Is test cricket dying?

[BoyBrumby]

Absolutely. Without offending, I think the people from the few countries who still get Test crowds (England and Australia mainly) have blinders on. And that's hurting the game, big time. But it'll reach them too, and hopefully it's not too late by that point.

IPL attracts more viewers, on the field and on TV, than an India-Australia Test series. Test cricket needs to market itself fast. That means referrals, day night cricket, maybe colored clothes and names on the back, etc. Sitting in a full house at Lord's on the opening day of the summer, it's easy to be fooled.



BCCI gets such a small amount of money from Tests, and their biggest expense is the entire domestic First Class circuit which takes tens and tens of millions of dollars to run and makes zero money. If they really wanted to end it, they would have.

The question is not whether someone wants to end it, but whether they will be forced to.

TBF, just because a cricketer can earn more money playing IPL than he can from tests it doesn't necessarily follow that test cricket is dying.

An obvious analogy is football in a smaller country like Croatia. Now a Croatian footballer might be able to earn more money playing in England (or Spain or Italy, etc) and several do, but it doesn't mean that football in the country is dying. A fan of Dynamo Zagreb or Hadjuk Split will still watch their team even tho they're denuded of some of the better native talent and the same is true of fans of test cricket. The Chris Gayles of the world might go off to play 2020 but the senior format will survive.

Whether this state of affairs is desirable is more debateable, but it is possible to be too Indo-centric in outlook. The IPL still barely registers as a blip on the UK sporting consciousness for all its wealth.

 

[Smith]

TBF, just because a cricketer can earn more money playing IPL than he can from tests it doesn't necessarily follow that test cricket is dying.

An obvious analogy is football in a smaller country like Croatia. Now a Croatian footballer might be able to earn more money playing in England (or Spain or Italy, etc) and several do, but it doesn't mean that football in the country is dying. A fan of Dynamo Zagreb or Hadjuk Split will still watch their team even tho they're denuded of some of the better native talent and the same is true of fans of test cricket. The Chris Gayles of the world might go off to play 2020 but the senior format will survive.

Whether this state of affairs is desirable is more debateable, but it is possible to be too Indo-centric in outlook. The IPL still barely registers as a blip on the UK sporting consciousness for all its wealth.

I think basically you are confused between different formats of the same game (tests and T20s), and same format of the same game in different countries (Croatia and England).

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think basically you are confused between different formats of the same game (tests and T20s), and same format of the same game in different countries (Croatia and England).

Yes, obviously. Because that renders the comparison null and void, doesn't it? It's not like the same players play tests and 2020, is it? Oh, hang on...

 

[Smith]

Yes, obviously. Because that renders the comparison null and void, doesn't it? It's not like the same players play tests and 2020, is it? Oh, hang on...

Still missing the point. T20 or tests, cricket the game is not in danger at all.

Same as footy in the example you quoted, Croatia or england, footy is prospering.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Still missing the point. T20 or tests, cricket the game is not in danger at all.

Which is not a million miles from what I said, or have I missed somthing?

TBF, just because a cricketer can earn more money playing IPL than he can from tests it doesn't necessarily follow that test cricket is dying.

Cricket as a sport isn't in danger, but the primacy of tests could be and, in all probability, is already.

 

[Smith]

Which is not a million miles from what I said, or have I missed somthing?



Cricket as a sport isn't in danger, but the primacy of tests could be and, in all probability, is already.

Excellent to see our tangential arguments have a rendezvous. Cheers.

 

[Pratters]

Without reading the thread, I say that test cricket isn't dying. It still holds value in the 4 premier cricket nations - India, Australia, England and South Africa and the players are well paid in these nations for test cricket. It could dilute a bit in countries like New Zealand and West Indies but they were not strong any ways. It will hold it's importance in the long run because it is what cricket essentially is.

T20s will root out ODIs from the scene either completely or to a large extent. They are formulaic, boring, predictable and done to death compared to the T20 version and people wont have the patience to watch the middle overs in a 50-50 game. Test cricket though longer, is always intriguing and not formulaic at all. So it doesn't suffer from many of the negatives ODI cricket suffers from.

 

[cover drive man]

3. because tickets sales are such a small part of the income now generated by cricket, which relies much more on TV revenue. I think they should be free or at least very cheap, say $5.00.

In England where they sell out most Test matches then it should be a much higher cost

Cant see them ever doing that though.

 

[andruid]

We can't afford too many more series like the recent Windies/poms one.

What's going to stop that happening I fear to ask?

I do agree with SS, a lot of Australian and England based viewers seem to have the binders on when it comes to Test Cricket. Yeah they may still get full crowds or atleast for any semi major Test series. But for every other country the format is dying a slow death. It makes no money and no one turns up to watch the games live.

It is easy to blame Twenty20. But the issues started long before Twenty20 come on Internationally. Live TV for cricket all around the world, reduces the need to see players live. Back in the day the only way you can see overseas players live was going to watch them play at the ground or during a home summer. Now someone like Ajantha Mendis could be a house hold name in Australia, without ever playing Test cricket in Australia. There isn't really a need to watch a game live at the ground anymore.

The other issue is the current format with 2-Test matches series all over the place. You need 3-5 Tests to create interest in a series. Most series are over before they start.

Global TV and 2-Test match series were killing Test cricket long before prices went up to stupid levels and Twenty20 came in.

True on sao many levels chaminda, but what is going to make the older test temas given yunger nations like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh more than 2 tests at a go? I feel to kill the two test series it has to be accepeted that all the teams that have test status deserve a certain minimum of test matches against everybody else for the sake of preventing the gaps between the haves and the have nots becoming even more injurious to the game of test cricket.

seems to be a popular topic these days. guys im doing a research on this topic as a part of my assignment so i have a few questions.

1. Do you think test cricket is dying?

2. Do you think the 20-20 tournaments are having an impact on Test cricket?

3. Do you think the prices for tickets to test matches are overpriced?


thanks guys

1. Yes. Test cricket is slowly being strangled by the snobbishness and myopic national interest of a handful of full member nations at the expense of every other national body with any kind of interest of developing a good cricket infratructure. Rather than hiding the format in some kind of walled garden where its none exposure leads to less and less people participating in it, there should be more done to spread the game in non-traditional areas.

2. No, infact I fear T20 could end up suffering from the same selfishness that exhibits itself in the failure of test cricket to grow.

3. the prices of evrything in the UK are too high :ratnting:

 

[zaremba]

1. Do you think test cricket is dying?

No. It's under threat but not yet dying.

2. Do you think the 20-20 tournaments are having an impact on Test cricket?

Yes, without question, and it's a tragedy.

3. Do you think the prices for tickets to test matches are overpriced?

Yes. Particularly for the less popular games (who's going to pay 60 quid for a ticket to watch an uninterested West Indies play in freezing conditions in Co Durham in May? Answer: virtually no-one). However if Ashes tickets can sell out 3 times over, I reckon the grounds can legitimately charge pretty high prices, provided that there's adequate provision for kids and other concessions.

 

[BoyBrumby]

True on sao many levels chaminda, but what is going to make the older test temas given yunger nations like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh more than 2 tests at a go? I feel to kill the two test series it has to be accepeted that all the teams that have test status deserve a certain minimum of test matches against everybody else for the sake of preventing the gaps between the haves and the have nots becoming even more injurious to the game of test cricket.

With the greatest of respect, home test series against Bangladesh, regardless of length, are part of the problem. They serve no purpose from a sporting or a financial point of view.

If England can't sell out a test at Lords versus the once mighty Windies it's a fairly sure bet that tests versus the Banglas aren't going to have the punters hanging from the rafters.

& as a sporting contest they're a misnomer.

 

[ret]

1. Do you think test cricket is dying?

Not really but with a lot of choices available [different formats for e.g.] and lots of games being played [than what it used to] many may want to focus on quality rather than just following a series for the sake of following it. In the past w/ lesser games, tests had a value but now w/ series after series being played many may have become choosy wrt to the series they may want to focus. personally, I usually follow India series when its playing strong teams like RSA and OZ, along with a series against Pak.

2. Do you think the 20-20 tournaments are having an impact on Test cricket?

Yes as one [both players and teams] can only play a certain number of games [for e.g. you can't be playing cric for 365 days] in a year so they tend to strike a balance amongst different formats

3. Do you think the prices for tickets to test matches are overpriced?

wouldn't be able to comment on that

 

[GIMH]

seems to be a popular topic these days. guys im doing a research on this topic as a part of my assignment so i have a few questions.

1. Do you think test cricket is dying?

2. Do you think the 20-20 tournaments are having an impact on Test cricket?

3. Do you think the prices for tickets to test matches are overpriced?


thanks guys

1. No, I don't think it's dying but it would be nice to see grounds fuller when watching on TV. Don't see what can be done to achieve this, why is it that we like Tests better in England than the rest of the world seem to?

2. Yes and no. Obviously we've seen Sri Lanka players refuse to tour here, and absolute apathy from West indies players, including their skipper arriving 24 seconds before the toss at the start of a Test series because he had been playing IPL. But at the same time T20 DOES draw new fans into cricket, that's a fact, and if we can get these folks drawn into watching Tests then as Brumby said there is no reason why the formats cannot coexist.

3. Again, yes and no. I'd love to see them cheaper, the only reason I am going this summer is because my mum said she'd give me the money for my birthday which is next month. BUT Premier League matches aren't that much cheaper than the £70 I'm paying, and as much as I love footy (probably prefer it to cricket) it's not as much of a day out as the cricket, can't beat sitting there in the sun (yeah, go on Aussies....) drinking beer and watching the cricket, it's pretty much the best sporting and social experience going in this countrym IMO. Everything is expensive in this country, though.

 

[archie mac]

Absolutely. Without offending, I think the people from the few countries who still get Test crowds (England and Australia mainly) have blinders on. And that's hurting the game, big time. But it'll reach them too, and hopefully it's not too late by that point.

IPL attracts more viewers, on the field and on TV, than an India-Australia Test series. Test cricket needs to market itself fast. That means referrals, day night cricket, maybe colored clothes and names on the back, etc. Sitting in a full house at Lord's on the opening day of the summer, it's easy to be fooled.



BCCI gets such a small amount of money from Tests, and their biggest expense is the entire domestic First Class circuit which takes tens and tens of millions of dollars to run and makes zero money. If they really wanted to end it, they would have.

The question is not whether someone wants to end it, but whether they will be forced to.

No offence taken

Just kidding

Anyway this is one area where age comes in handy. I lived through the Packer era, where ODI were going to replace Test cricket. 10 years I remember being the cut off, but here we are 35 years on and it is still going. 20/20 is new, and it will take awhile but it is simply not the 'real McCoy' and eventually Tests will come back

 

[andruid]

With the greatest of respect, home test series against Bangladesh, regardless of length, are part of the problem. They serve no purpose from a sporting or a financial point of view.

If England can't sell out a test at Lords versus the once mighty Windies it's a fairly sure bet that tests versus the Banglas aren't going to have the punters hanging from the rafters.

& as a sporting contest they're a misnomer.

Amnd ther is the circular nature of the problem. How are we going to rwach a point where the Mortaza's and the Shakib's of this world are recognisable enough to have a major following with moneyed fans if bangladesh does not get more meaningful cricket?


there is plenty other things that could be cited as a factor to the bad showing at Lords/Durham ( ticket prices, weather et al)

On the sporting misonmer its got at leats quiet abit to do with the fact that the ICC iwas too short sighted to make a plan to make teams like Bangladesh competitive first before chucking them in the deep end and if you look at their policies over the mid to long term you see that they are still reactionary rather than pro-active organistion.

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

too much test cricket is being played, which has the consequence of downgrading it's value.

Simple solution, play less test cricket, which will make it all the more anticipated and important when its played.

For cricket to prosper worldwide, this (along with proffesional 20-20 leagues) will be the future.

cheers

 

[Son Of Coco]

Yes
A survey conducted among Australian players last year revealed that a third of players put IPL and tournaments like that over playing for their country. A similar survey in England revealed that about 50% of players would prefer IPL over county cricket and about 20% would even quit playing for their country if they get a lucrative offer from the rebel league ICL.

Yes

England's ticket prices are horrible to say the least. It is just pure love for the game that keeps the crowd coming despite the exorbitant prices. Test cricket needs to evolve and administrators have to brainstorm about means of making it more entertaining for the layman public while retaining it's charms for the hardcore fan.

Was that a survey of test players or all players in a country? Given more than a third (or half) of them will never play for their country anyway if it's the latter I wouldn't say that's a major issue.

Personally I'd say test cricket is still popular amongst those people who are avid cricket fans.

It's possible Twenty/20 will become more popular, but I doubt it will overtake tests in the near future. Maybe some years down the track, but I don't know many kids who play the game growing up that don't like all forms of the game.

Ticket prices in Australia vary from reasonable to pretty expensive. Prices in the UK though are ridiculous.

 

[chaminda_00]

With the greatest of respect, home test series against Bangladesh, regardless of length, are part of the problem. They serve no purpose from a sporting or a financial point of view.

If England can't sell out a test at Lords versus the once mighty Windies it's a fairly sure bet that tests versus the Banglas aren't going to have the punters hanging from the rafters.

& as a sporting contest they're a misnomer.

Without getting into the Bangladesh issue of whether they should be playing Test cricket.

The main reason why Test cricket is dying in countries outside England and Australia. Is that they make their schedules purely on a financial prospective imo. Sides like NZ, SL, West Indies and now Pakistan even though they can be competitive on the field. Barely play any Test matches or even Test series over 2-Tests. Why cus the don't bring in the same money as the more high profiled sides. Do you think the admin around the world really care about maintain the toughest form of cricket? It all about the money the game brings in, not the quality. Even when Sri Lanka was the 3rd best Test side in the world. We never got any major Test series, as we didn't bring in the money at the time lower ranked side did.

If it wasn't for the FTP I could see Sri Lanka never playing a Test match in Australia and England for 10 years. The mentality of Test cricket is purely about profits and not about developing and maintaining the game. That is killing Test Cricket outside the two main countries.

 

[andruid]

without getting into the bangladesh issue of whether they should be playing test cricket.

The main reason why test cricket is dying in countries outside england and australia. Is that they make their schedules purely on a financial prospective imo. Sides like nz, sl, west indies and now pakistan even though they can be competitive on the field. Barely play any test matches or even test series over 2-tests. Why cus the don't bring in the same money as the more high profiled sides. Do you think the admin around the world really care about maintain the toughest form of cricket? It all about the money the game brings in, not the quality. Even when sri lanka was the 3rd best test side in the world. We never got any major test series, as we didn't bring in the money at the time lower ranked side did.

If it wasn't for the ftp i could see sri lanka never playing a test match in australia and england for 10 years. The mentality of test cricket is purely about profits and not about developing and maintaining the game. That is killing test cricket outside the two main countries.

yes!!!

 

[Jakester1288]

Well, IMO, One Day cicket saved Test cricket, and Twenty20 cricket is killing it. Twenty20 cricket is here to stay here though. I don't mind it if we have regular test cricket, but not to much of it, so it is anticipated. It is far from dead, look at all the excitment leading up to these ashes. Yes tickets are overpriced, and yes, Twenty20 cricket is having a massive impact on Test cricket.