Interesting stat. Foxtel $125 million per year for ODI/T20 rights. $29 per month for cricket channel. Over 12 months $348 (plus expense to user for other Foxtel services). That equates to a required subscription base of 359,195 individuals for the whole 12 months to break even (Technically. There are additonal costs for Foxtel in undertaking the Broadcast, plus extra revenue from advertising. But lets face it, Warnie wouldn’t come cheap).

Rating for Foxtel for Perth ODI: 205,000. 154,000 short of breakeven. An operating loss of $4.4 million for foxtel for that one game.

How many games will that last for? Foxtel could easily be $30-$40 million in the hole by the end of the summer season.

Expect Channel 7 to buy out Foxtel rights for the 2019-2020 season at a cut rate bargain price!

It’s Optus and the World Cup all over again…

Thanks for this article 70’s Mo. I came across the Walter Tull story several years ago when Northampton Town began a campaign to erect a memorial at their stadium in his honour.

A truly inspiring man.

Thanks for writing about him.

Yeah…except that there is a pretty big link between people being drunk and people not making very good choices. Some of the effects of drinking alcohol is that it suppresses inhibitions and impairs your ability to think.

So would you suggest that we stop everyone from drinking any more than one or two drinks at any time or any place? Because that is even more hardcore than my stance.

Is that why VB hired him to be their spokesman; because of his catch at short leg?

At least you’re honest with yourself. Just for the record, I do not begrudge you your glass of shiraz or chardonnay, nor wish to impinge upon your right to consume it. I was more hoping to hold up a mirror to those that would point at, and accuse, O’Keefe.

I don’t think some like what they saw!

He might learn how to stop drinking? Thought of that?

Hi, just to make it clear I am not supporting prohibition. Suggesting that people ‘try’ dry events is not a total ban, it is merely highlighting that in the 21st century other options are available.

While I can understand these award ceremonies are incredibly long and boring and that maybe you need a drink or two to get through it, it does kind of reinforce the practice of using alcohol as a coping mechanism; which in itself is a form of substance abuse. 🙂

As far as being shielded from ‘social realities,’ may I suggest you spend a Saturday night down at the emergency department of your local hospital; where there is an awful lot of a social reality involving alcohol to be witnessed.

Heck, maybe they should send athletes there as part of an AOD awareness course.

Good to see your open to discussion on the matter there buddy!

You do realise alcohol was illegal during the 1920’s-1930’s? You know, the whole Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the untouchables thing.

Anyway thanks for your feedback, have a wonderful evening.

Thank you your grace. May I suggest banning the wine at communion.

http://www.aihw.gov.au/alcohol-and-other-drugs/alcohol/harm/

All you need is right there. Have a nice evening.

I’m sure there are some people out there that can responsibly enjoy heroin or cocaine, yet we have banned those drugs. Are we punishing them for the sake of those ‘irresponsible’ addicts that can’t ‘control’ themselves?

Thanks, it seems opinions remain fairly divided, which is what I expected. However, at least it is being discussed.

Thanks for the feedback. I do get your point about individual choice, however we also need to consider the role that alcoholism plays here. It really, really, isn’t a choice in that sense. That is why I questioned why he wasn’t cut off at the bar, or none of his teammates said “go home mate, you’re done.” It seems to suggest a knowledge gap relating to AOD abuse among the players- not something solely the domain of cricket.

I think the 5,500 people would died last year, and will die this year as a consequence of alcohol, their families, their friends, might not agree that O’Keefe’s problem is entirely his ‘own.’ Alcohol abuse affects us all. Just ask any police officer or paramedic that has been a first responder to a serious car crash involving drink driving. Ask any doctor or nurse in an emergency room on a Saturday night (my cousin is one at westmead). Ask any spouse or child that has ever suffered abuse at the hands of a drunk partner or parent. They will tell you different.

I think you seriously need to reconsider this whole personal accountability stance. It in itself creates just as much damage as any drink does. However, if you telling yourself that it isn’t your problem and you are not doing anything wrong gets you through the day, then maybe you sit down and ask yourself why you think that?

Possibly. Whatever the reason it came back around and bit them on the behind didn’t it?

Thanks, we’ve all generally been there mate. I was no angel myself and ruined some damn fine friendships as a consequence.

O’Keefe has to make the same realisation that I did; he can’t just have one drink, it doesn’t happen. I really hope he gets the serious help he needs, and not the half arsed approach currently being deployed by CA.

I would like to know just what exactly I have justified and excused?

Further, I am yet to see David Boon appear in any advertising or promotional material relating to cricket. His main claim to fame is unfortunately connected to drinking.

As far as the ‘dry night’ function, the point was that nobody probably would attend. I was kind of hinting (a little to subtly it would seem) that many individuals that claim to love and support their club, use it as a convenient excuse to cover their functional alcoholism. Remove the alcohol and these individuals would cease to show up. The pleasant surprise I was suggesting, was that in the absence of the ‘hard drinkers club,’ people that don’t normally go because they aren’t hard drinkers themselves, might start showing up.

To make it clear, as there seem to be some misunderstandings, at no point did I absolve O’Keefe for his actions. I merely suggested that sporting bodies are not entirely blameless. O’Keefe stood tall and accepted his part in this. Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW have not.

Yep and he had retired by the age of 34 (thanks to George Bailey’s devastating batting attack). It still doesn’t alter the fact that Australia lacks a ‘definitive’ second spinner. Lyon’s won’t be here forever.

If you were born the year Border took over, I’m older than you mate 😛

I remember watching Kim Hughes crying his eyes out on the ABC news (which was the only channel available where I lived at the time!) as he announced his retirement.

Only history can judge Smith. Which was kind of the point of the article. Further, it was because of Border’s gravitas, that the legacy he left behind was such a great one.

I don’t really get the point about Cook. Cook is 7th on the list of test captaincies (57 tests), and at 42% win ratio is better than Border. Cook has played 249 innings for 10,934 runs at average 46.93. Border had 259 innings for 11,174 at an average of 50.56. Both world class records that stand out from the pack. If 10,000 runs with an 46 average is “decent” I would hate to consider what ‘great’ requires.

If Steve Smith eventual career stats turns out like Cook’s, it would be a great result!

Yep some good points there.

I just don’t see a 32/33 year old Lyon as offering much. Yes, has gone off the boil a bit, but he came back well in Adelaide to his credit. My observation considered more the fact that there isn’t much in the ready reserve category.

I like Adam Zampa, he seems like the kind of bowler that gets wickets when you just start to need one. That is a useful trait for a captain to be able to call upon. Ashton Agar, looks like a good option too. Again, my opinion is, if the test is in rebuild, then rebuild with some spinners in mind too. It doesn’t necessarily mean cutting Lyon out, but some younger spinners need to be brought in around the team, at least as part of the 15 if not the 12 or 11.

Which brings me to Mitch Marsh. Pressure was on. He knew the pressure was on. He still didn’t step up. To return to the previous paragraph, why not Agar instead? Kills two birds with one stone; gives a spinner some more experience, and allows for a second spin option in the squad, and gives Mitch some competition that might push him to improve.

Further, I did mention by name, that Smith has Warner, Khawaja, Starc, and Hazelwood, which provides “the base of a very good test team.” But four or five guys can’t continually carry the weight of an entire test squad. Those brought in do need to perform, which is another reason Mitch Marsh is out.

I did say Mitch has the option of returning to shield cricket and earning his spot back. Yet, the trend for many players seems to focus on 20/20 dollars at the expense of long game experience. Marsh, with a big hole in his wallet as a consequence of being dropped, might just find it easier to go on the endless 20/20 circuit. I hope he doesn’t, I hope he spends a season or two in limbo, maybe even go play some county cricket in England and put himself in the picture for an Ashes call up. But right now he should not be part of the future squad. He had his chance, time to move on.

You are right, 95-05, which I would extend to 89-05 -I was at Trent Bridge in 89 and it was a wonderful experience, met Mitch’s dad Geoff at the airport in Singapore has he was coming home from that series. Very nice guy, which makes the whole Mitch/Shaun thing that whole much harder, because we all wanted them to become the next hero’s of Australian cricket, it just felt like it was meant to be. But it wasn’t. Some stories don’t get happy endings…anyway- Were the glory days, hence the reference to Gilchrist, as it seems that we now expect every Aussie wicket keeper to bat like him, and every spinner to be like Warnie, etc.

Hence that article on Smith, that the Aussie test team is now at a point where it was once before. Yes, we probably won’t win like we used to, and Smith should not be judged as such. But, we can move forward from here, with Smith as the captain of the next generation.

Yep, it is a different game today compared to Border’s time. Yes, Smith has more options than Border did; but as you pointed out, poor crowds and television ratings might be more dangerous for Smith now, than Border then. The media may cut his throat. Look what happened to most of the previous captains; Waugh, Ponting, and Clarke, were all hammered in the media toward the end of their careers. That said, if in four or five years, Australian test teams are still losing ten wickets for less than 100 runs on a semi regular basis, Smith should probably go.

As for Mark Taylor/Bob Simpson, Smith/Lehmann, I think Lehmann would go before Smith anyway. I think he is lucky Rod Marsh took the bullet this time round. Mark Waugh is number two on the hit list, but Lehmann in my opinion is definitely third. However, I agree, Smith needs to be the center of the Australian team. In that sense, Boof might just be too big of a personality to keep around anyway.

Thanks for comments guys. I appreciate it.

Clarke was a reluctant Hughes. I think he got the short straw really, but his attitude and ‘celebrity’ lifestyle didn’t help his cause either.

Davey Warner might well turn out to be the go to guy in the advent of an Smith captaincy implosion. However the article was highlighting the fact that why Waugh and Ponting did so well, was because Border kind of did rather poorly. In a way, it was Border’s pain that was Waugh’s and Ponting’s gain.

The A.C.B would do well to remember this, and stick with Smith for the duration. As long as he shows improvement in his captaincy skills and the ability to help build a squad, then the win/draw/loss ratios shouldn’t be the marker of Smith’s success.

Really, Smith should sit down and have a damn good talk with Border; it may be the best career advice he ever gets.