Test cricket is the best form of cricket in that it is actually cricket. I consider ODIs and T20 as games which are similar to cricket – but not cricket – in the sense that equipment used and team composition is the same as in cricket.
I do not even think that I should use the term Test cricket. To me, Test cricket means cricket.
But I am not the only one to feel this way. ODIs are not loved so much anymore, mainly because there is no even contest between bat and ball.
However, it is not as if batsmen have become better all of a sudden. Various rule changes have meant to ensure that batsmen have it a lot easier – unlike that in earlier days.
The 15 over mandatory restrictions have now been changed to 20 overs of powerplay and the last five overs are always the hitting overs. So effectively, 25 overs are a treat for the batsmen. Various changes in the field restrictions have also made it easier.
Even in non-powerplay overs, there are increasing fielding restrictions which obviously has made run scoring very easy.
Also the two new balls rule makes it tough to have any reverse swing in the death overs, which is probably the only weapon with the bowlers these days. In addition to this, pitches all over the world are becoming flatter every day.
These pitches are flatter than the flattest ones of an earlier time. Even traditionally fast pitches are often flat, especially in the one-day version.
One more reason is the size of the ground. Most of the grounds are so small that if the mid-on or mid-off is pushed a little back, you end up straight at long-on or long-off respectively. There is no place for a deep mid-on at all. This is because boundaries are brought in to increase the seat capacity.
Also there is a thought that most people love to watch big hitting rather than a good and even contest between bat and ball. Cricket has been made a business. And if business demands that big hitting needs to be there as it draws a great crowd, that is how it is worked out.
Quality of cricket suffers a lot. A score of 300 is not even par on the flat subcontinental tracks.
In the past, even in ODIs, you could get to see batsmen caught in the slips. This a rarity these days. Slips are there for five to six overs at the most. A bowler deceiving a batsman and inducing an edge to the slips is a sight which is a rare phenomenon.
Teams should start having 11 batsmen now, because even frontline bowlers are carted like part timers. Does that mean that so many batsmen suddenly have become better? Surely not.
It would be so foolish even to think like that.
So the only thing in our hands is to stop buying tickets for such fracas. Then the authorities will learn that batting is not why people watch ODIs. Only then, can we hope to regain the lost joy of ODIs.
dan ced
Guest
Sheffield Shield, and Matador Matches were on weekdays. I work 9-5 on weekdays so I simply cannot attend. I managed to get to a few final sessions at Adelaide oval to watch the Redbacks, and the Pink Ball under lights was cool when I went.. but if most of you potential crowd is at work there is no way to increase it. If they try and schedule more Shield matches where some of the 4 days hit the weekend they might get more success I suppose. ODD comp has been neutered into a Sydney only round robin crapfest, even though some good cricket was played. BBL is an after work, under lights affair for the most part. It being shorter helps casual fans, and they seem to be doing a good job making matches somewhat of a spectacle.
Johnno
Guest
They didn't do that in the old days bowl halfway down the pitch, feet weren't long enough, it worked in the old days the front foot rule can't see why it can't work now. 1980's cricket was better, cricket should be and reflect the 80's more as it was a much better and more successful time for the game overall on many levels, especially popularity and wider audience appeal, cricket in the 70's ,80's,and 90's.
Jason
Roar Rookie
If you removed the front foot rule you could bowl from halfway down the pitch
Johnno
Guest
So are you sayin most fans like 300 plus runs scored per ODI innings, and the younger generation of cricket fans like lots of runs, and less bowler dominance coz that's all they know.
srinivas reddy goney
Guest
Thinking the audience prefer big hitting is an insult.It's a killing of goose for all the golden eggs at a time.In tests ten wickets meant for average hundred overs batting.Limiting it to 50 overs itself an imbalance. Then again these mad fielding restrictions &flattening of pitches for whom to make idiots?
Matdoc
Guest
Haha nice effort, I had a laugh but would not fix odi cricket. Your changing about 5 rules to suit your idea and think that every fan would jump out of there seats to watch that. They wouldn't
Johnno
Guest
Ways to fix ODI cricket and all cricket -Modify technology, make the bats less wide like the old days. Maybe bring in a 4th stump has been mooted, or make each stump, higher and wider a bit anyway. -Allow fast bowlers to have front foot rule revoked. Allow fast bowlers,spinners to step over line with front foot. -Allow 3 bouncers per over -Make the rope longer etc -All subs for fast bowlers, so bowlers can go off and have rests, and basically don't have to field, you can nominate 3 bowlers per innings, and they don't have to field. So teams can field Shaun Tait, Shane Bond,Mitchell Johnson,Waqar Younis,Andrew Flintoff, and these type of blokes don't have to field, just bowl fast. But have some limits, in that they can't bowl more than 6-over spells at a time, then have to wait 10 overs before they can come on and bowl again -And pitches with more life With my rule changes,200-220 would be a very good score, like the old days.
Gav
Guest
It seems that everything is being done in cricket to favour the batsmen, and produce high scores. Lifeless drop in pitches Smaller boundaries Bigger bats The contest between bat and ball is fading All formats are affected......look at the pitches in the current test series Still love one day cricket, certainly hope that it doesn't get killed off
art pagonis
Guest
Watching the Adelaide Strikers eclipse the Heat at a soggy looking Gabba tonight for their 4th straight win got me to thinking…as cricket always does. Is the BBL the most improved sporting spectacle in Australian Sports? Is it the best run League in world cricket? And is T20 Cricket the key to the game’s expansion globally? Yes, Yes, and Yes please sir! I’m not sure what more I can say about BBL that hasn’t been said. But it almost seems like complacency has set in already. The BBL is a huge success! Great…let’s leave it at that, shall we? No….hold on…wait a minute…..T20 is a great success…but the Matador 50 over stuff and the Sheffield Shield don’t draw. So what do we do? The Matador and BBL people and the Ten Network and the Fairfax Radio Group and the Nine Network International Cricket and the Sheffield Shield sponsors and all connected sponsors and ABC Grandstand might want to sit down with CA and say, “Well, how can we help you make cricket better in Australia?” So we’ve got kids tonight like Adam Zampa, Travis Head, Alex Ross, Kane Richardson, David Lynn, Nathan Reardon and all kinds of people playing out of their skin in the BBL. How do we bring more of that electricity to the Matador and the Sheffield Shield???? How do we make Australia the centre of the Universe for Cricket? How does AUSTRALIA transform the game of cricket around the world?? By sitting all the above Stakeholders down with Cricket Australia and sketching a blueprint I would humbly suggest. ARTHUR PAGONIS MANAGING DIRECTOR AUSTRALIA GLOBAL TRADING PTY LTD 10 HERTZ WAY, MORLEY, W.A. 6062 AUSTRALIA PH. 61.8.9377 3833, FAX 61.8.93773877, MOBILE 61. 409918874 SKYPE: apagonis2 WEB: www.ausglobaltrading.com
Camo McD
Roar Guru
Yeah the ropes being brought in miles off the fence is rubbish. Lots of shots that would have been easy outfield catches are now going for six without even clearing the fence. Also what's with the boring 5 and 7 match bi-lateral series these days? I liked the old 3 or 4 team tournaments which were at least worth winning.
GD66
Guest
If the Barbecue Cup and the South Africa vs Australia one-day series are any indication, you are not alone in your indifference to 50-over matches. I bailed out several years ago, when the most obvious reason was the tolerance of safe singles between overs 10 and 40. No doubt the world cup will give them a shot in the arm, but after that...
Gurudoright
Guest
Growing up in the 80s I loved the old one day triangular series. I would spend all day watching the games with mates. I hated test matches as they were slow and 'boring'. But somewhere in my mid 20s, about the time they started introducing new rules into one-dayers like the power play I started to lose interest. I started to notice the strategies used in test match and started to see it in a new light. Strategic not boring. I don't know what can be done to rescue the one day game. For a while there it did look like it was going to make the test match format just like 20/20 is making one dayers looking old and tired. I guess the question should be does anybody care?