West Indies to tour England n 2009

[Richard]

The point about TV contracts is correct, though I like the idea of 7 Test summers.

It's certainly not an idea I'm against, though I think with Twenty20 Internationals as well it's overkill. Ideally I'd have the home summer consisting of 7 Tests and 10 ODIs, and if this EPL lark gets off the ground maybe the ECB might realise that Twenty20 Internationals are unneccessary.

However, the trouble is that with Aus and SA (both of which are now set-in-stone as five-Testers, and rightly so IMO - ideally in fact I'd prefer six) this means you have to have either a two-Test series against someone else (which I simply hate at the best of times) or a one-off Test (which I probably hate even more and which is fortunately now no longer permitted).

Or you have to have a seven-Test series, which I don't like the idea of at all. Never yet happened and for good reason.

 

[andruid]

The point about TV contracts is correct, though I like the idea of 7 Test summers.

It does mean that the breakdown has to be 7-0, 6-1 or 5-2.

The old way would have been to have had a minor nation play 1 test at the beginning or the end of the summer. However, a 5-2 split is marginally better IMO.

They could jsut make the deal 8 tests during the Ashes summer and have a 5-3 arrangement or make the Ahes a 3 each way affair like Aus v. South Africa

 

[Richard]

I can't see 8 Tests being fitted into one summer, even if ODIs were taken off the agenda completely (which is neither likely nor a good idea).

And as I say, the TV contract is not a flexible one - the arrangement must be the same each summer. It's exceedingly unlikely to ever be flexible, either.

 

[Precambrian]

Yet another opportunity for Bell and Prior to boost their averages and earn their tickets to the Ashes.

 

[Beamer]

Two match test series are annoyingly short but as a West Indian I am just delighted we are playing more test cricket as our youngsters simply do not play enough cricket.

A tour of England will do the likes of Xavier Marshall, Leon Johnson and Kemar Roach the World of good, a long with the 10 FC matches all Caribbean nations will be playing this year.

 

[Richard]

Yet another opportunity for Bell and Prior to boost their averages and earn their tickets to the Ashes.

I'm hoping Prior might be out of the side by then.

That, obviously, would depend on him being exposed in the Caribbean, should he play that series.

Actually something I'd not noticed before is that this will mean that England play away in the spring then home in... the spring... for 2 years in a row. NZ in 2008, and WI in 2009.

And normally you virtually never see it at all. Even in 2004, when England played in WI then hosted them in the summer, they had a series against NZ at home in between.

 

[haroon510]

Am i the only one here who thinks that every international tour should have 5 test matches series three Odi and two Twenty20 matches? i am tired of seeing two test matches and five to 7 long dire one day matches..

 

[Uppercut]

The point about TV contracts is correct, though I like the idea of 7 Test summers.

It does mean that the breakdown has to be 7-0, 6-1 or 5-2.

The old way would have been to have had a minor nation play 1 test at the beginning or the end of the summer. However, a 5-2 split is marginally better IMO.

Hmm, it could go either way. If they'd done it in 2005, it would've been an unforgettable summer of never-ending awesomeness. If they'd done it in 2006/07, you would've had an unprecedented three dead rubbers, one after the other. I don't think Sky Sports would be so keen on that.

 

[Precambrian]

Am i the only one here who thinks that every international tour should have 5 test matches series three Odi and two Twenty20 matches? i am tired of seeing two test matches and five to 7 long dire one day matches..

Better, I want ODIs to be scrapped in all and replaced with 20-20s. Incentive to add number of tests and 20-20s dont take huge toll on the players at the same make the TV guys happy.

 

[Precambrian]

I'm hoping Prior might be out of the side by then.

That, obviously, would depend on him being exposed in the Caribbean, should he play that series.

Actually something I'd not noticed before is that this will mean that England play away in the spring then home in... the spring... for 2 years in a row. NZ in 2008, and WI in 2009.

And normally you virtually never see it at all. Even in 2004, when England played in WI then hosted them in the summer, they had a series against NZ at home in between.

I think playing away and home the same side would be a better indication of the real winner. However a pre-requisite is that the sides are more or less evenly matched.

 

[Perm]

Or you have to have a seven-Test series, which I don't like the idea of at all. Never yet happened and for good reason.

Wasn't the Ashes a 7 Test series once?

 

[GIMH]

In theory yes, but only because one of the Tests was abandoned (which was IIRC when the firs ever ODI was played). Think it was 70-71

 

[Craig]

In theory yes, but only because one of the Tests was abandoned (which was IIRC when the firs ever ODI was played). Think it was 70-71

And you would be 100% correct. Well to be technical, it was the reason why we had the first ODI, because the Melbourne Test was washed out.

 

[Xuhaib]

whyy not???when you become a millionaire, you want to be a billionaire.

lolz at the nick.

mujh say dosti kar lain please

 

[Richard]

Wasn't the Ashes a 7 Test series once?

In theory yes, but only because one of the Tests was abandoned (which was IIRC when the firs ever ODI was played). Think it was 70-71

It was indeed 1970/71 in question, and some records record it (erroneously in my view) as a seven-Test series. This is counting a match which was not only abandoned but replaced as a Test. I don't see how you can count both something that was abandoned and its replacement.

Most records of high-ranking publications (like Wisden) discount Tests where not a ball was bowled from records entirely.

 

[NotMcKenzie]

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