The Day the World Cup came Second It was the day South Africa’s obsession with winning the World Cup was finally put to bed. Not by winning it, obviously, but by placing something else ahead of it on the priority list. July 13, 2022, was the day we had confirmation that the World Cup was no longer the pivot around which the national game has revolved since 1992.
If we can't get there through the qualifying tournament then don't deserve to be there either. Seems like a rational medium term decision has been made here, well done CSA if that was the trade offs to balance.
Hi Neil - as usual, thank you for your insight. At 1st when I heard of the cancellation I was pretty annoyed, yet again, at CSA - I mean its not like they did not know about the 3 x 1 dayers and to cancel them to place a priority over a local T-20 tournament that could well fail anyway is a bit daft, but then I thought back to the cancelled Auz test series you mention - and my blood slowly starts to boil again. Just who do they think they are? So, quite frankly, stuff the Auzzies I say - why should we show any respect whilst they show absolutely none IN return. I'm over the World Cup - and quite frankly getting over CSA as well, they are fast turning into a administration of clowns only trying to gain personally from their appointments with really little interest in the game of cricket. There - my rant over and now you can tell me just how wrong i am...and I'll listen but I don't think I'm too far off? Auz/India/England actually only care about playing each other anyway and this is killing the game - the self proclaimed big 3 - what a joke.
The reality is that the 'Big 3' (not self-proclaimed) are not 'killing the game'.
They are in fact, keeping it alive.
CSA, NZC, SLC, WI can only exist in their current form because of 2 reasons;
1. the annual allocation from ICC, 70% of which comes from selling the ICC rights into India
2. tours by India (and to a lesser extent England and even lesser still, Australia)
Without that ICC revenue and touring revenue by the Big 3, the middling countries like SA, NZ, SL etc would have their revenues cut by at least 80%. That would put SA cricket on a level like international field hockey, and Kagiso Rabada would never play cricket for SA again.
Hence the reality is that the 'Big 3' (but really only India) are keeping international cricket, and most countries' boards, alive and kind of viable.
The other reality to face now is that India can, at any time, kill international cricket. Their IPL broadcast rights have just doubled to US$1bil per season. They could double the player wages, increase overseas signings from 8 to 16, make it a 12 team comp and make it a 5 month tournament tomorrow, and there is absolutely nothing that could stop them.
But for now, Team India is still something important to the BCCI and the Indian public. Whilst Team India exists, plays at home, goes on tours and plays in World Cups, international cricket will survive.
This and the future FTP make for grim reading.
If we can't get there through the qualifying tournament then don't deserve to be there either. Seems like a rational medium term decision has been made here, well done CSA if that was the trade offs to balance.
Hi Neil - as usual, thank you for your insight. At 1st when I heard of the cancellation I was pretty annoyed, yet again, at CSA - I mean its not like they did not know about the 3 x 1 dayers and to cancel them to place a priority over a local T-20 tournament that could well fail anyway is a bit daft, but then I thought back to the cancelled Auz test series you mention - and my blood slowly starts to boil again. Just who do they think they are? So, quite frankly, stuff the Auzzies I say - why should we show any respect whilst they show absolutely none IN return. I'm over the World Cup - and quite frankly getting over CSA as well, they are fast turning into a administration of clowns only trying to gain personally from their appointments with really little interest in the game of cricket. There - my rant over and now you can tell me just how wrong i am...and I'll listen but I don't think I'm too far off? Auz/India/England actually only care about playing each other anyway and this is killing the game - the self proclaimed big 3 - what a joke.
The reality is that the 'Big 3' (not self-proclaimed) are not 'killing the game'.
They are in fact, keeping it alive.
CSA, NZC, SLC, WI can only exist in their current form because of 2 reasons;
1. the annual allocation from ICC, 70% of which comes from selling the ICC rights into India
2. tours by India (and to a lesser extent England and even lesser still, Australia)
Without that ICC revenue and touring revenue by the Big 3, the middling countries like SA, NZ, SL etc would have their revenues cut by at least 80%. That would put SA cricket on a level like international field hockey, and Kagiso Rabada would never play cricket for SA again.
Hence the reality is that the 'Big 3' (but really only India) are keeping international cricket, and most countries' boards, alive and kind of viable.
The other reality to face now is that India can, at any time, kill international cricket. Their IPL broadcast rights have just doubled to US$1bil per season. They could double the player wages, increase overseas signings from 8 to 16, make it a 12 team comp and make it a 5 month tournament tomorrow, and there is absolutely nothing that could stop them.
But for now, Team India is still something important to the BCCI and the Indian public. Whilst Team India exists, plays at home, goes on tours and plays in World Cups, international cricket will survive.