But I’m sure if they could parlay that into a 4 – 10pm prime time product, that drew greater TV audiences in prime time and a bigger crowd buzz (inc key demographics) through longer periods of the match, then CA & Nine would be reaping even bigger rewards and test cricket’s future would be assured.

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/257489.html

“…..It was in youthful disillusionment with inter-island jealousies that, having already represented Lowerhouse in the Lancashire League, he took the county shilling, thereby foresaking international cricket – a choice and a sacrifice that today seems altogether bizarre, but was made by scores of players at the time, mainly Australians like Somerset’s Bill Alley and Nottinghamshire’s Bruce Dooland, but also South Africans like Syd O’Linn and Stuart Leary at Kent, and West Indians including Ron Headley at Worcestershire and Shirley Griffiths at Warwickshire……..”

Nevermind the handful of people that showed up at the start of the day’s play.

This was an exceptional, fantastic game. But we need to aim for this being the rule, rather than the exception.

The reality is today wherever the money is, the players will go. Only Australia and England and maybe Sth Africa are still resisting the trend but the rest of the cricket world is already moving on.

Cricket will be more like Football and Rugby in the Future. Club Cricket most likely the IPL and other 20/20 club cricket will be the main bread winner with internationals being the butter on top.

Do I need to tell you how I feel about Test Cricket ?

On top of that, you have Pakistani cricketers saying that T20 is killing test matches.

Personally I prefer test matches, batsmen have to put together a decent innings and bowlers have the opportunity to work out differant strategies on batsmen, but I guess todays generation increasingly suffers from a form of ADD where anything which requires intellect or patience to understand is put in the two hard basket.

I have lost interest in a plethora of other sports.

I think cricket is now evn more popular in Australia than it was in Bradmans day.

most tests dont last five days.

its the same length as a golf tournament, less than a tennis tournament its shorter than the sydney to hobart. When a grand prix is on its there for four days.

TV and avdvertisers love it because its an add break every five minutes for 30 hours. Tv and advertisers want longer games not shorter ones

Sure, it’s great that we Melburnians get to have a test start on Boxing Day, making it quite easy to see most of it during these summer holidays – but what about all the other tests?

While the tree day suggestion sounds far too extreme, what about meeting half way at four days? (with some fine tuning of the rules to increase the chances of a result inside four days)

As for 20/20 – are people blind? Have we not noticed the crowds turning up to domestic 20/20 matches?

Surely the day is at hand where we will have our very own national competition – and if the ACB doesn’t do it – you can bet someone like Murdoch will.

Whilst i have lost a bit of interest in cricket other people rekindle theirs or even pick it up where their was no interest.

Overall i dont think cricket is any less popular than before.

Our junior cricket club in the northern suburbs of Perth are not taking any more registrations as they are full, the grassroots of the game seem quite healthy.

By which I mean: it’s not decreasing.

Just under 10,000 watched the 2nd days play between South Africa and England. About the same watched Vic v Qld in a rain affected T20. For every memorable test or ODI there are a dozen that are forgotten as quickly as they’re played. We’ll follow the scores but by and large we’re no longer moved to part with our hard earned or watch more than a fraction of the contest on TV. The boffins who are do not number enough to be of consequence.

Unless Test cricket addresses the inconvenient truth, it is dead in the water. So are ODI’s. I propose there is a merger whereby the best aspects of each are merged into one viable, vibrant product. It is ludicrous to have 3 forms of the game, it is not sustainable for a number of reasons.

Trouble is, the ICC and the heads of the various cricket nations will never get past self interest and a lack of you know what to make the hard calls. A lot like Copenhagen.

The appearance that test cricket is stupendously popular must never be allowed to intrude on the educated judgements of our choicest theorists. If the boffins and MBAs say we’re slobs incapable of appreciating all that drama and grandeur…then we’re slobs.

It would seem that the hundreds of millions whose hearts race when a Warne bowls to a Lara are secretly playing with their Gameboys.

“Cuts in Twenty-20s. No cuts in the five-day game.” Cash is king. I think I see what will win out here.

The ICC has to man up and ensure the workload on players doesn’t get heavier, and in fact gets lighter so T20 doesn’t steal them away from Tests like Flintoff for the easier reward. It won’t happen as the Indians have the weight in the ICC now, and are enamoured with the game.

Cricket in in the last 40 years has changed a lot, with ODIs coming in, with proper professionalism. The game will be even more changed over the next 20 years due to T20. We may barely recognise it by 2030.