The 2009 edition of the Champions Trophy began on Wednesday, 377 days behind schedule and it seems not a lot of people care. Indeed ODI’s “second biggest event” has hardly been mentioned in the media.
I recently championed ODI’s here on The Roar and if I were to make a Top 10 of my favourite cricket memories, half of them would be from one-dayers but none of them from the Champions Trophy.
Is it just me or does everyone think it’s one of the most pointless competitions in world cricket?
I can’t rattle off the winners of past tournaments, I can’t tell you who played and won the inaugural match or the venue, nor who the leading run scorer of all time in the Champions Trophy is, who has the best bowling figures, the lowest team total, none of it. I could however answer all of those questions and much more if it was a World Cup you were asking me about, or ODI’s in general or even the Australian Tri-Series tournament.
So why persist with the tournament?
Well it certainly isn’t by popular demand from the players. They have long complained that they play too much cricket; the increase in stress related injuries would certainly support this as would the amount of broken relationships amongst Australian players over the last decade. All this at a time when the highly lucrative Twenty20 format is trying to find its niche and place on the ICC calendar.
The fans? Well I’ll be honest and say I barely watched the recent seven-match series against England. I am an ODI fan but I, like everyone else, have my limits. The Ashes was 25 days of cricket and you want to follow that up with seven more one-dayers, three of which were dead rubbers and then an eight team round-robin tournament a week later to boot?
The administrators then? Well, yes and no. On the one hand they are a money hungry, self-serving lot, on the other they know they cannot totally neglect player and fan interests and hence have to at least be seen to make an effort to improve the scheduling.
It must be the TV stations then, right? Again, while they too are in it for the dough they also know you can have too much of a good thing. Start having cricket on 24/7 and people find it less appealing and the flow-on effects from that are immediate.
So players want to play more Twenty20 but have less cricket in general, fans want to be entertained but not be force fed cricket until they’re sick of the sight of it, administrators want to make money but try to keep people happy (if only for their own sakes) at the same time and TV wants to keep people interested in the product they’re offering and make as much as they can in the process.
Something has to give, plain and simple, and I can’t see it being Test match cricket. While attendances between some countries are down, it’s still the purist version of the game and as long as there is cricket there will be Test match cricket.
Twenty20 will grow and become a regular part of the schedule so that only leaves ODI’s.
The World Cup has to stay, it is still cricket’s premier event and the minnows who somehow fluke it through Twenty20 games are found out in this format.
So what has to go? Where does Twenty20 get its space in the calendar? How do we give players the rest they need? How can we keep the interest in the game alive via TV revenues?
Well I’d have thought the answer would be simple, cancel the Champions Trophy.
It’s not a tournament steeped in tradition and it’s not a tournament viewed and revered across the globe. It’s a redundant fixture that adds unnecessary extra strain on players and schedules which fans invariably don’t care about.
Now we just need to convince the administrators and TV people that making slightly less profit will be better for everyone in the long term.
Dave1
Guest
As stated before Australia punches above its wait in rugby new eland has a lot more players to choose from. In Softball New Zealand only qualified for one Olympics and finished third last. At the world championships they haven’t won a medal since 1986 In cricket they do well in shorter forms of the game but don’t have the population to have a good test Team. The one advantage cricket has over other sports in the country, is that New Zealand cricket is rolling in money. In men’s basketball they have made the Olympics twice • 2000: 11th • 2004: 10th And the world championships three times • 1986 : 21st • 2002 : 4th • 2006 FIBA World Championship: 9th They are ranked 13th in the world In women’s basketball they are ranked 15th in the world They finished 15th at the 1994 world championships At the Olympics they They finished 10th in 2008 8th in 2004 11th in 2000 In hockey new Zealand is ranked 8th in the men’s and 11th in women’s New Zealand men’s Hockey results OLYMPIC GAMES, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1956 Final Placing 6th OLYMPIC GAMES, ROME, ITALY, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1960 Final Placing 5th OLYMPIC GAMES, TOKYO, JAPAN, OCTOBER 1964 Final Placing 13th 21/10/67 vs Holland Drew 0 - 0 OLYMPIC GAMES, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, OCTOBER 1968 Final Placing 7th OLYMPIC GAMES, MUNICH, WEST GERMANY, AUGUST 1972 Final Placing 9th WORLD CUP, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1973 Final Placing 7th WORLD CUP, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, MARCH 1975 Final Placing 7th OLYMPIC GAMES, MONTREAL, CANADA, JULY 1976 Final Placing 1st CHAMPIONS TROPHY LAHORE, PAKISTAN, NOVEMBER 1978 Final Placing 4th 5TH WORLD CUP, BOMBAY, INDIA, DECEMBER 1981/JANUARY 1982 Final Placing of 7th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, KARACHI, PAKISTAN, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1983 Final Placing 6th XXIIIRD OLYMPIC GAMES LOS ANGELES, USA, JULY/AUGUST 1984 Final Placing 7th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, KARACHI, PAKISTAN, DECEMBER 1984 Final Placing 5th WORLD CUP, LONDON, ENGLAND, OCTOBER 1986 Final Placing 9th XXV OLYMPICS, BARCELONA, SPAIN, JULY/AUGUST 1992 Final Placing 8th XXV OLYMPICS, BARCELONA, SPAIN, JULY/AUGUST 1992 Final Placing 8th 9th WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT, UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS, MAY/JUNE 1998 Final Placing 10th 10TH WORLD CUP, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYISA, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2002 Final Placing 9th XXVIII OLYMPIC GAMES, ATHENS, GREECE, AUGUST 2004 Final Placing 6th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, LAHORE, PAKISTAN, DECEMBER 2004 Final Placing 6th 11TH WORLD CUP, MONCHENGALDBACH, GERMANY, SEPTEMBER 2006 Final Placing 8th XXIX OLYMPICS GAMES, BEIJING, CHINA, AUGUST 2008 Final Placing 7th Womens results WORLD CUP, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, APRIL 1983 Final Placing 7th OLYMPIC GAMES, LOS ANGELES, USA, JULY/AUGUST 1984 Final Placing 6th WORLD CUP, AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND, AUGUST 1986 Final Placing 4th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, AMSTELVEEN, NETHERLANDS, JUNE 1987 Final Placing 6th 7TH WOMEN'S WORLD CUP, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, MAY 1990 Final Placing 7th XXV OLYMPIC GAMES, BARCELONA, SPAIN, JULY/AUGUST 1992 Final Placing 8th 9TH WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT, UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS, MAY 1998 Final Placing 6th Final Placing 5th 8th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, AMSTELVEEN, NETHERLANDS, MAY/JUNE 2000 Final Placing 6th 27TH OLYMPIC GAMES, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, SETPEMBER 2000 Final Placing 6th 9th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, AMSTELVEEN, NETHERLANDS, AUGUST 2001 Final Placing 5th 10th WOMEN’S WORLD CUP, PERTH, AUSTRALIA, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 Final Placing 11th XXVIII OLYMPIC GAMES, ATHENS, GREECE, AUGUST 2004 Final Placing 6th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, ROSARIO, ARGENTINA, NOVEMBER 2004 Final Placings 5th CHAMPIONS TROPHY, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, JULY 2006 Final Placings 6th XXIX OLYMPICS GAMES, BEIJING, CHINA, AUGUST 2008 Final Placing 12th
Jameswm
Guest
Republican - you said this "NZ do very well at Union, League, Softball, truncated cricket i.e. T20 and OD, Basketball, Netball, Cycling, Rowing, Hockey, Triathalon and probably a heap of others given their 4 to 5 mill population." Now I want to start by saying that I think both Australia AND NZ punch way above their weight in world sport. They both have the culture of outdoor sport. But I have to pick your comments apart one by one Union - granted - but rugby is a religion in NZ and they have a lot of registered players despite their small population. And only 10-12 countries play the sport seriously League - only 3 countries play this seriously and NZ's players benefit from playing in Australia. They spring the odd surprise win on Australia and get thumped the other times Softball - seriously - how many countries play this? truncated cricket i.e. T20 and ODI - agreed - well, sort of. Australia trounced them in the recent final and often do. It's a bit like the League. Basketball - you guys are ordinary at basketball. Where did that one come from? How would you go against France, Russia, Lithuania, Brazil etc, not to mention USA? Netball - how many countries play this seriously? 4? That many? Cycling - I didn't think you guys were very good at cycling. Australia are very strong, so it's a poor example to use when arguing against Aussies. Think Cadel Evans, Michael Rogers, Stuart O'Grady, Robbie McEwen, names that roll off the tongue of any European with even the slightest interest in cycling. NZ did have 2 representatives in this year's Tour, but they came 79th and 121st. An ex-Aussie who is coming back even won a stage this year. Rowing - yeah from memory you're good at rowing, but then so is Australia. Last Olympics Australia came 2nd in the medal count, NZ 8th. Sounds fair relative to size Hockey - the Aussie mens and womens team are rarely outside the top 3 in the world and are almost always ranked above NZ. FFS we're a world superpower in hockey. Triathalon - yep you guys are very strong but then I'd say Australia is a tad stronger. Just checked and current world rankings are - in the women's, Kiwis are ranked 3, 18 and 20. Aussies are ranked 1, 10 and 19. In the men's Kiwis are ranked 8, 13 and 34, and the top 3 Aussies are ranked 7, 12 and 25. All suggests both countries do well and results are roughly relevant to population differences. As a matter of interest German men are ranked 3, 4, 5, 23, 24 and 26 in the world. Therefore I go back to the start where I said both countries punch above their weight, but the Aussies a bit further above their weight. The final Beijing medal table had Australia 6th, with 46 medals (14-15-17), with only China, USA, Russia, Britain and Germany above us on the usual calculations. We actually got more medals than germany and only one less than the Brits. The smallest of those populations is 4-5 times bigger than ours. NZ was 26th on the medal count, with 9 medals (3-1-5) still a very good effort.
Dave1
Guest
This is the sort of money NSW and Victoria will be making http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/cricket-nsw-counting-the-coins-as-blues-look-to-be-worlds-best/2009/10/12/1255195744676.html Cricket NSW counting the coins as Blues look to be world's best Will Swanton October 13, 2009 NSW's grinding victory over Sussex at the Champions League amounted to a whopping $US450,000 ($498,190) payday. The Blues beat the English side by 35 runs to book a berth in the second round of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament. Prestige is attached to the event but so are vast sums of money. Simon Katich's side received $US200,000 for qualifying for the Champions League and by climbing all over Sussex, guaranteed itself at least another $US250,000 if the second round is as far as it goes........." The jackpot jumps to $US500,000 for semi-final losers, $1.3 million for the second-placed side and $US2.5m for the champions. The loot must be split 50-50 between players and their state associations. ''I'm the wrong man to ask about the money,'' Blues coach Matt Mott said. ''I really, honestly don't know. Some figures were getting thrown around last night but I would have absolutely no idea. It's inconsequential to me at the moment. We are here to try to win a tournament. I'm sure if you spoke to Dave Gilbert, he'd be counting the pennies.'' Gilbert, the Cricket NSW chief executive, is already guaranteed a significant financial injection. Just how significant remains to be seen.
Dave1
Guest
State cricket is subsidized by the earnings form international cricket. The national players take a pay cut so that state players can be paid. However this may change with NSW and Victoria playing in India for millions of dollars. In the future maybe Sheffield Shield and The Ford Ranger may be subsidized by state 20/20 games.
mahony
Guest
Speaking of empty stadiums, I watched 5 minutes of some domestic cricket today on Fox. The two teams (I can't even tell you who they were to be honest) would literally have outnumbered the 'fans'. How on earth can this competition run? Is the TV revenue enough - does the national cricket team subsidize it? It made the A-league crowd in Brisbane look huge.
Dave
Guest
a team form Sydney could probably beat new Zealand and west Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Kenya and maybe Pakistan on a bad day
Dave
Guest
They are playing for 4 million dollars prize money and you get nothing if you finish 7th or 8th. Therefore it is their loss if they are not trying.
Dave
Guest
no New Zealand has over 140,000 Rugby players http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_union_in_New_Zealand Australia has 38000 rugby players http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Australia the Wallabies used to punch above their weight but as the game becomes more professional, that will no longer happen. West Indians arent gravitaing to basketball, cricket is their main game
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Yeah and imagine if Australia had a population the size of the USA. Australia which has two rugby codes, football and AFL and a thriving cricket competition, still somehow manages to tear other nations apart in the olympics, figure that out.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Then just take the Sydney area, that's would be close for population and I'm sure that they could come up with a pretty competitve side.
QC
Guest
And thats what hurts people like you the mopst Republican for our tiny population we are very good at most sports we play. Imagine if New Zealand had the same pop as Aus,
QC
Guest
Spencer grow up you pathetic little troll,
Republican
Guest
I believe we have more Union players than they - just but Union get the cream of NZ whereas our best gravitate to Aust Footy and League. I would dearly love to see the Windies back on top in world cricket but alas most of their young and talented are gravitating to the US of A and Basketball instead. They still walk the walk and talk the talk though don't you reckon?
Dave
Guest
They do well at Union because they have more union players than other countries. Shorter forms of cricket lesson the gap between better teams and allow for greater use of innovations which the kiwis have been good at in the past. The only way small countries can be successful is by being more professional or innovative. Heres some advice to the West Indies and Chris Gayle you cant be successful if you have a small population by worrying about looking cool instead of professional or saying how much you can’t be bothered.
Republican
Guest
NZ do very well at Union, League, Softball, truncated cricket i.e. T20 and OD, Basketball, Netball, Cycling, Rowing, Hockey, Triathalon and probably a heap of others given their 4 to 5 mill population. Cheers
Dave
Guest
What sports do New Zealand punch above their weight in? They definitely do have the lowest population of the test teams and they only have the West Indies and Bangladesh below them. http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/match_zone/team_ranking.php 1 South Africa 122 2 Sri Lanka 120 3 India 119 4 Australia 116 5 England 105 6 Pakistan 84 7 New Zealand 80 8 West Indies 76 9 Bangladesh 13
Republican
Guest
NZ always bring out the old population card as an excuse for their mediocrity or a way to subtly infer that they are a superior sporting race. If its all about pop then why then do they punch above their weight in all manner of other sports but not test cricket? Perhaps they are just waiting to expediently tap into our domestic cricket comp since they have been added to just about every other domestic Aust League, in order to improve their i/n staus in that respect as well. I know of numerous countries with small populations (and by the way Australias population certainly is not that large either by world statndards) who excel at various sports and who have far less resources and certainly no neighbour of the stature of Oz to help foster their talent. as NZ does. I also am aware of neighbours i.e PNG who do not have NZ's priveleged economy nor do they derive the same degree of Oz support yet on a per capita basis they probably do better tha NZ in a number of sports if we must get into the whole per capita debate as Kiwis like to do ad nauseaum - Yawn yawn.
Dave
Guest
NSW's populations is about 7 million thats almost twice as much as NZ
Chris
Guest
I daresay if NSW was a test team (similar population) they would be extremely competitive (best in the world on their day).
Dave
Guest
The reason NZ are not successful at test cricket is because their population at about 4 million is the lowest of all the test teams. They will never have the player pool to reach the top.