As a lover of Test cricket even I'd be peed off with 180-2 as the target for a days play. In good conditions and on a decent pitch the ideal Test 1st day is 321-5.
Maybe not 180-2, but lower scoring days CAN be entertaining if the bowling is really good. If you've got legendary fast bowlers bounding in with pace and bounce, and class batsmen fending the off with their bat or chest, it can be a real gladiatorial contest. Especially if can then add a top quality spinner as well
I saw 650 runs scored yesterday at Beckenham in just under 100 overs, yes it was fun but it was never gripping as the batsmen were so in control.
Test cricket is in trouble if it can't deliver more close contests
We have the issue of teams struggling away from home, but now we also have teams showing massive peaks and troughs in form during a series! A 1-1 result suggests a close series, but in reality we had 2 matches where one team was miles better than the other, neither being very satisfactory matches to watch as a result.
Last summer against South Africa and the Windies also showed this pattern, with England winning and losing by massive margins in the same series.
Agree completely, this is basically down to teams trying to hit their way out of trouble rather than bat all day for 180-2 and grind their way back into a game,
England are as guilty of this as anyone else.
The bottom line is that on sporting decks where 275-300 is about par then England can beat anyone, our batters specialise in getting quick 60-70s and we bat deep as well whilst our bowlers can knock over anyone when the ball is moving.
As we saw in Oz and before that in India our issue is on flat decks where you need to score 500+ just to stay in the game, we don't have the batsmen to score the big hundreds apart from Cook and he is obviously not the player he was anyway and our we don't have the high pace or quality spin to take wickets on flat decks.
Hopefully we will see some closer contests ahead in the India series because very few things beat the drama of a close Test match.
Would a day's play containing 180 runs and two wickets be interesting and exciting enough to encourage bigger crowds? I can't imagine many suffering a day's play like that would be clamouring to return.
That is the problem. The purists will enjoy it, but it isn't the way to grow the sport. You can't force people to watch it!
Test cricket is in trouble if it can't deliver more close contests
We have the issue of teams struggling away from home, but now we also have teams showing massive peaks and troughs in form during a series! A 1-1 result suggests a close series, but in reality we had 2 matches where one team was miles better than the other, neither being very satisfactory matches to watch as a result.
Last summer against South Africa and the Windies also showed this pattern, with England winning and losing by massive margins in the same series.
Agree completely, this is basically down to teams trying to hit their way out of trouble rather than bat all day for 180-2 and grind their way back into a game,
England are as guilty of this as anyone else.
The bottom line is that on sporting decks where 275-300 is about par then England can beat anyone, our batters specialise in getting quick 60-70s and we bat deep as well whilst our bowlers can knock over anyone when the ball is moving.
As we saw in Oz and before that in India our issue is on flat decks where you need to score 500+ just to stay in the game, we don't have the batsmen to score the big hundreds apart from Cook and he is obviously not the player he was anyway and our we don't have the high pace or quality spin to take wickets on flat decks.
Hopefully we will see some closer contests ahead in the India series because very few things beat the drama of a close Test match.
Would a day's play containing 180 runs and two wickets be interesting and exciting enough to encourage bigger crowds? I can't imagine many suffering a day's play like that would be clamouring to return.
That is the problem. The purists will enjoy it, but it isn't the way to grow the sport. You can't force people to watch it!
I'm what you might call a purist. Five day test cricket is cricket in it's purest form. But But But 180 for 2 in 90 overs will kill test matches . Wickets have to be prepared to give us results. 600 v 500 with only one days play left has to be a thing of the past. If test match wickets are not improved 20 /20 will be the way forward. I for one would hate that.
On the other hand, games finishing after 2.5 days is hardly great for cricket either. Headingley would have hoped for food and drink sales today at least, and people who had tickets (or wanted to watch today on TV) will be disappointed. I imagine they (and Sky/C5 for that matter) would have hoped for a bit more "Boycottian" batting from Pakistan yesterday to keep the game going!
On the other hand, games finishing after 2.5 days is hardly great for cricket either. Headingley would have hoped for food and drink sales today at least, and people who had tickets (or wanted to watch today on TV) will be disappointed. I imagine they (and Sky/C5 for that matter) would have hoped for a bit more "Boycottian" batting from Pakistan yesterday to keep the game going!
It isn't easy to get that balance, especially when the skills needed to make the most money are of the wham bam variety! I think a 20/20 game at the Oval on a nice summers evening is pretty hard to beat, even if the beer is expensive.
On the other hand, games finishing after 2.5 days is hardly great for cricket either. Headingley would have hoped for food and drink sales today at least, and people who had tickets (or wanted to watch today on TV) will be disappointed. I imagine they (and Sky/C5 for that matter) would have hoped for a bit more "Boycottian" batting from Pakistan yesterday to keep the game going!
It isn't easy to get that balance, especially when the skills needed to make the most money are of the wham bam variety! I think a 20/20 game at the Oval on a nice summers evening is pretty hard to beat, even if the beer is expensive.
Test cricket is in trouble if it can't deliver more close contests
We have the issue of teams struggling away from home, but now we also have teams showing massive peaks and troughs in form during a series! A 1-1 result suggests a close series, but in reality we had 2 matches where one team was miles better than the other, neither being very satisfactory matches to watch as a result.
Last summer against South Africa and the Windies also showed this pattern, with England winning and losing by massive margins in the same series.
Agree completely, this is basically down to teams trying to hit their way out of trouble rather than bat all day for 180-2 and grind their way back into a game,
England are as guilty of this as anyone else.
The bottom line is that on sporting decks where 275-300 is about par then England can beat anyone, our batters specialise in getting quick 60-70s and we bat deep as well whilst our bowlers can knock over anyone when the ball is moving.
As we saw in Oz and before that in India our issue is on flat decks where you need to score 500+ just to stay in the game, we don't have the batsmen to score the big hundreds apart from Cook and he is obviously not the player he was anyway and our we don't have the high pace or quality spin to take wickets on flat decks.
Hopefully we will see some closer contests ahead in the India series because very few things beat the drama of a close Test match.
Would a day's play containing 180 runs and two wickets be interesting and exciting enough to encourage bigger crowds? I can't imagine many suffering a day's play like that would be clamouring to return.
Yes - but you can't have it both ways.
At the moment Tests are way too one sided because teams are folding far too easily when they are under pressure.
When the Aussies ground us into the dust from 1989-2005 it was not until the later years that they started really destroying our bowling with the likes of Gilchrist, Hayden etc.
In the earlier years they had players like Taylor, Border, Boon, Steve Waugh and others who were happy to grind runs out and keep the opposition in the field for long periods of time.
At the moment batsmen under pressure are trying to hit their way out of trouble and that's a high risk strategy that will rarely pay off.
From a batting perspective it often still pays to build cautiously and then attack as the bowling tires, the Indians are very good at doing this in their home conditions.
Very often you will see the Indians turn a tea-time score of 170-2 to 320-3 at the close of play as their batsmen flog a tired bowling attack round the park.
Test cricket is in trouble if it can't deliver more close contests
We have the issue of teams struggling away from home, but now we also have teams showing massive peaks and troughs in form during a series! A 1-1 result suggests a close series, but in reality we had 2 matches where one team was miles better than the other, neither being very satisfactory matches to watch as a result.
Last summer against South Africa and the Windies also showed this pattern, with England winning and losing by massive margins in the same series.
Agree completely, this is basically down to teams trying to hit their way out of trouble rather than bat all day for 180-2 and grind their way back into a game,
England are as guilty of this as anyone else.
The bottom line is that on sporting decks where 275-300 is about par then England can beat anyone, our batters specialise in getting quick 60-70s and we bat deep as well whilst our bowlers can knock over anyone when the ball is moving.
As we saw in Oz and before that in India our issue is on flat decks where you need to score 500+ just to stay in the game, we don't have the batsmen to score the big hundreds apart from Cook and he is obviously not the player he was anyway and our we don't have the high pace or quality spin to take wickets on flat decks.
Hopefully we will see some closer contests ahead in the India series because very few things beat the drama of a close Test match.
Would a day's play containing 180 runs and two wickets be interesting and exciting enough to encourage bigger crowds? I can't imagine many suffering a day's play like that would be clamouring to return.
Yes - but you can't have it both ways.
At the moment Tests are way too one sided because teams are folding far too easily when they are under pressure.
When the Aussies ground us into the dust from 1989-2005 it was not until the later years that they started really destroying our bowling with the likes of Gilchrist, Hayden etc.
In the earlier years they had players like Taylor, Border, Boon, Steve Waugh and others who were happy to grind runs out and keep the opposition in the field for long periods of time.
At the moment batsmen under pressure are trying to hit their way out of trouble and that's a high risk strategy that will rarely pay off.
From a batting perspective it often still pays to build cautiously and then attack as the bowling tires, the Indians are very good at doing this in their home conditions.
Very often you will see the Indians turn a tea-time score of 170-2 to 320-3 at the close of play as their batsmen flog a tired bowling attack round the park.
Agreed, it's great having the likes of Stokes, Buttler, Moeen flaying tired bowlers around when it's 240-3 or 370-6, but you need that solid foundation first to grind down the best bowlers when they are fresh and have the new ball.
He opens in the IPL but you can absolutely guarantee that if he opened in Test cricket he would be nowhere near as successful as he is batting down the order in that form of the game.
He opens in the IPL but you can absolutely guarantee that if he opened in Test cricket he would be nowhere near as successful as he is batting down the order in that form of the game.
He could work as a Sehwag type opener when we tour the sub continent.
Test cricket is in trouble if it can't deliver more close contests
We have the issue of teams struggling away from home, but now we also have teams showing massive peaks and troughs in form during a series! A 1-1 result suggests a close series, but in reality we had 2 matches where one team was miles better than the other, neither being very satisfactory matches to watch as a result.
Last summer against South Africa and the Windies also showed this pattern, with England winning and losing by massive margins in the same series.
Agree completely, this is basically down to teams trying to hit their way out of trouble rather than bat all day for 180-2 and grind their way back into a game,
England are as guilty of this as anyone else.
The bottom line is that on sporting decks where 275-300 is about par then England can beat anyone, our batters specialise in getting quick 60-70s and we bat deep as well whilst our bowlers can knock over anyone when the ball is moving.
As we saw in Oz and before that in India our issue is on flat decks where you need to score 500+ just to stay in the game, we don't have the batsmen to score the big hundreds apart from Cook and he is obviously not the player he was anyway and our we don't have the high pace or quality spin to take wickets on flat decks.
Hopefully we will see some closer contests ahead in the India series because very few things beat the drama of a close Test match.
Would a day's play containing 180 runs and two wickets be interesting and exciting enough to encourage bigger crowds? I can't imagine many suffering a day's play like that would be clamouring to return.
Yes - but you can't have it both ways.
At the moment Tests are way too one sided because teams are folding far too easily when they are under pressure.
When the Aussies ground us into the dust from 1989-2005 it was not until the later years that they started really destroying our bowling with the likes of Gilchrist, Hayden etc.
In the earlier years they had players like Taylor, Border, Boon, Steve Waugh and others who were happy to grind runs out and keep the opposition in the field for long periods of time.
At the moment batsmen under pressure are trying to hit their way out of trouble and that's a high risk strategy that will rarely pay off.
From a batting perspective it often still pays to build cautiously and then attack as the bowling tires, the Indians are very good at doing this in their home conditions.
Very often you will see the Indians turn a tea-time score of 170-2 to 320-3 at the close of play as their batsmen flog a tired bowling attack round the park.
I'm not "having it both ways". I'm saying that there can be nothing duller nor harmful to the future of Test cricket than days containing just 180 runs and two wickets. I for one would stop going - and I imagine thousands of others would too. And the effect it would have on sponsors would be financially crippling.
You make some interesting points about how Australia dominated the Ashes (although not as far as 2005) with teams that included slower-scoring batsmen. But have crowds got bigger or smaller since then?
With the rapid growth of the short-form version of the game, the challenge Test cricket must meet is to become more, not less, exciting and interesting to watch.
Young English player to watch out for.... Max Holden. 20 years old, ex England U19 captain ....scored 71 for Middx v Australia yesterday and bowled 10 overs of off spin for 29 runs.
Scotland v England at The Grange Edinburgh today. I saw the very same game in 2010, and 3 days later was watching England v Slovenia in Port Elizabeth in the World Cup - with FIFA tickets for non-existent seats..
England bowler James Anderson is to miss six weeks of action to get over a "long-standing right shoulder injury".
The move has been made to ensure the 35-year-old is fit to face India.
"We have five Tests against India in a six-week period from 1 August, which will be an intense and challenging period for all our bowlers," said England coach Trevor Bayliss.
"Therefore it's vital that we ensure Jimmy goes into that series in the best possible condition."
England bowler James Anderson is to miss six weeks of action to get over a "long-standing right shoulder injury".
The move has been made to ensure the 35-year-old is fit to face India.
"We have five Tests against India in a six-week period from 1 August, which will be an intense and challenging period for all our bowlers," said England coach Trevor Bayliss.
"Therefore it's vital that we ensure Jimmy goes into that series in the best possible condition."
Aside from his early year back problem,Jimmy has always found it naturally easy to stay fit, but the last couple of seasons he seems to regularly have niggles. I get the feeling next years Ashes could well be the last for Jimmy. Being a quick bowler must take its toll on you after so many years .
England bowler James Anderson is to miss six weeks of action to get over a "long-standing right shoulder injury".
The move has been made to ensure the 35-year-old is fit to face India.
"We have five Tests against India in a six-week period from 1 August, which will be an intense and challenging period for all our bowlers," said England coach Trevor Bayliss.
"Therefore it's vital that we ensure Jimmy goes into that series in the best possible condition."
Aside from his early year back problem,Jimmy has always found it naturally easy to stay fit, but the last couple of seasons he seems to regularly have niggles. I get the feeling next years Ashes could well be the last for Jimmy. Being a quick bowler must take its toll on you after so many years .
Definitely, how many bowlers or indeed cricketers are playing internationally at the age of 35/36
It does show how little the counties mean now. The Lancashire fans might have been looking forward to seeing Jimmy play for them during his period.
Bexley are lucky not just to have Crossy and Cloudy as players but also because of what they bring to the Club off the pitch. Cloudy is head of the Academy and has been brilliant with the Colts. He's also been a bit unlucky in his career especially when he had to spend a year with Allan Donald having his bowling action re-modelled. But he also spent the time following Trott round which has helped him immensely with his batting.
Comments
I saw 650 runs scored yesterday at Beckenham in just under 100 overs, yes it was fun but it was never gripping as the batsmen were so in control.
Five day test cricket is cricket in it's purest form.
But
But
But
180 for 2 in 90 overs will kill test matches .
Wickets have to be prepared to give us results.
600 v 500 with only one days play left has to be a thing of the past.
If test match wickets are not improved 20 /20 will be the way forward.
I for one would hate that.
FEED THE SNAKE!
At the moment Tests are way too one sided because teams are folding far too easily when they are under pressure.
When the Aussies ground us into the dust from 1989-2005 it was not until the later years that they started really destroying our bowling with the likes of Gilchrist, Hayden etc.
In the earlier years they had players like Taylor, Border, Boon, Steve Waugh and others who were happy to grind runs out and keep the opposition in the field for long periods of time.
At the moment batsmen under pressure are trying to hit their way out of trouble and that's a high risk strategy that will rarely pay off.
From a batting perspective it often still pays to build cautiously and then attack as the bowling tires, the Indians are very good at doing this in their home conditions.
Very often you will see the Indians turn a tea-time score of 170-2 to 320-3 at the close of play as their batsmen flog a tired bowling attack round the park.
"Jos Buttler credits IPL freedom for success on Test recall"
Good timing before the ODI series next week!
You make some interesting points about how Australia dominated the Ashes (although not as far as 2005) with teams that included slower-scoring batsmen. But have crowds got bigger or smaller since then?
With the rapid growth of the short-form version of the game, the challenge Test cricket must meet is to become more, not less, exciting and interesting to watch.
20 years old, ex England U19 captain ....scored 71 for Middx v Australia yesterday and bowled 10 overs of off spin for 29 runs.
I saw the very same game in 2010, and 3 days later was watching England v Slovenia in Port Elizabeth in the World Cup - with FIFA tickets for non-existent seats..
The move has been made to ensure the 35-year-old is fit to face India.
"We have five Tests against India in a six-week period from 1 August, which will be an intense and challenging period for all our bowlers," said England coach Trevor Bayliss.
"Therefore it's vital that we ensure Jimmy goes into that series in the best possible condition."
It does show how little the counties mean now. The Lancashire fans might have been looking forward to seeing Jimmy play for them during his period.