MCG fans vote with their feet
By Adam Cooper, 8 Feb 2010 Adam Cooper is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Australia, Cricket, Crowds, MCG, One day cricket, West Indies
Fans cast further doubt over one-day cricket’s long-term future by voting with their feet, as only 25,463 spectators attended Sunday’s game between Australia and West Indies at the MCG.
The attendance – barely a quarter of the MCG’s capacity – was low despite fine conditions and the match being the first of the five-game series.
It also provided more evidence of one-day cricket being well behind in the popularity stakes to Twenty20, as Friday night’s shorter game between Australia and Pakistan attracted 60,054, the biggest cricket attendance this season.
Officials were hopeful a crowd of up to 35,000 would attend Sunday’s game.
They were disappointed by the attendance, but insisted 50-over cricket was still relevant and popular among fans.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide said Sunday’s low crowd did not mean the end of the 50-over game was nigh.
“I don’t think so, it’s easy to just draw those conclusions on the face of it,” Dodemaide told AAP.
“But let’s look at the TV (ratings) as well.
“It was a very different mix of crowd (on Friday night), and we know that families are more atuned to coming to 20-over cricket than they are 50-over cricket because of a long day and schools were back last week, so many people won’t bring their family out on a Sunday night.
“The indicators say it (the 50-over game) is still holding up, certainly in terms of broadcast, which demonstrates there is real interest in 50-over cricket.”
Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman Peter Young said Sunday’s game was broadcast live into Melbourne, and that the organisation would not know the Nine Network’s rating figures until Tuesday.
He said live broadcasts brought the risk of people staying home, but said attendances were always likely to be lower later in the summer.
“Crowds drop off after the Australian tennis Open, people have gone back to work and school and it is a school day tomorrow,” he said.
The crowds in the recent series between Australia and Pakistan were also low, although 30,774 fans attended game two at the SCG and the last match at the WACA Ground attracted an attendance of 20,464.
But only 19,758 fans attended the series opener at the Gabba, 15,521 watched game three at the Adelaide Oval and 13,841 went to the fourth match at the WACA Ground.
The second match of the West Indies series is in Adelaide on Tuesday, with games to come in Sydney (Friday), Brisbane (Sunday week) and again in Melbourne on February 19.
That last clash will pit cricket directly against the AFL, as Collingwood and St Kilda will play a pre-season game at Etihad Stadium.
Young said CA was compiling a study on the interest in all forms of cricket, but had been pleased with attendances this summer.
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Go_the_Wannabe's said | February 8th 2010 @ 10:39am | Report comment
RIP ODI’s.
roary said | February 8th 2010 @ 11:48pm | Report comment
The tv ratings are outfor the MCG one dayer. It was that bad that they might even pull cricket off the air before the time this series finishes.
They need Gayle to save the day.
Redb said | February 8th 2010 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Gonski.
People are happy with a 3-4 hour commitment rather than a 10 hour enduro that is spread out for action anyway. Test cricket still offers something different, but fans expect the shorter game to be full of action – Twenty20 fits the bill.
You could not get a clearer vote.
Redb
Brett McKay said | February 8th 2010 @ 11:17am | Report comment
I think we need to view last night’s crowd with a little bit of context, rather than just launch straight into the obituaries.
Last night’s ODI was the second international cricket fixture at the MCG within three days. This alone is a fairly major factor, in that plenty of people would picked one over the other, and in doing so have taken the (presuambly) cheaper option. This shouldn’t be that big a surprise.
Add to this though it being on a Sunday night, and with the game broadcast live into Melbourne all day too, and it’s pretty easy to jump to the conclusion that ODI is a dying duck.
That all said, CA scheduled it this way, so kind of only have themselves to blame…
Michael C said | February 8th 2010 @ 11:25am | Report comment
correct – people tend to forget that in the case of ODI crowds in Melbourne in recent years – that we’ve had something that for the first 25 years of ODI’s in Melbourne that we didn’t have – and that’s live coverage against the gate – - even if NOT a sell out.
And a NIGHT game on a school night?!?!?! Why not run it as a day game…..ah…..simple, it’s run more as a TV event now and taking on that prime time Sunday night slot.
(actually, I turned off the cricket at 8.30 and watched the compelling ABC doco on Black Saturday).
Brett McKay said | February 8th 2010 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
MC, a lot of people would have done the same after Gayle holed out. It kind of fizzled out as a contest once he was out…
Redb said | February 8th 2010 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
I disagree, it’s dead or dying.
You point out the two fixtures in three days, but I dont think they picked the cheaper option they picked the more exciting option.
Sunday was a cracking day in Melb, the last thing you’d do is spend it watching TV.
Redb
M1tch said | February 8th 2010 @ 11:50am | Report comment
lets put into context a bit
we played a Windies side with no bowling and 3 of their best batters out, the match was a flop to rub the salt in
AndyRoo said | February 8th 2010 @ 11:51am | Report comment
Watched the football and was a great game with Aloisi scoring the winner with 5 minutes of regular time to go…. flicked over to the cricket and the West Indies were 4 for not many … ho humm and turned it off.
One dayers get the dud end of the draw as they are after the test matches and the tests get all the good dates. Perhaps the one dayers should be against different teams rather than the sides we have just seen play 3 tests.. A bit of mystery would really help, if this one day series was against say NZ then their would be a bit more interest I feel.
The Windies could come and play some one dayers the season the NZ test team tours and so on.
Dogz R Barkn said | February 8th 2010 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
The writing is on the wall, has been for two years, and the ACB has been very slow to react.
Incredibly, people who wouldn’t have been seen dead at an ODI twenty years ago are now keen to endorse it and to worry about it’s demise.
If the ACB and various state bodies do not move swiftly to cash in on the growing trend for Twenty20 – the decision will be taken away from them by others with a keen eye for the bottom line.
Purists should rightly concern themselves about the long term viablility of the 4 and 5 day formats of the game, and be less concerned about whether ODIs can stand up to Twenty20.
ODIs dying a slow death said | February 8th 2010 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
There may be context to the lower than expected crowd, but expecting a crowd of only 35,000 anyway?
Says it all really doesn’t it?
It will be an exceptionally slow death though – Australia & NZ hosting the World Cup of ODIs in 2015 means we have at least another 5 years of ODIs to come.
And I can hardly see the World Cup being the last time the game is ever played! That would be incredibly strange – why even play the World Cup?
MattRusty said | February 8th 2010 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
I went to the 20/20 on Friday, it was a blast; everyone was in a good mood, party atmosphere, far less drunken idiots looking for attention and the game moved quickly.
I also went to the ODI yesterday; it was slow, dull and boring; we left after 10 overs of the WI innings; I’ve never walked out on a game before, but I had better things to do…like ironing my shirts for work this week. I was in a state of shock as we walked out of the MCG but I couldn’t see any point to being there…as go_the_wannabe’s said (and perhaps all that needs to be said) RIP ODI’s.
p.s I love test cricket and have the patience for it, but ODI’s…nup.
bever fever said | February 8th 2010 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
Where do we go after 20/20 ??.
Michael C said | February 8th 2010 @ 3:03pm | Report comment
a 20/20 + 20/20 mini test match – - – i.e. it replaces ODIs, becomes 40/40, but, in 2 innings per side. May still be as long a day as a 50/50, but, you know that
A. a team can be 5/30 after 8 overs batting first and it’s not game over yet -
and
B. you can head down after work and still see both teams have a bat/bowl/field and you simply enter a match at the half way mark with a bit of first innings context – a bit like mid way thru day 3 in a test match!!!!
MV Dave said | February 8th 2010 @ 4:53pm | Report comment
How much smashing of a ball can one watch…balls sailing over the fence/boundary on a monotonous regularity will kill 20/20 as well. There has to be a little bit of balance surely…no 40/40 please even in 2 innings.
Anyway l’m with the majority here and will repeat Redbs term… ODIs… Gonski!
It will end up with 20/20 financially supporting Tests (there were almost more players and officials than spectators at the India v SA test this weekend) with ODIs long gone.
bever fever said | February 8th 2010 @ 6:10pm | Report comment
How much smashing of a ball can one watch…
I can watch a lot, like the most of Australia i like to twatch a tonk through midwicket or cover drive than a pad/bat forward defensive shot.
But i agree with your sentiment.
Jay said | February 8th 2010 @ 3:14pm | Report comment
the only thing keeping the pluse on ODIs is the fact that India is still in love with them. Yet arguably a great test series between south africa and India fails to sell half its tickets. go figure.
the administrators have not learned their lesson – next year we have 7 ODIs against england!!
having said that, i think odi’s still add value to cricket, but the quantity of the games played does not justify the popularity of the product.
the ideal set-up for the summer should be:
1. Big Bash with all Australian players
2. 3 test matches or a 5 test marquee series.
3. 3 ODI’s
4. 3 T20 internationals.