A Sign of the Times
From the BBC Sport website
https://bbc.com/sport/cricket/
Future of Test cricket could be like Wimbledon, says Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale
Here is the gist of it
Quote:
The future of Test cricket might be short once-a-year events like the Wimbledon tennis tournament, according to Rajasthan Royals lead owner Manoj Badale.
One of the biggest issues cricket faces is the scheduling with some sides playing two series in two different formats concurrently in recent years.
"We can make Test cricket work if we make it more of an event," Badale told the Tailenders podcast.
"We should have it at the same time every year, played between a small set of nations that can actually afford it and Lord's becomes like a Wimbledon, an event that is the diary.
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You can imagine the comments underneath the main article.
I did not listen to the podcast where these comments were made
My view
So, basically a Test series between England, India & Australia. Play each other once then some convoluted formula to work out which team has won. Innings a maximum of 90 overs so all over in 4 days to save time. Done & dusted in less than 3 weeks
All to please the 10-15-year-olds in India.
Nearly 150 years of tradition out the window. ODIs gone as well.
No need for first-class cricket like county cricket or the Sheffield Shield. Suburban grade cricket and school cricket probably gone too.
Major and minor league T20 & T10 or "100" tournaments only. Naturally, all are run by the BCCI
This bloke has it all sorted out
There are huge multi-million (billion?) tournys planned in the near future in the USA and Saudi Arabia.
In the USA, Aaron Finch has been lured out of retirement to captain a side based in San Francisco. This series is backed by both Cricket NSW and Cricket Victoria. WTF???? It starts in July, the same time as the Ashes is on.
Finch Signed for Major League Cricket
Something will have to give. Tradition vs money. It is all about content for tv networks. We saw what happened nearly 50 years ago with the Packer circus World Series Cricket.
Money always wins
Dr Grace and "The Don" will be turning in their graves
