This game struck me as far, far more interesting than 99% of T20s, for exactly the reasons that Nortje pointed out. What worries me is the slew of articles suggesting that it will put fans off "converting" to cricket because of the lack of sixes. If it even might, cricket is dead in the water anyway, because it will have (been) morphed into a game with every ounce of subtlety or nuance removed. And it will also become a game that gets very boring and very predictable, very quickly. (As an aside, it's interesting that more fast-moving sports like football don't seem to think the same way: people are still quite happy to watch a goalless draw, without demanding that the pitch conditions and goal sizes be changed so that every other match is a 9-7 victory).
And as for your other point Neil: the kind of unchecked thuggery you're describing is not only uncivilised and--surprise!!--alienating to spectators (I wouldn't go anywhere near any international game in person, quite substantially because of the aggressive security and insane "security" rules). It won't do anything to catch terrorists either, unless you've just definitively revealed yourself to be one by, say, setting off a bomb in plain sight of everyone--in which case it's a bit late for prevention! What catches terrorists is intelligence (in every sense!) and vigilance, not behaving like a bunch of tooled-up hooligans whose aim is to intimidate everyone indiscriminately and undiscerningly. That's about bullying, not about catching criminals nor protecting people...which it probably does less effectively than more intelligent law enforcement.
Welcome to the USA Neil! I lived there for a decade and experienced precisely the sort of brutal bullying from police that you did. The so-called land of the free valorizes the police and military, who see themselves as sheep dogs protecting sheep. They're beyond control, and whenever someone tries to hold them to account, they're accused of being soft on crime. You do what you're told by a cop, or you get killed, with no consequences.
No mention off the less than third full stadium and virtually empty suites? Were ticket prices too high or did security hassles put them off? Or was it that your average American has no interest in cricket whatsoever? A poll of New Yorkers asking 1) what is cricket? 2) What is T20 3) Where is the current T20 Cricket World Cup is called for -I daresay 90% plus would not have a clue 😆 As to the fly-in pitches - not even your and Anrich’s enthusiasm can convince me that two top flight cricketing nations could or should have a fair contest between bat and ball on them? We shall see how they continue to hold up.
The prices are very, very high. Basically, this stadium and all the VIP areas are vanity project for a single match. The highest prices for a VIP package for the India/Pakistan game are something like $5000. Ridiculous.
This game struck me as far, far more interesting than 99% of T20s, for exactly the reasons that Nortje pointed out. What worries me is the slew of articles suggesting that it will put fans off "converting" to cricket because of the lack of sixes. If it even might, cricket is dead in the water anyway, because it will have (been) morphed into a game with every ounce of subtlety or nuance removed. And it will also become a game that gets very boring and very predictable, very quickly. (As an aside, it's interesting that more fast-moving sports like football don't seem to think the same way: people are still quite happy to watch a goalless draw, without demanding that the pitch conditions and goal sizes be changed so that every other match is a 9-7 victory).
And as for your other point Neil: the kind of unchecked thuggery you're describing is not only uncivilised and--surprise!!--alienating to spectators (I wouldn't go anywhere near any international game in person, quite substantially because of the aggressive security and insane "security" rules). It won't do anything to catch terrorists either, unless you've just definitively revealed yourself to be one by, say, setting off a bomb in plain sight of everyone--in which case it's a bit late for prevention! What catches terrorists is intelligence (in every sense!) and vigilance, not behaving like a bunch of tooled-up hooligans whose aim is to intimidate everyone indiscriminately and undiscerningly. That's about bullying, not about catching criminals nor protecting people...which it probably does less effectively than more intelligent law enforcement.
Welcome to the USA Neil! I lived there for a decade and experienced precisely the sort of brutal bullying from police that you did. The so-called land of the free valorizes the police and military, who see themselves as sheep dogs protecting sheep. They're beyond control, and whenever someone tries to hold them to account, they're accused of being soft on crime. You do what you're told by a cop, or you get killed, with no consequences.
No mention off the less than third full stadium and virtually empty suites? Were ticket prices too high or did security hassles put them off? Or was it that your average American has no interest in cricket whatsoever? A poll of New Yorkers asking 1) what is cricket? 2) What is T20 3) Where is the current T20 Cricket World Cup is called for -I daresay 90% plus would not have a clue 😆 As to the fly-in pitches - not even your and Anrich’s enthusiasm can convince me that two top flight cricketing nations could or should have a fair contest between bat and ball on them? We shall see how they continue to hold up.
The prices are very, very high. Basically, this stadium and all the VIP areas are vanity project for a single match. The highest prices for a VIP package for the India/Pakistan game are something like $5000. Ridiculous.