So the question has to be asked: what has awoken me from my four year submission slumber for The Roar? Simple – the Australian cricket team.
Our Test squad are headed for disaster during the upcoming Ashes series and Cricket Australia’s administrators have made a major contribution due to a haphazard and contradictory preparation – one that has left me, an ordinary punter, dazed and confused.
I can only imagine what is going through the minds of Philip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Ben Cutting, Shaun Marsh and others – players who thought that the past couple of months of cricket may have had some impact on their chances of being selected for the Gabba Test starting 21 November.
No longer can I sit by and suffer in silence without making my opinion heard.
In the months after losing the Ashes in England, we were told that the Australian team would be well prepared for this summer’s return bout.
We were told that our domestic cricketers would get three rounds of Sheffield Shield games. This preparation would not only allow selectors to see the form of players who could fill some of the vacant spots, but also allow contenders and certainties alike to get much needed long form practice.
Now we hear that the First Test team will be announced on Tuesday, leaving the last round of Shield games being played this week irrelevant to its selection.
Selectors have also decided to rest a number of fast bowlers who will more than likely play in Brisbane from Shield duties this week. This number includes Mitchell Johnson, who even the most casual of cricket followers knows needs regular bowling to be match-ready – both physically and mentally.
Finally, it appears that Cricket Australia is most concerned about ensuring that England face strong opposition in the lead up to the Test series by having a NSW Invitational XI playing England.
This only kneecaps the states from having the strongest sides play in the Sheffield Shield, which will yet again weaken what was once the benchmark of domestic competitions.
A competition that the rest of cricket world was in awe of, due to its high standard and the depth of talent that it once produced.
Cricket Australia’s hierarchy have had their share of critics over recent seasons, especially as the men’s team has not been as successful or dominant as they once were.
Throughout that, I was convinced that there was some master plan of rebuilding in place. I am now convinced that Cricket Australia has not only lost the plot, but has a room of chimpanzees banging on typewriters trying to come up with a new one.
Despite all that I hold a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, I will get to see Michael Clarke lift the urn at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January.
I’d like to think it is because I am one of the true believers, but I did say that I was dazed and confused.
The bottom line is that if Australia lose the upcoming series, it shouldn’t be just the players but also the administration that should be held accountable.
They haven’t been in recent seasons, but like the players they will select this summer they should also be held under the same level of scrutiny.
Bayman
Guest
CoverPoint, Yes, I am. The sad part is, all the stories are true. It actually happened just as I wrote it.
CoverPoint
Guest
Maybe we need a total clean out, including Edwards.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
Agree 100% TT4
Ash
Guest
"Hahaha! Next you’ll be telling us there’s 100 countries that play Rugby Union seriously, or 45 countries that play Rugby League or that 127 countries that play Field Hockey seriously." yes because thats a fact. now i don't know much about International RL but their world cup going on right now seems to be doing decently. Unoin & hockey are played in that many countries that you mention. "You can almost count on your thumbs and fingers the number of countries that seriously play Cricket, and about half of those countries it isn’t the number one sport there." proof please (remember i'm talking cricket here not TEST cricket) **btw, when you factor in overseas tv rights cricket gets more than NRL/AFL** "Proof please." CA has a new a nearly $600m tv deal within Aus. overseas rights - it has a $250m deal from India, CA is a 35% partner in the Champions League T20 which has a $1.025b tv deal. the ICC has a $1b tv deal. the most of which is distributed to the 10 test nations which includes CA if you didn't know. and when i said cricket gets more from tv rights i meant in "revenue/game" terms. overall NRL/AFL have a lot more content (games) and hence better chance of getting more money. **cricket is the tv ratings king in Australia. try spinning that ;) ** "Again, proof please :) " Tests avg. approx 900k, ODI's : 1.1m, T20I's : 1.4m & BBL : 233k on pay tv (2nd highest behind NRL) "Btw you didn’t address my point over Cricket getting f*** all of the talent pool in Australia, which is only going to get worst." proof please :) "The AFL and NRL have more talented and better athletes than Australian Cricket." Again, proof please :D
TT4
Guest
The people who think Sutherland going will change anything are high or something. Sutherland is just doing what his board wants. The next CEO will just continue off where Sutherland left off, though he probably won't look like such a halfwit when he talks in public. The cancer has spread all over CA, it's no longer a governing body that looks after its sport, CA don't give a stuff about Cricket.
TT4
Guest
"Test cricket might be played in 10 countries but cricket (T20) is played in close to 130 countries" Hahaha! Next you'll be telling us there's 100 countries that play Rugby Union seriously, or 45 countries that play Rugby League or that 127 countries that play Field Hockey seriously. You can almost count on your thumbs and fingers the number of countries that seriously play Cricket, and about half of those countries it isn't the number one sport there. "btw, when you factor in overseas tv rights cricket gets more than NRL/AFL" Proof please. "cricket is the tv ratings king in Australia. try spinning that ;)" Again, proof please :) Btw you didn't address my point over Cricket getting f*** all of the talent pool in Australia, which is only going to get worst. How does CA plan on turning this around? How can CA look its customers in the face and ask them to show up/or watch on TV and give CA their money to watch CA's product when is pretty much the left overs from the talent pool? The AFL and NRL have more talented and better athletes than Australian Cricket. All I can say is thank god CA's development pathways are top notch or else... oh wait. Ouch!
Ash
Guest
$20m is not too bad considering its only for 30 odd 'hit & giggle' games with the big stars missing in action playing for the National team (not to mention the league is only 2 seasons old). dark days... and please let me know the link to the state crowds in the 80's which averaged 15k with huge tv ratings
Ash
Guest
Test cricket might be played in 10 countries but cricket (T20) is played in close to 130 countries lol AFL & NRL have more than 200 games each while cricket has 5-6 tests, 5-10 ODI's & 2 T20I's. details.... btw, when you factor in overseas tv rights cricket gets more than NRL/AFL cricket is the tv ratings king in Australia. try spinning that ;)
Jorji Costava
Guest
Wally Edwards would already have his knife sharpened and at arm's reach in his top drawer you can bet your bottom dollar on that. Administrators are breed to be snakes and if the jackals of cricket's illuminati are circling old Wal will be more than happy to their bidding for them. He knows who butters his bread.
Jorji Costava
Guest
$20 million AUD is chump change in 2013. Bread and water money. It costs $200,000 just to rent Etihad Stadium for a day. It'll barely cover costs and if crowds in Melbourne and Sydney continue like they have been they either need to move venues, like Renegades to Geelong and the Homebush team to Giants Stadium. Just to cover costs of a modern stadium you need 25k "paying" attendees. Not a load of hand out tickets that has been the norm so far. Remember this people, the state one day competition used to get exactly the same size crowds back in the early 1980s. This is why this "gutting" of the game is just so incredibly short sighted. We've been here before. Some new management team comes along and here we go again, and again and again. How about the renaming of the state teams in the mid 1990s to "Bushrangers", "Bulls" etc.. did that get a single extra person through the turnstiles? Load of crap.
TT4
Guest
Rugby? Haha I wasn't talking about Rugby. Most people don't care about it. You can't really compare the Football team to the Cricket team. Football is played all over the world. Cricket is played seriously in about 12 countries. So obviously the Football have far more competition. Making the World Cup is good enough for the Socceroos, where the Cricket team right now can't beat anyone half decent and are about to lose a record 4 Ashes series. Ouch! The AFL and the NRL signed record media rights too and far bigger ones than Cricket. They also have far more positions for a young sportsmen to make a living from. When it comes to getting the best of the Australian talent pool Cricket is getting a beat down, which means more losses for the national team, which means less and less kids going forward are going to get into Cricket. Spin that Sir! ;) PS do you happen to work for CA? Just wondering.
Ash
Guest
you're absolutely right, TT4. The Australian football & rugby national teams are absolutely thrashing everyone in sight....ohh wait..... dark days for cricket.... oh no... why did cricket have to sign record media rights & sponsorship deals this year ? cricket is dying ;)
TT4
Guest
This is a joke right? So you're going to sit back and let CA serve you a rubbish product because you're scared that doing something about it my give Soccer a leg up? Gutless wonder. Hate to break it to you but Cricket people would want to do something about the Australian team s***ing and getting them winning pretty soon. The Football codes are only going to get bigger. All sports are in a war for the young minds of the Australian youth and right now with a useless national team Cricket is going to be left behind. Kids don't want to be Cricketers anymore. You thought things were bad now? Huge problems lay ahead my friend.
Brendon the 1st
Guest
I agree, but here is the problem, only Wally Edwards can sack Sutherland, and he's already said that Sutherland will fulfil his contract. There is no accountability at the top, sure they can sack a coach here or there, but that's all that will ever happen, the selectors and admin aren't performance based. The only thing that will change this is if crowd and TV ratings drop, because then the cash flow stops, but I don't want that to happen, it would be giving Sokah a leg up, and that for me is the end of the world. I unfortunately think that it will always be this way now that the precedent is set, it''s a new world, and it sucks
TT4
Guest
Ash is right, everything is going great for CA, well apart from their actual main product which is their Cricketers being rubbish and the fact grassroots is pretty much in the s*****r, but apart from those things everything's awesome!
Ash
Guest
Jorji too bad for you . ch.10 has already locked in $20m worth of advertising even before a ball has been bowled ;) => http://www.afr.com/p/business/marketing_media/success_network_gets_solid_support_48XOnFvnmfpLp2ESoCGHFO
TT4
Guest
Yep, when it comes to sporting events it's definitely one of the more overrated ones. There aren't many Ashes series were you don't know who the winner is going to be before hand and most of the series are one sided and aren't close. It's just a borefest really, its no wonder kids are turning off it.
Ash
Guest
also not to forget that its the 2nd highest rating sport on Pay tv only just behind the NRL :) Ohh also the new $100 million FTA TV deal. Dark days..... :D
Fred Magee
Roar Pro
You made a key point that CA seem to have forgotten. All roads of interest stem from the Test team being successful as that is the team that is held in the highest order by the public. That and our strength has been the depth and engagement at all levels of the game - which has been sorely depleted by the advent of 20/20 and the need to accomodate the understandable need to cash in by both players and cricket boards alike.
Jorji Costava
Guest
The pressure on James Sutherland will be great if Australia loses the Ashes and the BBL does not capture the imagination like they envisaged. There will be a lot of blood come December if things start falling apart. BBL interest does rely on the test team doing well. If it is negative on that front, the cancer will quickly spread throughout the entire game. My bet is Sutherland will be cut after January, the BBL will revert back to just the state teams cutting the massive costs of running 8 different stadia and shelling out extra for the different teams on top of running state teams the rest of the time. Just not a well thought out concept. It is cannibalising cricket. Sooner or later sanity will prevail.