Comments on: Lalit Modi’s thoughts on Test cricket

By: Knut

Knut — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:23:55 +0000

” Rayden // Mar 2, 2010 at 7:43 pm

All test cricket fans should stop following the matches on the internet and start actually watching the games on tv.”

I would watch it on TV, but the ECB took it off free-to-air, and I can’t justify the expense of a Sky subscription for the England home matches and the foreign tours that are on in watchable hours.

By: wolf

wolf — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:56:53 +0000

My own opion sits somewhere between mahinda and e normous, depending on what kind of day I’ve had.

While we’re Modi bashing has anyone noticed the lack of IPL fantasy games around this year? This is because the IPL licence now expressly prohibits it.

This is an excellent way to kill one of the few ways for me to give a crap about matches involving teams or players I don’t normally support. Well done Modi you ***** ****-faced ******** of an excuse of a ********.

By: Mahinda

Mahinda — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:06:38 +0000

I think I’m starting to develop some strange form of mental Tourette’s…mixed in with some sort of Pavlovian conditioning (which is nothing to do with my deep-seated love of cakes).

In short, whenever I see the name “Lalit Modi”, I think “***** ****-faced ******** of an excuse of a ********”.

On the one hand, there’s doing wrong through inaction. On the other, there’s Lalit ***** ****-faced ******** of an excuse of a ******** Modi.

By: Bert

Bert — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:37:56 +0000

Monster Cable is more correct than he might realise in his metaphor for 20/20, given that those most heavily promoting it are a bunch of tossers.

The solution to the formats problem is to kill the idea that they have to compete against each other. There ought to be room for all. One answer, relatively simple but requiring standardising the tours and putting them on a proper schedule (and thus something that the BCCI, and to a lesser extent all the other boards, won’t countenance) is to combine the three formats into a single competition.

Imagine this. A team turns up once every four years. They play five 20/20 matches, three ODIs and three tests. Each of these matches has some points awarded to the winner (e.g. 1 for a 20/20 and an ODI, 3 for a test). These matches are always the first of any longer series, but if more are needed (like five tests in the Ashes, or thirty-two ODIs for an Indian tour) they can be added onto the schedule (no points, though). This way every match counts, and the points scoring matches don’t impact on the desire to win the series if it is longer.

If you take the example of the next Ashes series, England would win 8 points for the one day matches, and 9 points for the tests. These seventeen points go to a league table, and once every four years the top two (or the top four) play a combined-format series to decide the proper World Champions at Cricket.

It doesn’t have to be as I’ve described above – there are dozens of possible systems that are probably better. But with a little thought AND SOME INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION a system could be implemented that ties all the forms of cricket together, thus ensuring the interest level in all of them, while at the same time not distracting from the historical aspect of winning important series.

By: Bobby K

Bobby K — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:19:51 +0000

Playing T20 is really rubbish aswell.

You get 4 miserly overs and two deliveries in which to play yourself in. If you come in after the tenth over you are forced to have a hoik.

If test cricket is a full dirty weekend then T20 is like accidentally being wanked off by a pickpocket

By: e normous

e normous — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:59:13 +0000

I think the basic problem with you people is you don’t want people dead. Arguing about the merits of test and 2020 is stupid. The basic fact is – this man should be murdered.

By: Smudge

Smudge — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:28:53 +0000

I had as much problem with Chappell’s theory of 4 day tests. People who don’t like test cricket (philistines and large Jamaican openers) don’t like it because it goes on for days and days. They aren’t going to be convinced that 5 days was way too much but 4 days is just thrilling. meanwhile those of us who still rahter like test matches the way they are will feel cheated.

By: The Dawg

The Dawg — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:23:20 +0000

The need for sensible debate has long gone. Monster Cable and V have clearly settled the matter.

There will never be a better sentence written on 20/20 cricket than ‘Comparing it to wank is an insult to masturbation’.

By: Rayden

Rayden — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:43:56 +0000

All test cricket fans should stop following the matches on the internet and start actually watching the games on tv.

Now reason I say this is I really fear many advertisers will pull out from advertising during test cricket matches which will eventually lead to sports channels trying to bid for 20/20 or ODI coverage instead of tests.

While I am crazy for test cricket, I really fear for its survival purely if the test fans dont actually watch the match live. Test cricket needs proper markets, whole lot of advertisers who find value in sponsoring test matches to genuinely survive. I know many people will dissagree, but thats the truth.

By: King Cricket

King Cricket — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:25:59 +0000

If Twenty20 becomes increasingly popular, there are ever greater numbers of people who might slowly be won over by Test cricket.

Interest rates won’t dwindle in terms of number of people, but each person is likely to be interested in Twenty20 for a shorter duration. Once again, we base this largely on ourself and some friends and our attitude to one-dayers and Twenty20s.

Twenty20 has not been around for long. We’ve been with Test cricket for 20-odd years and probably enjoy it more than ever. After five years of Twenty20, we still enjoy it, but not as much as we did.