a single solitary one day game in Scotland. No opportunity at all for the Scots to play against fringe players, or for touring players to establish some form, or fringe players to get some experience in different conditions or make an argument for selection.
That said, I think many players are playing too much cricket, but thats an argument for bigger touring squads and more rotation of players (as a side note, England sent simultaneous MCC teams to the West Indies and New Zealand in 1929-30).
As far as the general health of test cricket, part of it is just that we’re in a down period for superstars right now – the Old Guard of Tendulkar, Lara, Warne, McGrath, Shoaib and so on are gone, and the new superstars have not established themselves.
But even with all that said, I am eagerly awaiting the start of play at Chittagong on the 12th of March – yes, it will be a weakened England side, but no-one cut us any slack when we lost half the first team to the ICL, and I’ll take my wins where I can get them (even at full strength, it’s still a weaker England team than the one that toured in ‘03, and apart from Masrafee, theres two members of the ‘03 side I’d give a run in the Tigers first XI today). Its going to be ten days that determine Bangladesh’s future in Test Cricket, and I think all the Tigers at least know the stakes we’re playing for.
Test Cricket. It’s meant to be hard.
And right now, I’m backing the Tigers to take the series against England 1-0
sheek said | October 23rd 2009 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
Of course,
It was okay for England to send simultaneous touring teams in 1929-30 & acknowledge the internationals on both tours as tests (Windies’ second only test series; NZ’s first ever).
Yet great internationals by England & australia against the World (1970 & 71/72), WSC (77-79) & Commonwealth tours of india in late 40s & early 50s are ignored of test status.
Also the 19 internationals played by South Africa against rebel teams 1981-89.
Just one of my bugbears. But better now…..
Kersi Meher-Homji said | October 23rd 2009 @ 8:29am | Report comment
Brett,
Perceptive as usual.
BTW, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan played nine Tests (1982-85) as a spinner and took 26 wickets at 44.03. Best Test figures 6-64. He is now a cricket commentator.
Ian,
Interesting observations. But surely you jest when you say Tigers will beat England.
And hey, Tendulkar is not retired yet! He wants to score 15,000 runs in Tests and play in the 2011 World Cup. And Shoaib, the show pony, will bowl a beamer at you for saying that he is gone. I agree though that Shoaib should go.
Brett McKay said | October 23rd 2009 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
Kersi, I was about 8 or so when Sivaramakrishnan first came to Australia, and I recall him taking an absolute bagful in a one-day in Melbourne. And I think at the time Sivaramakrishnan was the only name of Indian extraction that I could pronounce properly, so he stuck in my mind. And I did know he was a commentator too, as I recall thinking he was that guy who took those wickets in Melbourne…
Ian Whitchurch said | October 23rd 2009 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Kersi,
Nope. It’s at home, England dont have a spinner, the Tigers have had plenty of recent practice learning how to win, and England have three one dayers and one three dayer to get used to the conditions.
That, and the fact that England will be missing some stars, and have other regulars who dont want to be there.
I’ll probably write up something closer to the date, but what odds will you give me on a Tigers series victory ?
Ian Whitchurch said | October 23rd 2009 @ 9:53am | Report comment
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Kersi Meher-Homji said | October 23rd 2009 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Ian,
Not being a betting man, I can’t give you odds! But on paper, the Ashes holders should beat the courageous Tigers in Tests. ODI is a different issue as upsets do happen. I shall be pleased but surprised if Bangladesh Tigers overcome the English Lions, despite home advantage for the Bangladeshis.
And isn’t Graeme Swann a quality spinner?
I look forward to your write up on the Lion-Tiger growling tussle come March 2010.
Ian Whitchurch said | October 23rd 2009 @ 9:42pm | Report comment
Kersi,
No Graeme Swann is not a quality spinner. Heck, I wouldnt pick him ahead of Enamul, and he cant get a look in with the Tigers (mind you, I’d also pick Enamul ahead of any of the current Australian excuses for slow bowlers).
I tell you, we’ll do England. They have a tour with not enough first class games to prepare, will be tired, many of them dont want to be there – but the big thing is this, frankly, is a crap English side with Freddy Flintoff and Andrew Strauss in it, and they arent planning on showing up.
sheek said | October 23rd 2009 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Kersi,
Like you I used to count the days to the next test match. Also like you, I can’t remember anymore what happened in 2006.
Back in say the 80s, there were less tests more evenly spaced apart. You had the time & opportunity to savour what had happened in the previous test before the next one came along.
Today there is too much of all forms of cricket, & the memory bank can’t cope anymore.
Test cricket was destroyed by administrators who turned it into an everyday t-shirt, instead of preserving it as a valuable silk shirt to only be worn on special occassions.
Regrettably test cricket is dying, & even more regrettably, players & administrators no longer have the will or perhaps desire to fight for its retention.
The simple answer is money. Too much money in T20 cricket. Why play any other form when there is a fortune to be made out of T20, playing for just a couple of hours?
When test cricket goes, so will Sheffield Shield, because its principle cause for existence was as a final finishing school for future test players.
prowling panther said | October 23rd 2009 @ 12:36pm | Report comment
There is just too much limited-overs cricket
Thats cricket’s problems in a nutshell. Personally I think they should reduce the number of 50 over games and explore 3 or 5 match T20 series. T20 is the future of the game because it is an entertainment package around as long as football.
Test cricket is the heart of the game.. I hope they don’t get to day night games…
Less cricket and people will put more value on the games that are played. FGS Australia are playing a SEVEN match series in India before the Aussie summer…
Re: the order of playing games….I don’t mind test cricket first then limited overs for a tour. It certainly works for the Aussie summer. Its like cricket letting its hair down after the serious work of Test cricket (provided limited overs series are not too long like in England)
sheek said | October 23rd 2009 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
The last great tour, if not one of the last great tours, was West Indies to Australia 1975-76. The two major sponsors as I recall were Benson & Hedges (yep, a tobacco company) & Brut 33 ( men’s deodorant). The Windies even did a jingle for the brut commercial.
The tour involved 6 tests (Melbourne 3 & 6, Brisbane 1, Perth 2, Sydney 4 & Adelaide 5), & first class matches against all 6 states, plus extra matches against South Australia & Tasmania. One day matches were played against WA Country, SA Country, Vic Country, ACT, Southern NSW Country, Northern NSW Country & Qld Country.
There was just one limited overs international between Australiai& Windies. It was an awesome tour, but little did we realise this was a pasing age. Commericalism was coming into the game in a big way. More playing & touring time was required of the players, but they weren’t being recompensed.
This is why World Series Cricket happened. By the time peace had been declared between WSC & the major cricket associations/boards, the way cricket was played had changed forever. Some of the post WSC changes were for the better, some for the worse.
Sometimes a new idea is beneficial (like limited overs cricket) but then the carpet-baggers get hold of it, & basically destroy its original good intentions.
The rampant rush for the commercial dollar/pound, etc, has probably been a less savoury part of those changes.
I should clarify, 1975-76 was one of the last great tours before numerous one-day international matches became part of the itinerary.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | October 23rd 2009 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
Sheek,
I agree 75-76 was a great tour. Then came the thrilling centenary Test, Packer supertests and India in Australia in 77-78. All provided marvellous cricketing spectacles but the professional era had started. Money is important and cricketers got what they deserved. But there is a difference between money being important and money being ALL important. Sadly, these days we have reached money being ALL important phase.
Justin said | October 23rd 2009 @ 2:18pm | Report comment
Lets not get carried away with 2020 just yet, give it 5 years and see if the fans are still passionate about it. It is being played alot already. I would be going down the road of removing ODIs. You do not need 3 forms of a sport. Scrap the Champs Trophy completely to start with and as Brett said limit ODIs to Test tours and no more than 3 matches in a series until we know the full impact and extent of 2020 in another 5 years or so.
Freud of Football said | October 23rd 2009 @ 5:00pm | Report comment
Justin, fans aren’t passionate about T20 now, it is a format devised to bring the game to a new audience, genuine fans don’t particularly like it. True it is somewhat popular on the sub-continent but that’s more to do with the fact that they’d watch 30 day games if they played them.
Fred Magee said | October 23rd 2009 @ 2:49pm | Report comment
Great read – yet as much as I love the game of cricket, I never sought to link to a sexual analogy…but I digress.
The sooner that we accept that 20/20 is now the cash cow that funds Test and first class cricket, the better. This means ceasing 50 over games immediately. It will ease the scheduling – providing we dont milk the cash cow dry and saturate the market with the 20/20 game. We should learn from the lessons of the past with the 50 over game and ensure that tournaments that mean nothing (re; ICC Champions Trophy) dont fill up the schedule.
That aside, I have and always love Test cricket – first day of the Sydney Test, I wake up like a kid at Christmas (much to my wife’s annoyance). Most of my lasting memories of international cricket (Michael Bevan’s last ball 4 aside) come from Test matches…yes, I may be a purist but i can live with that.
Freud of Football said | October 23rd 2009 @ 5:09pm | Report comment
Kersi, a fine read but I have been looking forward to Part 2 of your dual-internationals, was slightly disappointed that this wasn’t it.
I think it will be the 2015 World Cup before I can say “Venkataraghavan Sivaramakrishna”.
Again, I favour Brett’s agenda for scheduling – thanks for that, means I get to keep my response somewhat short. Ever since the first International T20 where the players sported afro’s and retro gear I haven’t taken that format seriously, at a domestic level though it is fine and with the cash behind it, good for the game.
Is there any chance that The Roar gets in touch with Mr Sutherland over at CA like they did with the ARU – http://www.theroar.com.au/2007/07/12/the-roar-tackles-rugbys-problems/ ?
I’m sure some of the readers and writers on here would have a few good ideas at tackling some of the bigger issues facing the game, scheduling probably being the largest and as Spiro mentioned in his last piece on cricket, it’s a country of 20 million selectors so we could more than likely help out there.
Gulu said | October 23rd 2009 @ 5:54pm | Report comment
Kersi is dead right. The roots of cricket are being destroyed by greed, so how the tree be allowed to grow?
Kersi Meher-Homji said | October 23rd 2009 @ 6:10pm | Report comment
Freud,
I am informed that Part II of Dual Internationals will be on-line tomorrow morning.
Thanks for your interest and input.
Robbo said | October 23rd 2009 @ 7:48pm | Report comment
I will say one thing – of the three competing forms of cricket there is little doubt Twenty20 will survive. So it is between ODIs and Tests – I can’t see ODI’s surviving that one to be honest.
Ian Whitchurch said | October 23rd 2009 @ 9:24pm | Report comment
One of the things that does annoy me about Test cricket is the continued whining it generates for past golden ages – Sheek’s whinge for the 1975-6 West Indies Tour of Australia being “the last great tour” is a classic example. Cricket hasnt got worse mate, you just got old and your memoryand your ability to appreciate great performances is gone.
Geezs, guys, the last several Ashes tours have been tough, hard cricket. I mean, what did the 2005 Ashes not have ?
I can probably reel off a dozen great Test matches of the last couple of years (New Zealand at Chittagong, 2008 for example. Tough, tough win, full of heart and courage. Danny Vettori joins some pretty good cricketers in playing great cricket to deny a Tiger victory).
Fred, while we’re talking of tournaments to kill – the Asia Cup. Let alone the Asia-Afria Cup.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | October 24th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Ian,
Your enthusiasm is infectious. I am all for underdogs. In this case undertigers.
Incidentally, when previewing ACLT20, I had ended my story saying “Go Blues.” And they became champs! Now I say “Go Tigers”!
vinay verma said | October 24th 2009 @ 5:21pm | Report comment
Kersi…Test Cricket should not be taken for granted. Since the Tied Test of the 1960’s Test Cricket is now an altogether more watchable game. Len Hutton and Hanif mohammed,great technicians they were,but torturously slow. Do your remember Boycott and then Chris Tavare? Boycott was dropped after a slow century in Calcutta. They seemed to be playing as if the Tests were timeless. Time has become a buzzword and the spectator will no longer put up with drivel and cardboard. Programming is even more important than scheduling. Meaningless contests,whether Tests or shorter forms do cricket a disservice. Brett has a point in how do the lesser Nations gain experience so there have to be some games that are not so meaningful.
Scoring rates are faster now in Tests and the number of draws is diminishing. Except when India play Pakistan. In the period between the mid fifties and 1983 there was a period when there were 12 successive draws between the two countires.
When the Captains agree to play attacking cricket the spectator is happy. Captains therefore have a responsibility to the game and it must be said that from Benaud on Australian Captains have shown the way. Ian Chappell,Border,Taylor and Waugh were all for attack and entertaining cricket. In his own way Ganguly was also for attacking cricket as were Lara and Richie Richardson. The current Captains,including Sangakkara,Younnus, Dhoni and Ponting are committed to attacking cricket. Vettori is handicapped by the lack of talent at his disposal but is otherwise an excellent Captain.
I am looking forward to the Tests in India(Sri Lanka in December) and also the current Australian Summer. India-Srilanka will be engrossing…and ironically it will be India’s pace against Sri Lanka’s M& M’s.
West Indies with Jerome Taylor,Fidel Edwards and Roach will give Australia a hurry up so they better not be complacent. And Pakistan later on..who knows which team will turn up..if they play to potential it will be engaging.
As a postscript the TV ratings for the Champion’s League were disappointing…a fraction of 1% of the viewing audience.
Test Cricket is a survivor. It is upto us to ensure it prospers.
Dave1 said | October 27th 2009 @ 6:07pm | Report comment
“….. A few decades ago, a crowd of 10,000 on a Saturday was the norm………”
I think we are looking at the past through rose coloured glasses. A few decades ago was the 70’s and the 80’s and shield crowds were small then.
Shield crowds were small in the 70’s……. even through their was also less international games back then for people to go to.
Richie Benaud has talked about shield crowds being small in his day.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | October 27th 2009 @ 9:07pm | Report comment
Perhaps I over-generalized it, Dave 1, when I wrote that a crowd of 10000 in a Sheffield Shield match on a Saturday was a norm. But the crowd in 1970s was about 20 times more than it is now – especially on the SCG when Dougie Walters was batting. I remember my first match in Australia was a Shield match on the SCG in 1971 and there were almost 10000 spectators that Saturday.
To quote Richard Cashman from Australian Crowds: The Attendance Cycle, Daily Figures, 1877 – 1984: “The 1973-74 season attracted 348,000 customers [during the season], the fourth largest in Shield history… Shield attendances were quite respectable right up to the advent of World Series Cricket but by the second season, 1978-79, they plummeted and have not recovered since.”
Cashman took the trouble of finding out daily attendance figures of all Shield matches from 1877 to 1984. During the 1971-72 season in a Vic v. NSW match on the MCG, 7237 turned up on Sunday, Dec. 26, 12467 on Monday the 27th, and 10108 on Tuesday the 28th.
In the 1973-74 season on the MCG for Vic v. NSW, the crowd attendance on four days were 11858, 10430, 18450 and 7316 on each day.
Yes, 10000 at the MCG would appear small to Richie Benaud and to many of us, but compared to a few hundreds we see today, it was a respectable number.
Cashman showed in a graph that average daily attendance for Victoria was 7000 in 1973-74 but tapered to 1000 in 1984. For NSW it was 4500 in 1973-74 but plummeted to under 500 in 1984.
I know this comment is boring but the trend after WSC and introduction of one-day cricket is significant. And that was before Twenty20 and Big Bash changed our lifestyle and viewing habits.
Dave1 said | October 28th 2009 @ 6:12pm | Report comment
They are interesting figures. You look at 1973/74. The only international games that season in Australia were 3 test v New Zealand.
The crowds for the first test in Melbourne were 20708, 11284, 14314, 4175. Total: 50,481.
the second test at Sydney Crowds: 15727, 15212, no play, 8733, no play. Total: 39,672
The third test at Adelaide Crowds: 9682, 9309, 9332, no play, 1533. Total: 29,856
It looks like people were going to the shield instead of test matches.
I remember in the early 90’s I think their may have been a revival of shield figures with dollar Sundays. The mcg used to put a rope for the boundary and people would sit on the field.
I went to this game
South Australia v New South Wales
Sheffield Shield 1993/94
Venue Adelaide Oval on 31st December 1993, 1st, 2nd, 3rd January 1994 (4-day match)
http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/58/58284.html
From memory I think the crowds were at least 8000 on the Sunday and the Monday
But you’d think when the state one day games number was increased and played on the weekend and with 20/20 big bash people shield crowds were going to decrease again.
County cricket crowds are up
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jan/22/ecb-announce-spectator-increase
dave1 said | November 1st 2009 @ 10:53am | Report comment
folowing on, last year New Zealand toured Australia and played in Adelaide. The crowds were 12498, 11886, 11347, 3022 total 38753.
So in 35 years test cricket crowds have increased.
I wonder if people were writing article about test cricket dying in 1973/74
bever fever said | November 1st 2009 @ 11:07am | Report comment
Shield crowd were big in the 20’s 30’s between NSW and VIC but half the states were not even playing then.
Perhaps i am not representative of the wider community but IMO generally there is not as much interest in cricket at all levels.
But on the other hand our local junior cricket club is innundated with kids wanting to play.
I used to love test cricket but now really dont pay much attention to it.
The game is to big internationally to die.
Dave1 said | November 2nd 2009 @ 4:43pm | Report comment
Shield crowds were big in the 30’s but Bradman was playing, Crowds used to turn up to watch St Kilda play in the few times that Warnie played for them
Also in the 1930’s there was no alternative
The only
International tours of Australia were
West Indies 1930-31
South Africa 1931-32
England 1932-33
England 1936-37
The only shield sides not playing in the 1930’s were Western Australia and Tasmania.
Cricket is booming, crowds, ratings and participation are huge. The amount of kids playing is a lot more then it was 20 or 30 years ago
It’s important to remember that there is a problem with you own using your own personal experiences….From the book Moneyball people seem to overgeneralize from personal experience” People always t their own experience was typical when it wasn’t.”
In my own personal experience I cricket is the only sport everyone follows so everybody talks about it. Otherwise peole talk league or AFL.
I walk through parks and now see people paying socially even in winter and that never happened when I was a kid. I look out of my window at home now and I see people playing cricket.
I remember when the ashes was just another series. There wasn’t the sold out crowds and the excitement of the last three ashes series. People now look forward to the ashes.
I know that human complaining is important because it helps improvement be made. So we have to make out something is wrong even when it isn’t or there will be stagnation.
But just between you and me cricket just gets bigger and bigger every year.