I wrote part one of my 2025 cricket wish list in a frenzied state last week when I realised Shane Watson was going to lead the revered baggy greens.
They say one week is a long time in sports, but unfortunately my despondency hasn’t evaporated after Australia endured their worst series defeat in my lifetime.
Plus, I still haven’t gotten rid of the stench over the ludicrous decision to install Watson as captain.
So, once again dreaming of cricket’s state in the next decade was needed escapism.
Olympics/Commonwealth Games
Cricket in the Olympics was mused to death last year during Olympic fervour. But if cricket really wants to shed its ‘British bourgeoisie’ status beyond the Test world, than it needs to pursue the Olympics’ flickering flame.
Apparently, this is not just my pipedream, as there finally appears to be a concerted push for cricket to be included in the 2024 Olympics. Imagine the exposure for cricket on sport’s grandest stage?
The T20 format is an ideal product for the uninitiated and the Olympics’ prestige could propel sporting superpowers such as China and the USA to invest more into the sport.
Rugby sevens has been instated for Rio. Surely, cricket can follow suit.
And why isn’t cricket an essential essence of the Commonwealth Games? Cricket is the quintessential British sport. It has to be included for the first time since KL ’98. Apparently there is also some momentum for cricket to be part of Gold Coast ’18.
A vibrant T20 tournament could help energise the turgid Commonwealth Games, which is quite rightly derided as relic of British Imperialism.
West Indies renaissance
The Windies’ spiral into mediocrity has been one of the saddest cricket tales this century. The West Indies have sunk embarrassingly from cricketing powerhouse to minnows in Tests.
When I was a kid, at the tail of their dominance, they were my most anticipated tourists. These days, I roll my eyes when they visit down under and often frustratingly switch the television off in and disgust because of their ineptitude.
Cricket needs a strong West Indies because at their best there is no more entertaining and loveable team. They have an intrinsic flair that is unparalleled in the cricket sphere.
The ICC, often derided as a toothless tiger, needs to demonstrate some much-needed leadership and start an inquiry into the mess of Caribbean cricket because the glory years are fast fading into obscurity.
Pakistan to play at home
It’s been a travesty no international cricket has been played in Pakistan since armed militants attacked Sri Lanka’s team bus in 2009. Now they are consigned to playing in a sterile neutral environment in the UAE.
Pakistan is one of the great cricketing locales but unfortunately legitimate security concerns have made hosting a tournament amid the hotbed environment impossible.
It saddens me that great players will never play in Pakistan.
Australia last played in Pakistan in 1998. Michael Clarke may eventually become one of Australia’s greatest batsmen and captains, but is destined to never set foot there.
Adam Gilchrist and Mike Hussey also never had the privilege of taking their talents to Pakistan. A greater tragedy is that the cricket mad Pakistani populace won’t get to watch any live international action for the foreseeable future.
Here’s hoping the security situation improves.
BCCI has less power and stops being cricket’s dictator
This won’t happen. So, I’ll move on.
Temper T20
T20 cricket has to be limited in the international arena, before it dictates the sport. As I wrote last week, the ODI format is on life support and needs to be preserved.
One solution? Less T20s in the international arena. The T20 boom is here to stay, and I love the product as a tool to attract the throng to the domestic level and for its ability to promote the game beyond the Test world.
The rise of the IPL and its imitators has grown to monstrous proportions. Nothing now can be done to stifle that. Players will eventually have to choose whether they want to become moonlighting T20 hacks or concentrate on the more arduous longer formats.
T20s in the international arena need to be limited to four-year world cups, Olympics and/or Commonwealth Games and just the one match to start or end a tour.
Aussies find a decent spinner
This is more unlikely than curbing the BCCI, as Australia will probably go a generation without unearthing a match-winning tweaker. Alas!
Rebel
Guest
Can't agree with the premise that morally Test cricket doesn't have to stand on its own two feet financially. However do agree with the idea that Test cricket will be under more pressure and this has been building for many years. The advent of shorter forms of the game has papered over some of the cracks rather than opened them up further. This is my vision. In 15 years time the climate will have warmed noticably and public interest will be focussed on sports that are played in winter or under lights during summer. The cricket authorities will have moved Test matches to be under lights but crowd and spectator interest continues to wane due to falling grassroots participation and competition from other sports and forms of entertainment. With cricket on its knees the One Day format is resurrected with 50 overs-a-side matches completed in 5 hours. Over rates of 20/hour are achieved by changing ends every 5 overs and some other minor tweaks. High quality games are played late in the afternoons and finish under lights (say 5 - 10pm). Leading batsman score centuries and bowlers get 5 wicket hauls, and with every state playing each weekend, television ratings and spectator interest grows (like the AFL or Rugby League). Grassroots participation begings to increase from a low base as players have the opportunity to bat, bowl and field each week; the time demands of playing are reduced: and there is less disruption if the game has to be cancelled due to wet or excessively hot conditions. If cricket ignores the financial side or participation rates and tries to justify its existence as some sort of moral high ground, then Test cricket may be around in 15 years as a novelty event (a bit like an old fashioned circus) but the sport of cricket will be doomed.
sheek
Roar Guru
Tristan, Unless the cricket authorities are willing to make a moral stand before a financial stand, test cricket will be dead by 2025. This is how it might pan out. The early stages are evident now. I will use CA as the example. 1. The BBL (T20) is placed in the premier part of the season - December - to maximise interest & revenue. 2. Test cricket & Sheffield Shield are both dislocated to accommodate BBL. 3. This ensures that the necessary & seamless transition of preparing test players is also fractured. 4. Almost imperceptibly the skills of the players are changing, but even now, we can see how. 5. Batsmen are losing the skill to build an innings, while bowlers are losing the skill to think a batsman out. Everyone is losing the art of patience & planning. 6. Meanwhile, players are concentrating on developing the short-game skills, because this is where the big money is. Right now you don't need to be a very good cricketer to make easy money from T20. 7. As a consequence of ubiquitous T20 matches everywhere, players are losing the skills to play the longer form & increasingly may not care. 8. This then effects the end product - test cricket. The players have lesser skills & inclination, which will lead to poorer quality test matches. 9. As the product deteriorates, fans will lose interest & walk away. Then perhaps quite quickly, test cricket will die. It may not be the intention of cricket authorities to kill test cricket, but basically everything they're doing at present is preparing the above scenario to eventuate. This is what I mean by cricket authorities taking a moral stand. They must first prove to themselves they wish to preserve test cricket, & by association, first-class cricket, & then provide those two forms with the necessary resources & structures to ensure their on-going survival & well-being. Otherwise, we can kiss test cricket goodbye in less than 20 years.
Tristan Lavalette
Roar Guru
Yep, I've written about this before - http://stumped4aduck.com/2012/06/15/a-malaysian-cricket-odyssey/
Tristan Lavalette
Roar Guru
Should have clarified - meant Test cricket
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Some time ago I heard that the next couple of Cricket World Cups being in reasonably friendly time slots for the Sub-Continent would return very healthy returns in revenue for the ICC. So, here's my wish for 2025. The ICC takes all that money and invests it in 3-4 targeted nations in order to elevate them to elite playing nations. Countries like Ireland and the Netherlands with enough investment could emerge in the future if the ICC got serious in its attempts to develop the sport in those nations.
rishabh
Guest
"BCCI has less power and stops being cricket’s dictator This won’t happen. So, I’ll move on.' Sinc ethe above thing wont happen, the rest of fantasies wont happen.... So put your article in fiction section...
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
The Chinese Cricket Association has stated goal of achieving test status by 2020. Maybe they should align their goals with your wish list Tristan and aim for 2025.
gurudoright
Guest
I know Malaysia offered to host Pakistan's test matches in KL but Pakistan opted for UAE instead
GillyFan
Guest
"Adam Gilchrist and Mike Hussey also never had the privilege of taking their talents to Pakistan" Actually, Gilchrist did. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64592.html