Cricket is dead - It's only surviving because of India vs Australia matches

[dravidthewall]

Now a days cricket is becoming too boring ..all one sided matches....

Now, only india vs australia match seems to be interesting....

It feels like cricket is surviving only because of thease two teams who keep up the spirit with their performances.

 

[Rana]

Cricket has become a hardcore Freshy sport because of over influence of BCCI

 

[Ball Blazer]

Cricket has become a hardcore Freshy sport because of over influence of BCCI

Thank god it wasn't because of rizbar in this thread

 

[jnaveen1980]

England , NZ, SA are excellent too. Just that SA refuses to play 3 test series. NZ occasionally plays 3 test series.

 

[Rana]

Thank god it wasn't because of rizbar in this thread

Pakistan cricket is held at ransom because of those two…

You have no issues abetting this I suppose.

 

[dravidthewall]

England , NZ, SA are excellent too. Just that SA refuses to play 3 test series. NZ occasionally plays 3 test series.

Yes but eng can't compete in odi like australia...same with newzealand...yes in tests they are too good

 

[Ball Blazer]

England , NZ, SA are excellent too. Just that SA refuses to play 3 test series. NZ occasionally plays 3 test series.

Things aren't same for England lately

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Overall yes these teams play the best cricket. But it's not all doom and gloom. We have some good matches recently. The quality may not be the highest but it's decent.

This test match between SA and PK was played on rigged pitches but produced an eventful match where the touring side laid a knockout punch.

England produce excellent series across all formats including the recent series V India. The upcoming Ashes will be a blockbuster too.

Even the recent Windies V Bangladesh match made for some good viewing. In fact, as a neutral the added context to that series (WQ qualification) makes it more interesting than the Kohli Sharma goodbye tour of Australia.

Context is important, meaningless series for no consequences makes things dull and uninteresting. WTC for all its flaws has at least given series some meaning. ODI and T20 series need to have something meaningful too.

 

[mominsaigol]

Now a days cricket is becoming too boring ..all one sided matches....

Now, only india vs australia match seems to be interesting....

It feels like cricket is surviving only because of thease two teams who keep up the spirit with their performances.

I think England in test cricket at home also keeps it interesting and sometimes NZ.

But yes overall Cricket has become an extremely boring sport especially when

A) Odi's the format that gave it life and generated global interest in the first place is dying a horrible death.

B) WTC is unable to create an equal no of test being played per team format to make it a fair trophy and event.

C) Yearly tournaments now feel more of a desperation ploy then a proper event.

And its not the like top 10 or only 10 teams are competitive.

You know either India or Australia is going to win every event?

It's a starc contrast to football which keeps things interesting.

Their just not enough teams in cricket, not enough infrastructure and the most powerful countries in the world, USA, China, Japan etc etc dont give a cahoot about it.

Tbh other then Indians even in countries like Australia, Eng, NZ the interest is dying down in general.

 

[mominsaigol]

I think England in test cricket at home also keeps it interesting and sometimes NZ.

But yes overall Cricket has become an extremely boring sport especially when

A) Odi's the format that gave it life and generated global interest in the first place is dying a horrible death.

B) WTC is unable to create an equal no of test being played per team format to make it a fair trophy and event.

C) Yearly tournaments now feel more of a desperation ploy then a proper event.

And its not the like top 10 or only 10 teams are competitive.

You know either India or Australia is going to win every event?

It's a starc contrast to football which keeps things interesting.

Their just not enough teams in cricket, not enough infrastructure and the most powerful countries in the world, USA, China, Japan etc etc dont give a cahoot about it.

Tbh other then Indians even in countries like Australia, Eng, NZ the interest is dying down in general.

The funny thing about cricket is that BBL, IPL, and other leagues are more interesting cause they actually solve the issue that international cricket is facing which is

A) more teams
B) More Balanced teams in general.

Every IPL team is extremely relative to each other and hence the games are very tight.

Meanwhile Watching Australia vs Bangladesh is boring since everyone already knows the outcome.

 

[Buffet]

Thread seems like too much doom and gloom.

Majority of history of cricket, we had 3-4 good teams. Nothing different right now.

Even below that tier, we see some good series.

Yes, less people will follow test now. It used to be ODI earlier and now it's T20. That's the main difference.

Cricket is not going anywhere.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Thread seems like too much doom and gloom.

Majority of history of cricket, we had 3-4 good teams. Nothing different right now.

Even below that tier, we see some good series.

Yes, less people will follow test now. It used to be ODI earlier and now it's T20. That's the main difference.

Cricket is not going anywhere.

You are right. It is very rae we had 6 or 7 good teams playing at the same time. But one worry though is there is no cycle anymore. This group will dominate for years to come. Teams like WI, Pakistan, SL will be in permanent catch up mode.

 

[Buffet]

You are right. It is very rae we had 6 or 7 good teams playing at the same time. But one worry though is there is no cycle anymore. This group will dominate for years to come. Teams like WI, Pakistan, SL will be in permanent catch up mode.

SL is still producing some good talent. WI is surely having issues for decades now. Somwhat similar is Pakistan but not exactly the same. Pakistan has cricket as main sports and 250M+ population. No reason for cricket to not thrive there. It simply a mismanagement and hopefully it can be fixed.

I personally did not like seeing highways where Eng was scoring 800 runs. I did not like this Mirpur strategy as well. Not this one but the last SA tour of Pakistan had very good and well balanced pitches. That's the way to go.

Anyway, I understand it's not just the pitch, but domestic cricket needs to function well in Pakistan. I am hopeful that things will work better in future for Pakistan.

 

[jnaveen1980]

SL is still producing some good talent. WI is surely having issues for decades now. Somwhat similar is Pakistan but not exactly the same. Pakistan has cricket as main sports and 250M+ population. No reason for cricket to not thrive there. It simply a mismanagement and hopefully it can be fixed.

I personally did not like seeing highways where Eng was scoring 800 runs. I did not like this Mirpur strategy as well. Not this one but the last SA tour of Pakistan had very good and well balanced pitches. That's the way to go.

Anyway, I understand it's not just the pitch, but domestic cricket needs to function well in Pakistan. I am hopeful that things will work better in future for Pakistan.

Pakistan always looks for short cut solutions for just about every problem. Teams are getting more and more professional. NZ for a small pool of players keep coming up with good solid 140k fast bowlers.

 

[Devadwal]

I really enjoyed the Pakistan - South Africa test series. Pitch were very good.

 

[adi_62941]

Only the top teams today are Australia, England, India, and South Africa — they still have some exciting talent.

Apart from these countries, there doesn’t seem to be any real talent emerging from the rest of the cricketing world.

I believe we need superstars again, like the ones we had in the late 90s and early 2000s. For me, the 2003 and 2007 World Cups were the last tournaments where we witnessed truly great, legendary players competing against each other. There was passion, purpose, and real competition on display.

Nowadays, it often feels like just a formality. Even India vs. Pakistan matches no longer have that intense competitive spirit.

The Ashes, however, is still an exciting series with real purpose and rivalry, especially when it is played in Australia.

 

[Kianig89]

Not really , Pak v SA has the potential of making it an iconic contest. Shame the series was only 2 game. Had this been a 4 game series it will change the whole dynamics of Pakistan cricket but PCB is too busy focusing on T20s

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I feel like I see a version of this post every few months. Seems certain fans live in their little bubble.

You can't live in your little bubble and then pretend nothing exists outside it.

 

[mominsaigol]

Thread seems like too much doom and gloom.

Majority of history of cricket, we had 3-4 good teams. Nothing different right now.

Even below that tier, we see some good series.

Yes, less people will follow test now. It used to be ODI earlier and now it's T20. That's the main difference.

Cricket is not going anywhere.

Doesn't change the fact that the teams of the past would maul the team of today excluding India, And a few others.

Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc etc are all weaker.

It also does not change the fact that every year their is a tournament and that odi and test are dying a brutal death and t20 is not a good format.

T20 is a brain rot tiktok esc format.

 

[mominsaigol]

Cricket is the 2nd most followed sport in the world after football with 1B viewers.

Yet 770M of em are from India with another 130M from Pakistan.

Out of 26M, only 1.2M aussies are cricket lovers.

That shows the skewed decline.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Doesn't change the fact that the teams of the past would maul the team of today excluding India, And a few others.

Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc etc are all weaker.

It also does not change the fact that every year their is a tournament and that odi and test are dying a brutal death and t20 is not a good format.

T20 is a brain rot tiktok esc format.

That's why De Villiers backed T20 Test format.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Cricket is the 2nd most followed sport in the world after football with 1B viewers.

Yet 770M of em are from India with another 130M from Pakistan.

Out of 26M, only 1.2M aussies are cricket lovers.

That shows the skewed decline.

Sadly Pakistanis only watch cricket. They don't play

 

[Buffet]

Doesn't change the fact that the teams of the past would maul the team of today excluding India, And a few others.

Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc etc are all weaker.

It also does not change the fact that every year their is a tournament and that odi and test are dying a brutal death and t20 is not a good format.

T20 is a brain rot tiktok esc format.

Eng, NZ , Ind all three were weaker in 90s than the last 5-7 years. BD wasn't really doing anything then. Zim and SL were stronger.

I don't follow T20 much, but for better or worse, it attracts the most viewers and that's where the money comes. I suspect, T20 and test format will go on side by side.

 

[Snowflake]

If that were the case, then people would only show up for India and Australia games.

Definitely not true. Cricket still garners a lot of interest in Eng, SA, SL, BD and Pak.

 

[mominsaigol]

Eng, NZ , Ind all three were weaker in 90s than the last 5-7 years. BD wasn't really doing anything then. Zim and SL were stronger.

I don't follow T20 much, but for better or worse, it attracts the most viewers and that's where the money comes. I suspect, T20 and test format will go on side by side.

Which is why I said with the exception of a few select teams.

Their's more of a focus on leagues anyway.

Big Bash League is now expanding to NZ and Singapore and going global in general.

CA has plans to expand Big Bash League globally. The fact that CA is prioritising BBL over international cricket showcases where the actual priorities lie.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

ODI bilaterals are dying, not cricket. And yet ironically, ODI WCs are still a pinnacle of the game

I find that all ODI bilaterals are boring. Including India Australia.

At this point the only bilaterals I’d watch with any interest are India Pakistan (if they were played, which is unlikely at this stage). Even if the rivalry is a diluted version of the past. But I don’t think I’d watch even these if they’re played too often.

 

[sweep_shot]

Cricket became messed up when T20 format was introduced. That was the beginning of the end.

Before T20, cricket was an awesome sport. It felt lively and natural.

I am very grateful I got to experience pre-T20 cricket (I watch cricket since 1997). It was a classic period.

 

[saimayubera]

ODI bilaterals are dying, not cricket. And yet ironically, ODI WCs are still a pinnacle of the game

I find that all ODI bilaterals are boring. Including India Australia.

At this point the only bilaterals I’d watch with any interest are India Pakistan (if they were played, which is unlikely at this stage). Even if the rivalry is a diluted version of the past. But I don’t think I’d watch even these if they’re played too often.

White ball bilaterals are basically what friendlies are in football

 

[BDfanforever]

Before you only had few teams that were good or at their peak(SRL, WI, PAK). Now these teams have become weaker after their legends retire. However, now we have more competing teams. Asia Cup before was just really between 3 teams. Now, at least there are some variety with Afghanistan/Bangladesh. Both of these teams trajectory can only go up with proper sports management.

T20 is also now going global. We will soon have T20 World Cup pretty much similar to FIFA World Cup. Italy is actually playing the next world cup!

Even in Football, besides some past winners like Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy, Spain no else really have any chance of actually winning the tournament.

 

[Extra_Cover]

There are a number of factors that have contributed over the years for the decline in sports. Before I delve in those I need to credit ICC for bringing ICC test championship which has definitely rekindled the interest in test cricket. Prior to test championship the only tests that were being watched were Ashes or SAF/Aus series or India in Aus. Even tests in India were kinda one-sided and boring serving no purpose. With ICC test championship now teams are actually fighting for something and it means something which is refreshing to see.

Now back to the topic of cricket dying a slow death. Well cricket has always been in decline since 90s. The emergence of ODI brought about the era where test cricket started dying slowly and with emergence of T20 in late 2000s resulting in ODI cricket being virtually dead already except for World Cups. With every passing decade the game has been tinkered with and shortened to ensure viewership. This has led to first test match viewers losing interest then ODI viewers losing interest and finally T20 users who already had a short-term memory doesn't follow all games.

The biggest reason cricket is dying is because ICC wasn't able to expand the sport in other countries. In fact, ICC with influence from BCCI outcasted certain nations to maximise revenue in short-term however in long-run the fanbase got reduced further. If you remember teams like Zimbabwe were a strong team with good cricket history, ICC never supported them in time of political uncertainty and supported the likes of England and Australia in abandoning their cricket result being Zimbabwe lost its cricketers to neighbouring countries and are in constant decline now. Teams like Kenya, Namibia and even Uganda featured in good games previously but their boards never got ICC support and the batch that emerged are extinct now. Let's take example of Ireland. For many years Ireland had consistently shown they have what it takes to compete internationally yet we don't see Ireland getting enough games and we can already see the decline. ICC has never spent enough money in marketing, promoting or influencing the sport in these countries which is a large reason the people here are unaware of this sport.

What ICC could have done is that with emergence of IPL and other leagues around the world. ICC could have setup its own league in UAE with 4-6 teams comprising of players from all over the world. The condition for this league would be to comprise a team with 4 players from top 5 teams, 4 players from bottom 5 teams and 3 players from associate nations. This would have given atleast 18 (assuming 6 team league) players a feel of top quality competition which they would have carried back to their respective countries. Have a look at Windies, the only reason Windies is still surviving is because all their top talent play for leagues around the world and individually compete at the top level. Had they not been playing in these leagues Windies cricket would have died some time ago like Zimbabwe.