Given that its still a mandatory condition for an ICC member to fund and develop the women's game, and to be a Tier 1 nation (as Afghanistan currently is) you must have a national women's team, what do you think the ICC going are to do in March re Afghanistan when they next meet?
They have to suspend/ban them don't they?
Do they have any other options?
Just drop them back to a Tier 2 nation, so individual countries can then decide if they play them or not?
The reality is that SA20 is majority owned by the India franchises and a large part of the success rests on how the TV audience there enjoys the product. SA20 has certainly been smart to get bums on the seats and create a great atmosphere. An empty stadium affects the TV viewing experience as well, so full stadiums are important. While I hope test cricket can survive, T20 cricket is breeding a support base that doesn't really care about or value that format of the game as the ultimate test of a cricketer. Few SA cricket fans that I know have attended a test match in recent times even when the Proteas were the leading test team in the world. CSA mismanagement of the last few years has hastened the move T20 as the be all and end all of cricket in South Africa. By all accounts CSA is on the verge of bankruptcy and SA20 might be all that stands between cricket still being a force (at home and in world cricket) and minnow status as a cricket playing nation. I wish SA20 success and will follow it sporadically on ESPN Cricinfo as I won't be adding another subscription to be able to watch it on TV.
South Africa is scheduled to play 3 Tests this year, 3... 15 days in the schedule, is all that can be found... Let's say we pick the best of the best of school's cricket, to play in the 1st of the 3 tests for 2023... Do you think it would be possible for that player to play 150 days of test cricket in their career? Will we have any test cricket in 2024 locally??
The FTP will show you that. It's better than you think...but not much. There are actually 5 tests this year (there are two home ones against India around Christmas)--but no more home tests after that until Nov/ Dec 2024, when there are four. There are also six away tests in 2024. So there you have it--untold riches of 15 tests over two calendar years.
It's only impossible if you have extremely poor maths, however unsatisfactory the decrease is! At that rate you could be playing 150 days in five years.
And, little as it is, it's more than SA played in the first half of the 1990s. What's your point--other than that there should be more test cricket, which most people on here seem to agree with, and wanting us all to see how angry you are?
Bad maths? From a DHS old boy?? Not surprised, what part of my maths is bad? I was suggesting we should be playing more than 20 days a year, [4x5 days of tests..]
There should be a test team, and non test odi t20 side, so that they play all year, specialists in each format of the game, so that we have many days of cricket a year, that not counting travel days, and warm up games, but say 10 to 15 tests a year..
I am not angry, not in the least, there are things to get angry about, CSA is so low on my list of things to be angry about, they are not worth the effort... As far as I am concerned test cricket is dead... What we are doing now is farce...
Oh yay.. why bother with appointing a coach, players, training for the rare, just imagine you are duck duck, then nothing for a year, man that has to burn... 3 tests, 5 tests, 4 tests, still disgusting, no matter how you slice n dice, to get 150 days of test cricket in a career now, impossible... Let's just have the funeral, accept that Test Match Cricket is about as useful as a paper mache umbrella in a hailstorm...
That is a problem, then we might as well just cancel test cricket, overhaul the rule book, delete any reference to any rule that is longer than 20 overs... Should we rename the sport so that everyone knows it is not the same sport as test match cricket...
I wish SA20 absolute failure, that every investor ends up in the poor house, that they refuse to pay wages, bonuses and there are loads of court cases.. Wishing success is kind of like supporting a criminal, what CSA has done is criminal, legal and ethical, no question they are not making the right decisions for the betterment of the sport, only for the betterment of the bank accounts of those in the leadership of CSA/SA T20...
I am somewhat surprised that the sponsor of the team/ground in Durban has not been to court, all references to the sponsor [a well known betshop] has been covered over, that has to hurt... Yet they do nothing...
I tuned in to the CSA for a quick look during the first match in Cape Town - I really do not like T20 cricket but, even worse, were the commentators. Other than Mark Nicholas, the others, all of whom were fantastic cricketers and great people but are, alas, dreadful commentators.
Oh, where are the Gerald de Kochs and Neil Manthorps? Over the years, we have enjoyed the wonderful English and descriptive language used by those who enjoy the language instead of the ear-damaging stuff we have to listen to on SuperSport.
I remember one of the Test Match Special commentators once saying that one should never talk about one's own cricketing exploits - the SuperSport lot never stop talking about themselves.....
The worst is Vern who can't pronounce any words with a "sh" or "..tion" sound. Polly makes watching paint dry exciting and KP laughs at all his own jokes constantly. Gibbs sounds bored most of the time!
Neil, not sure if you have been to a local stadium since the start of this abortion CSA T20? But here in Durbs, Kingsmead has lost it's main sponsor, a certain betshop brand, where they make US movies in California.. All the names of this sponsor have been painted over, hard to miss as it faces the road, and I work next door..
Today was the first day of local T20, and it was busy, no idea how full, would say plenty judging by all the cars parked in and around the stadium... The parking was more expensive than tickets, not sure how much the local metro funded security "guards" will be making from cars parked where they should not be.. The Metro Fuzz with the books seemed busy...
That will leave a sour taste in the mouth, on one hand, please come to the ground, but where to park?? Um...
Too much cricket indeed! It has been a very interesting week of the SA20. Not sure I like some of the scheduling - for example, my home team Sunrisers Eastern Cape played their opening game at home against the Pretoria Capitals and two days later played the same team away. While I am well aware that each team plays each other on a home and away basis, I would have preferred if they played later against each other. It is tough on the losing side to be able to regroup and put the demons of the loss aside so quickly before facing the same team again! Good indeed to see crowds again (and to have been a part thereof). The noise level of the DJ music is way too loud and playing music snippets between every ball being bowled is also not great in my opinion. I have also sensed the frustrations of these noise levels from some of the leading TV commentators as well. Spare a thought for the St George's Park Brass Band (yes love them or hate them) who turned up in numbers at the first match. They were completely drowned out by the DJ music all evening. As faithful contributors of the usual vibe at St George's I do feel that the organisers could have given them a window period to have had their time to shine. Oh and if by any chance the organisers happen to read this, please increase the amount of songs available - hearing Jerusalema, Nkalakatha and Sweet Caroline multiple times in one evening is too much. Perhaps they have only bought the rights to these few songs, as watching the other games (loadshedding permitting) from around the country, I have heard those songs being belted out repeatedly too! Let us see what week two of the competition brings... hopefully a win for my team as they are the only winless team so far...
Hi Neil.
Given that its still a mandatory condition for an ICC member to fund and develop the women's game, and to be a Tier 1 nation (as Afghanistan currently is) you must have a national women's team, what do you think the ICC going are to do in March re Afghanistan when they next meet?
They have to suspend/ban them don't they?
Do they have any other options?
Just drop them back to a Tier 2 nation, so individual countries can then decide if they play them or not?
The reality is that SA20 is majority owned by the India franchises and a large part of the success rests on how the TV audience there enjoys the product. SA20 has certainly been smart to get bums on the seats and create a great atmosphere. An empty stadium affects the TV viewing experience as well, so full stadiums are important. While I hope test cricket can survive, T20 cricket is breeding a support base that doesn't really care about or value that format of the game as the ultimate test of a cricketer. Few SA cricket fans that I know have attended a test match in recent times even when the Proteas were the leading test team in the world. CSA mismanagement of the last few years has hastened the move T20 as the be all and end all of cricket in South Africa. By all accounts CSA is on the verge of bankruptcy and SA20 might be all that stands between cricket still being a force (at home and in world cricket) and minnow status as a cricket playing nation. I wish SA20 success and will follow it sporadically on ESPN Cricinfo as I won't be adding another subscription to be able to watch it on TV.
South Africa is scheduled to play 3 Tests this year, 3... 15 days in the schedule, is all that can be found... Let's say we pick the best of the best of school's cricket, to play in the 1st of the 3 tests for 2023... Do you think it would be possible for that player to play 150 days of test cricket in their career? Will we have any test cricket in 2024 locally??
The FTP will show you that. It's better than you think...but not much. There are actually 5 tests this year (there are two home ones against India around Christmas)--but no more home tests after that until Nov/ Dec 2024, when there are four. There are also six away tests in 2024. So there you have it--untold riches of 15 tests over two calendar years.
It's only impossible if you have extremely poor maths, however unsatisfactory the decrease is! At that rate you could be playing 150 days in five years.
And, little as it is, it's more than SA played in the first half of the 1990s. What's your point--other than that there should be more test cricket, which most people on here seem to agree with, and wanting us all to see how angry you are?
Bad maths? From a DHS old boy?? Not surprised, what part of my maths is bad? I was suggesting we should be playing more than 20 days a year, [4x5 days of tests..]
There should be a test team, and non test odi t20 side, so that they play all year, specialists in each format of the game, so that we have many days of cricket a year, that not counting travel days, and warm up games, but say 10 to 15 tests a year..
I am not angry, not in the least, there are things to get angry about, CSA is so low on my list of things to be angry about, they are not worth the effort... As far as I am concerned test cricket is dead... What we are doing now is farce...
Oh yay.. why bother with appointing a coach, players, training for the rare, just imagine you are duck duck, then nothing for a year, man that has to burn... 3 tests, 5 tests, 4 tests, still disgusting, no matter how you slice n dice, to get 150 days of test cricket in a career now, impossible... Let's just have the funeral, accept that Test Match Cricket is about as useful as a paper mache umbrella in a hailstorm...
That is a problem, then we might as well just cancel test cricket, overhaul the rule book, delete any reference to any rule that is longer than 20 overs... Should we rename the sport so that everyone knows it is not the same sport as test match cricket...
I wish SA20 absolute failure, that every investor ends up in the poor house, that they refuse to pay wages, bonuses and there are loads of court cases.. Wishing success is kind of like supporting a criminal, what CSA has done is criminal, legal and ethical, no question they are not making the right decisions for the betterment of the sport, only for the betterment of the bank accounts of those in the leadership of CSA/SA T20...
I am somewhat surprised that the sponsor of the team/ground in Durban has not been to court, all references to the sponsor [a well known betshop] has been covered over, that has to hurt... Yet they do nothing...
KG next to go......? test cricket in struggle mode ...
I tuned in to the CSA for a quick look during the first match in Cape Town - I really do not like T20 cricket but, even worse, were the commentators. Other than Mark Nicholas, the others, all of whom were fantastic cricketers and great people but are, alas, dreadful commentators.
Oh, where are the Gerald de Kochs and Neil Manthorps? Over the years, we have enjoyed the wonderful English and descriptive language used by those who enjoy the language instead of the ear-damaging stuff we have to listen to on SuperSport.
I remember one of the Test Match Special commentators once saying that one should never talk about one's own cricketing exploits - the SuperSport lot never stop talking about themselves.....
The worst is Vern who can't pronounce any words with a "sh" or "..tion" sound. Polly makes watching paint dry exciting and KP laughs at all his own jokes constantly. Gibbs sounds bored most of the time!
Neil, not sure if you have been to a local stadium since the start of this abortion CSA T20? But here in Durbs, Kingsmead has lost it's main sponsor, a certain betshop brand, where they make US movies in California.. All the names of this sponsor have been painted over, hard to miss as it faces the road, and I work next door..
Today was the first day of local T20, and it was busy, no idea how full, would say plenty judging by all the cars parked in and around the stadium... The parking was more expensive than tickets, not sure how much the local metro funded security "guards" will be making from cars parked where they should not be.. The Metro Fuzz with the books seemed busy...
That will leave a sour taste in the mouth, on one hand, please come to the ground, but where to park?? Um...
Too much cricket indeed! It has been a very interesting week of the SA20. Not sure I like some of the scheduling - for example, my home team Sunrisers Eastern Cape played their opening game at home against the Pretoria Capitals and two days later played the same team away. While I am well aware that each team plays each other on a home and away basis, I would have preferred if they played later against each other. It is tough on the losing side to be able to regroup and put the demons of the loss aside so quickly before facing the same team again! Good indeed to see crowds again (and to have been a part thereof). The noise level of the DJ music is way too loud and playing music snippets between every ball being bowled is also not great in my opinion. I have also sensed the frustrations of these noise levels from some of the leading TV commentators as well. Spare a thought for the St George's Park Brass Band (yes love them or hate them) who turned up in numbers at the first match. They were completely drowned out by the DJ music all evening. As faithful contributors of the usual vibe at St George's I do feel that the organisers could have given them a window period to have had their time to shine. Oh and if by any chance the organisers happen to read this, please increase the amount of songs available - hearing Jerusalema, Nkalakatha and Sweet Caroline multiple times in one evening is too much. Perhaps they have only bought the rights to these few songs, as watching the other games (loadshedding permitting) from around the country, I have heard those songs being belted out repeatedly too! Let us see what week two of the competition brings... hopefully a win for my team as they are the only winless team so far...
Kevin, no fear, the Durban team also started with zero points... away though..