"Money talks, we all know that, and that's probably a big part of it" : Usman Khawaja

[RedwoodOriginal]

I have a genuine question, sorry if it sounds stupid or silly because I'm not an expert in economics.

I was reading about the current ICC financial model yesterday and found that the big 3 plan was rolled back in 2017 when the current financial model was agreed upon by the ICC where the BCCI would receive $293m across an eight year cycle (it received close to 500m in the big 3 model I think), ECB $143m, Zimbabwe Cricket $94m and the remaining seven Full Members $132m each. Associate Members would receive a funding of $280m during the same period.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/378363

Is this still the current ICC financial model or has this been changed again. If this is the current financial model, why doesn't say a team like NZ (or for that matter Pak, SA, etc.) play more tests or at least similar number of tests to Australia given they all receive the same funding of 132m USD.

Why is playing test cricket not profitable for these sides and what factors stop test cricket being profitable in these countries? And what are the solutions for it?

Would be great if anyone who's well versed with the nuances of the ICC financial model and the economics of it can explain it.

[MENTION=140824]Last Monetarist[/MENTION] [MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] Tagging you two because you both are well versed in this topic.

Yes you are correct. The Big 3 model was rolled back in 2017 in-favor of a revenue-sharing model. Whereby India's piece of the pie was reduced significantly. Whereas, the test-playing nations barring India and England were brought up on an equal footing. The reason that ICC gave for this was ''equity'', and distributing the money more equitably because if you take out India and to a far lesser extent England, the contribution of the other boards is somewhat comparable with CA being a little bit ahead of PCB and CSA at No. 3. IIRC back when this model was unveiled, the % share for the Big 3 boards, based on their contribution in generating revenue during ICC events was something like this: BCCI had about a 20% share, ECB was hovering at around 4.5%, while Cricket Australia had a 2.5% or 2.7% share.

In theory, this was a positive step aimed at breaking the monopoly of the three most powerful boards over international cricket. But the reality is that their influence extends far beyond any revenue-sharing model. And while they may play matches with smaller boards, no one can stop them from playing the bulk of their cricket with each other. If anything, the FTP seems to show that every board is trying to look out for themselves rather than working together collectively for the betterment of the international game.

The way I see it, international cricket has become a territory operated by the mob. Its a lawless place where everyone has to largely fend for themselves. The Big 3 are the mob (India being the Godfather). They are going to look out for their own interests and will let other boards do their own thing provided those don't conflict with their business. Meanwhile they will do virtually nothing to help out struggling boards like ZC eventhough they claim to run international cricket. Boards like that will get their miniscule piece of the pie (whatever it is) and have to make due with that. I think associates get development funding, but that too is quite minuscule and nothing to write home about.

 

[Last Monetarist]

I have a genuine question, sorry if it sounds stupid or silly because I'm not an expert in economics.

I was reading about the current ICC financial model yesterday and found that the big 3 plan was rolled back in 2017 when the current financial model was agreed upon by the ICC where the BCCI would receive $293m across an eight year cycle (it received close to 500m in the big 3 model I think), ECB $143m, Zimbabwe Cricket $94m and the remaining seven Full Members $132m each. Associate Members would receive a funding of $280m during the same period.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/378363

Is this still the current ICC financial model or has this been changed again. If this is the current financial model, why doesn't say a team like NZ (or for that matter Pak, SA, etc.) play more tests or at least similar number of tests to Australia given they all receive the same funding of 132m USD.

Why is playing test cricket not profitable for these sides and what factors stop test cricket being profitable in these countries? And what are the solutions for it?

Would be great if anyone who's well versed with the nuances of the ICC financial model and the economics of it can explain it.

[MENTION=140824]Last Monetarist[/MENTION] [MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] Tagging you two because you both are well versed in this topic.

Yes, the ICC's distribution hasn't changed since the last amendment to the model. However, the ICC's distribution is independent of the fact whether a member nation plays test matches or not.

The problem with organizing test cricket outside the big 3 countries where the domestic broadcasting contracts make up a material proportion of the boards' revenue, is that it costs a lot of money to host a test match. Unlike Australia and England, where test cricket remains the pinnacle in terms of revenue generation, so much so that most other events are subsidized by tests, the smaller countries don't make a lot of money from hosting tests.

The administration costs of a test outstrip the running costs for a single day's cricket, while dwindling crowd numbers have meant that ticket revenues have become immaterial. There is still appetite for tests in most of these countries as anecdotal evidence from tv audience numbers suggests that a healthy number of viewers are following test cricket through television even if that isn't necessarily eight successive hours of viewership. But it's been hard to monetize that interest for tv companies due to lack of infrastructure or size constraints leading to a lack of scale in advertising revenues and subscription numbers.

The result is that the smaller boards have found it easier to organize less and less tests as the converse creates headaches for which there is no easy solution. The only way out of the mire is to change the revenue model for bilateral cricket (independent of the ICC distributions), so that away sides earn a share from playing test cricket, while also increasing the size of the tv broadcast deals through collective bargaining.

The World Test Championship is an ideal vehicle for implementing some new ideas, but there needs to be will from the individual boards to invest time and resources into promoting test cricket. Unfortunately, that simply isn't there for most of the boards. While there are solutions, it's a problem of perception, convenience, and politics.

All these problems are currently most evident with test cricket, but it's becoming clear to me that white ball bilateral cricket is suffering from much of the same trends leading towards a managed decline of international cricket. Given the state of the world and the intertwined nature of politics and sport, I am not hopeful that cricket administrators will be able to work together in their common interest.

 

[JaDed]

From the posts it seems Intl cricket is like socialism and league cricket capitalism.

 

[ahsan17]

Khawaza is making it sound like money is the reason. Threat on life is not significant for him. How adroitly he has circumvented it. Predictably Pakistanis are lapping it up.

Maybe he thinks the "threat on life" is a smokescreen for the actual reason. I would agree with that too.

 

[Napa]

In theory, this was a positive step aimed at breaking the monopoly of the three most powerful boards over international cricket. But the reality is that their influence extends far beyond any revenue-sharing model. And while they may play matches with smaller boards, no one can stop them from playing the bulk of their cricket with each other. If anything, the FTP seems to show that every board is trying to look out for themselves rather than working together collectively for the betterment of the international game.

The way I see it, international cricket has become a territory operated by the mob. Its a lawless place where everyone has to largely fend for themselves. The Big 3 are the mob (India being the Godfather). They are going to look out for their own interests and will let other boards do their own thing provided those don't conflict with their business.

Everybody looks out for their own interests, and given this reality kudos to ICC for at least getting nations large and small to play each other. Other major sports like basketball, football, baseball etc. have almost totally done away games between different countries. The WC Football for example is held only once every 4 years.

The NBA has made basketball games between different countries largely irrelevant, maybe that is what IPL will also do to cricket twenty years from now.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

Theres nothing wrong with boards making money as long as the game also is looked after and is in a healthy state

Is cricket being developed and supported outside of the big 3? How many associates teams are coming through?

**Good question. I whole heartedly support you on that. Am indian but not the biggest fan of them BCCI suits. And am sure there are several rational sincere cricket loving indian fans who think the same. I wish they did more for other nations.

Have you asked your board how many times they toured your bro-land Afg? Bangladesh perhaps?
How about other associate countries? - Did you ask your board how many A tours did you guys do of associate nations? How about U19 tours?

Theres hundreds of countries where cricket is played at a low level but hardly any money spent there

** Same as above

Test cricket isnt given priority or safe guarded Players couldnt care less about the most respected format of the game anymore pulling out n not playing as they see fit We saw india pulling out of the england test due to t20 cricket This wasnt thinkable years back that players would up n leave like this

** How would it unfold if in midst of a Test match we found 6 players testing positive? And if they'd passed onto the opposition? and by extension the umpires, the hotel staff, and by larger extension the public?
Do u have solid proof of the reason of the pullout being T20 cricket?

And fans in countries like WI Sri Lanka and Pakistan are turning away from the game due to hardly any teams touring

** Hmm...any theories on lack of talent/skills/the desire to succed in the afore mentioned countries?
I guess teams were continously touring WI since the retirement of Greenidge, marshall, viv,logie in the early 90's or richardson, harper, haynes in the late 90's or ambrose, walsh in the early 2000's or shiv, lara in the mid 2000's. The same applies to De silva, ranatunga or vass murali or tilly, sanga and mahela's retirements and SL .

What did the so called 'big 3 ' do here?

Zimbabwe is in a sorry state going backwards with hardly any competitive intnl teams playing them Ditto ireland etc

** Why dont the remainder -the 'small seven' tour tthese countries...

The game of cricket is in a sorry state Thanks to the greed and self serving interests of some

**Such a sweeping grandiose generalisation. Big 3 are also responsible for the lack of fizz in my soda. or the zarda in my paan.

l do wish my board did more , or at the very least did something to remove the pathetic perception of the gadzillion guzzling machine that they have, amongst others, at least i am admitting to this.

What is your board doing about others perception?

Default 'blame thy neighbour' or 'its always someone else, not us'

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Everybody looks out for their own interests, and given this reality kudos to ICC for at least getting nations large and small to play each other. Other major sports like basketball, football, baseball etc. have almost totally done away games between different countries. The WC Football for example is held only once every 4 years.

The NBA has made basketball games between different countries largely irrelevant, maybe that is what IPL will also do to cricket twenty years from now.

Arbitrary comparisons like this are utterly meaningless. Every sport is different. Sports like Basketball and Baseball were never poplar on an international level. Football has almost always been a club-level sport with World Cup happening every four years. The same cannot be said about cricket. So even if the IPL gets very big, that doesn't mean that international cricket won't be its own thing.

 

[Napa]

Arbitrary comparisons like this are utterly meaningless. Every sport is different. Sports like Basketball and Baseball were never poplar on an international level. Football has almost always been a club-level sport with World Cup happening every four years. The same cannot be said about cricket. So even if the IPL gets very big, that doesn't mean that international cricket won't be its own thing.

Basketball is the second most popular sport in the world among sports widely played. There are basketball leagues in countries throughout the world.

https://sportsshow.net/top-10-most-popular-sports-in-the-world/

 

[Cric_lover4487]

Arbitrary comparisons like this are utterly meaningless. Every sport is different. Sports like Basketball and Baseball were never poplar on an international level. Football has almost always been a club-level sport with World Cup happening every four years. The same cannot be said about cricket. So even if the IPL gets very big, that doesn't mean that international cricket won't be its own thing.

Baseball had a WC but it got scrapped because there were only few strong teams and rest were minnows. MLB has the best quality of competition. Baseball was also there in olympics this time but it didn't help its popularity because 80% fans of baseball are Americans just like 80% cricket fans are Indians. I think in 10 years IPL will become like MLB and it will run 6 months a year. My younger cousins are crazy for IPL they don't care much for international cricket. Quality of cricket is degraded at the international level.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Basketball is the second most popular sport in the world among sports widely played. There are basketball leagues in countries throughout the world.

https://sportsshow.net/top-10-most-popular-sports-in-the-world/

The most popular version of basketball is the NBA. Nobody cares about the Basketball WC, or even the Olympics. The same can't be said about cricket.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Baseball had a WC but it got scrapped because there were only few strong teams and rest were minnows. MLB has the best quality of competition. Baseball was also there in olympics this time but it didn't help its popularity because 80% fans of baseball are Americans just like 80% cricket fans are Indians. I think in 10 years IPL will become like MLB and it will run 6 months a year. My younger cousins are crazy for IPL they don't care much for international cricket. Quality of cricket is degraded at the international level.

Good thing that people the same as your young cousins don't make up the majority of the international cricket audience.

 

[Napa]

The most popular version of basketball is the NBA. Nobody cares about the Basketball WC, or even the Olympics. The same can't be said about cricket.

There are actually well established basketball leagues in almost all European countries and also in countries like China and Australia. True that the NBA dominates basketball (because the larger salaries attracts the top talent), but that is the point I was making. ICC has kept alive inter-country competition in cricket, and has (till now) prevented the IPL from becoming like the NBA.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

There are actually well established basketball leagues in almost all European countries and also in countries like China and Australia. True that the NBA dominates basketball (because the larger salaries attracts the top talent), but that is the point I was making. ICC has kept alive inter-country competition in cricket, and has (till now) prevented the IPL from becoming like the NBA.

What makes you think they won't continue to? IPL has paid more than international cricket for quite some time now

 

[Napa]

What makes you think they won't continue to? IPL has paid more than international cricket for quite some time now

IPL is on the upswing and no reason to believe it won't keep growing. They already have the top international players (except from Pakistan), so it may even be possible that they will expand to have teams from Australia and Bangladesh (large markets) and maybe even England (if logistics can be solved). Similar to NBA having teams in Canada.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

IPL is on the upswing and no reason to believe it won't keep growing. They already have the top international players (except from Pakistan), so it may even be possible that they will expand to have teams from Australia and Bangladesh (large markets) and maybe even England (if logistics can be solved). Similar to NBA having teams in Canada.

Like I already said, just because the IPL gets bigger doesn't mean international cricket will become irrelevant. The rest of the world doesn't really care about the IPL. Whereas, international cricket is something multiple countries (including India) care about. I would even say Indians care more about international cricket than the IPL. If you ask an Indian to pick between his home city winning the IPL and India winning the World Cup, or even a test series in SENA, what do you think he will choose?

Using arbitrary examples from different sports is a frivolous task that serves no purpose. And then you are comparing an Indian sports league to an American sports league. The culture of sports in America is completely different to the culture of sports in India where they only care about one sport. In America, college football games have bigger attendances than IPL matches.

IPL will get bigger and may even be as big as these leagues one day. But there's no reason to believe that people outside India will ever really care about it. And there are unique reasons to every country why that is the case.

 

[Titan24]

IPL is on the upswing and no reason to believe it won't keep growing. They already have the top international players (except from Pakistan), so it may even be possible that they will expand to have teams from Australia and Bangladesh (large markets) and maybe even England (if logistics can be solved). Similar to NBA having teams in Canada.

NBA happens in both USA and Canada based upon team’s home and away matches as both countries are in same continent that makes it easy.

That is impossible to have teams from Aus, Eng and do home and away. Having every team play just in India would not be the NBA model and thus will be pointless for Aus or Eng to be part of.

I dont see that happening.

Yes if there wasnt as much politics and issues involved in subcontinent then that could have been an option to have one big league on NBA model. However, its close to impossible as things stand.

 

[OMB]

Like I already said, just because the IPL gets bigger doesn't mean international cricket will become irrelevant. The rest of the world doesn't really care about the IPL. Whereas, international cricket is something multiple countries (including India) care about. I would even say Indians care more about international cricket than the IPL. If you ask an Indian to pick between his home city winning the IPL and India winning the World Cup, or even a test series in SENA, what do you think he will choose?

Using arbitrary examples from different sports is a frivolous task that serves no purpose. And then you are comparing an Indian sports league to an American sports league. The culture of sports in America is completely different to the culture of sports in India where they only care about one sport. In America, college football games have bigger attendances than IPL matches.

IPL will get bigger and may even be as big as these leagues one day. But there's no reason to believe that people outside India will ever really care about it. And there are unique reasons to every country why that is the case.

IPL is good fun and easy to watch for the millions of Indians busy with their work life and home life.
but you are right, most Indians wish for better showing in the Internationals. IPL is a domestic series after all.
ICC on its part has done ok so far in keeping cricket world still closely knit. However, it still has a lot to do to promote cricket the way FIFA has done with Football.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

IPL is good fun and easy to watch for the millions of Indians busy with their work life and home life.
but you are right, most Indians wish for better showing in the Internationals. IPL is a domestic series after all.
ICC on its part has done ok so far in keeping cricket world still closely knit. However, it still has a lot to do to promote cricket the way FIFA has done with Football.

Absolutely. Much needs to be done to grow the game globally. Don't feel like the ICC based on the current trajectory its on is doing that. But that's another story.

 

[OMB]

Absolutely. Much needs to be done to grow the game globally. Don't feel like the ICC based on the current trajectory its on is doing that. But that's another story.

Infact our topic is that. Usman Khwaja feels that players will choose India because of money and will readily abandon Pakistan.

It is all about the money and too much of it is in control of the Big three. ICC is in a situation similar to the United Nations. The money to keep the world moving comes from select few in both the cases.

Between ICC and the UN, the UN has been the worse. It is an open farce if you consider that permanent veto power is in hands of the 5 nations. ICC has been strict and unilateral with their rules and policies.
To be fair, ICC cannot force a player or a team to play in Pakistan.

What it can do is formulate and mandate a common contract between all member nations which clearly defines which events are force majeure and permits a nation to abandon a tour and not pay damages to the other.

It must also ensure compliance to the contract. For instance, if PCB files a case and shows enough evidence for security arrangements, then NZC will have a choice to disclose the details of the threat and avoid compensating PCB,
or it can choose to protect its sources but pay the damages.
This is what works for businesses all over the world.

 

[AMSS]

The follow up question to Usman ought to have been, why did he choose Australia over Pakistan?

 

[OMB]

The follow up question to Usman ought to have been, why did he choose Australia over Pakistan?

because he is Australian since the age of 5

 

[sweep_shot]

Usman is right.

Money has become the primary motivation in the cricket world. It is no longer much about country or ethics.

 

[Itachi]

Usman is right.

Money has become the primary motivation in the cricket world. It is no longer much about country or ethics.

Why he is playing in aus though?

 

[sweep_shot]

Why he is playing in aus though?

He lives in Australia since 5. He is an Aussie.

 

[Sir Alex]

The rest of the world doesn't really care about the IPL.

Hmm... the long international player auction list disagrees with your worldview. Not to mention the informal window for IPL that exists now, and the special player - board fee arrangements with quid pro quo for allowing players to participate in the IPL. Add to that the likes of Moeen Ali etc choosing for an early retirement from test cricket to focus on domestic leagues.

IPL is truly the pinnacle of the shortest version of the game now. Yes even bigger than the t20 world cup.

Of course, if you ask me who won the last IPL I would have trouble recollecting, but generally t20 format has been just entertainment for me. Watch and forget. Franchise cricket also allows me to back multiple sides with virtually zero heart breaks. IPL has achieved the best of sport - shear it away from jingoism and present for what it is, pure sport at it's best with the best players around. The only flipside being ironically Pak players not considered sadly due to political considerations.

The moment when Pak players are included again in IPL, it will well and truly would become the most universal of international sports - a league representation from vast majority of humanity, with no nationalistic considerations.

 

[cricketjoshila]

He lives in Australia since 5. He is an Aussie.

He could have always come back to pakistan. No?

So he disagrees with his parents, for moving to australia for money?

 

[ahsan17]

He could have always come back to pakistan. No?

So he disagrees with his parents, for moving to australia for money?

People like you are unable to put yourselves in other shoes. When someone moves to another country at age 5, practically speaking that's the only country they have seen. Indians who move to other countries at that age or even slightly later barely identify themselves as Indian, except for their ancestry.

 

[cricketjoshila]

People like you are unable to put yourselves in other shoes. When someone moves to another country at age 5, practically speaking that's the only country they have seen. Indians who move to other countries at that age or even slightly later barely identify themselves as Indian, except for their ancestry.

His parents moved to Australia for a better experience financial life. So why is it an issue if others also run after money?

 

[cricketjoshila]

Hmm... the long international player auction list disagrees with your worldview. Not to mention the informal window for IPL that exists now, and the special player - board fee arrangements with quid pro quo for allowing players to participate in the IPL. Add to that the likes of Moeen Ali etc choosing for an early retirement from test cricket to focus on domestic leagues.

IPL is truly the pinnacle of the shortest version of the game now. Yes even bigger than the t20 world cup.

Of course, if you ask me who won the last IPL I would have trouble recollecting, but generally t20 format has been just entertainment for me. Watch and forget. Franchise cricket also allows me to back multiple sides with virtually zero heart breaks. IPL has achieved the best of sport - shear it away from jingoism and present for what it is, pure sport at it's best with the best players around. The only flipside being ironically Pak players not considered sadly due to political considerations.

The moment when Pak players are included again in IPL, it will well and truly would become the most universal of international sports - a league representation from vast majority of humanity, with no nationalistic considerations.

That may never happen.

International series may be revived in 10 years time may be.

 

[PakLFC]

So if Pak had money then everyone would be lining up to play us. Then make so much money that they can't say "no".

 

[Gilly]

So if Pak had money then everyone would be lining up to play us. Then make so much money that they can't say "no".

Not how it works, Teams would line up to play Pakistan if it is profitable for them to do so. Australia will not make any money playing Pakistan at home or away regardless of how much money PCB have.

 

[Bilal7]

Khawaja has always been one to speak his mind but its inevitable we see a whole host of comments ridiculing his career and making fun of him.

Leave it to bitter, obese trolls to ridicule the career of someone who has represented Australia in dozens of matches, scored several hundreds and is the captain of Queensland.

Khawaja is right and anyone with half a brain and one good eye should be able to see that. It's not that teams shouldn't be touring India, it's that they should also be touring Pakistan.

 

[BreadPakoda]

The comparison was unnecessary but I agree that more teams will visit Pakistan if they make more money playing against them.

Having said that, Khawaja is equivalent of a W Saha or a Hanuma Vihari in terms of stature. Some people give him more importance than he deserves

 

[Giannis]

Not how it works, Teams would line up to play Pakistan if it is profitable for them to do so. Australia will not make any money playing Pakistan at home or away regardless of how much money PCB have.

He's not just talking about the PCB. If Pakistan tapped into it's market and expanded it's economy then other countries would gain a lot from tours of Pakistan and vice versa, I think that's what he means by "make more money" as in the Pak economy making more money.

 

[Itachi]

He lives in Australia since 5. He is an Aussie.

Yep. His parents moved to aus for better life.

The statement he has given, applies for his parents too technically speaking.

 

[Itachi]

People like you are unable to put yourselves in other shoes. When someone moves to another country at age 5, practically speaking that's the only country they have seen. Indians who move to other countries at that age or even slightly later barely identify themselves as Indian, except for their ancestry.

You are right. But what about their parents?

Their parents moved to a first world country for better life. And while obtaining the privilege, one is criticizing how everyone runs after money.

Talk about hypocrisy lol. When your parents move for a better future for more money, and you enjoy the all the parks, you lose all the credibility.

Had he come back to Pakistan and then said it, it would have been respectful.

 

[Itachi]

Leave it to bitter, obese trolls to ridicule the career of someone who has represented Australia in dozens of matches, scored several hundreds and is the captain of Queensland.

Khawaja is right and anyone with half a brain and one good eye should be able to see that. It's not that teams shouldn't be touring India, it's that they should also be touring Pakistan.

Touring Pakistan isn't an obligation. It's a generosity at this point.

 

[PakLFC]

Not how it works, Teams would line up to play Pakistan if it is profitable for them to do so. Australia will not make any money playing Pakistan at home or away regardless of how much money PCB have.

If Pak makes money it will mean the opponent prospering too. This is why they keep making excuses when they feel it't not really worth the effort for a few thousand dollars or pounds. Yes they will make money if we played our cards right. If we had a good team. money and powerful PCL that that is what will attract other sides.

 

[MenInG]

UK on his YT channel:

“The thing I miss most about international cricket and I know growing up watching my parents watch with, my dad watching cricket, it’s the India vs Pakistan matches. I absolutely hate the fact that it doesn’t happen anymore. I think it’s the biggest thing that cricket is missing and it’ll be such an amazing thing if we can get those two countries to play again"

“It’s something I’ve been pushing with the ICC. I’ve had chats with the people at the ICC about this. I’ve had chats with Cricket Australia about this. I think it’s the one thing that can bring the two countries together.”

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Hmm... the long international player auction list disagrees with your worldview. Not to mention the informal window for IPL that exists now, and the special player - board fee arrangements with quid pro quo for allowing players to participate in the IPL. Add to that the likes of Moeen Ali etc choosing for an early retirement from test cricket to focus on domestic leagues.

IPL is truly the pinnacle of the shortest version of the game now. Yes even bigger than the t20 world cup.

Of course, if you ask me who won the last IPL I would have trouble recollecting, but generally t20 format has been just entertainment for me. Watch and forget. Franchise cricket also allows me to back multiple sides with virtually zero heart breaks. IPL has achieved the best of sport - shear it away from jingoism and present for what it is, pure sport at it's best with the best players around. The only flipside being ironically Pak players not considered sadly due to political considerations.

The moment when Pak players are included again in IPL, it will well and truly would become the most universal of international sports - a league representation from vast majority of humanity, with no nationalistic considerations.

Don't agree. International cricket is still the pinnacle.

 

[Cric_lover4487]

Don't agree. International cricket is still the pinnacle.

International cricket is pinnacle for test cricket. For T20 ,fans are more passionate for their domestic T20 league.

 

[Sir Alex]

Don't agree. International cricket is still the pinnacle.

I want to think so as well. But the weight of commercialisation is steadily pulling it away. Look at football - yes, the odd World Cups have their value in fans' hearts but the commercial muscle is still behind club football. That's the way cricket is (rightly) headed.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I want to think so as well. But the weight of commercialisation is steadily pulling it away. Look at football - yes, the odd World Cups have their value in fans' hearts but the commercial muscle is still behind club football. That's the way cricket is (rightly) headed.

That may be true to a great extent. But I don't see international cricket becoming irrelevant...even the meaningless bilateral series. Infact if you paid attention you would know that teams are increasing the number of bilateral T20Is year by year. Before we used to get 1-2 match T20I series. Now its almost always 3-5. If anything ODIs are decreasing. And you can call them meaningless all you want, but if India is playing Sri Lanka in a 5 match T20 series, all of India will be watching.

T20 leagues take place for a couple of months at most. They don't last 9 months like a football season. Furthermore, they are big in their home countries but not nearly as big outside them. Out of them, only the IPL and the PSL attract massive fanfare in their home countries (maybe BPL too, I wouldn't know). On top of that, IPL even at its peak cannot compete with something like a T20 World Cup in-terms of significance or viewership.

The way I see it, IPL and franchise cricket will continue to grow and reach unprecedented heights. But it can never replace any format of international cricket no matter what people think. An average India will always care more about his team winning the World Cup and or beating Australia, Pakistan, than his home city winning the IPL or beating Mumbai. The same is true for all other nations.

 

[Mp812]

One of the reasons why WI cricket declined in that in 1990s and early 2000s, many WI youth chose basketball ( migrated to USA) over cricket even though they could have been potential stars in cricket. I don't remember names off hand but I remember reading an article about this in Wisden those days. However the point is they chose NBA for $$$ as 3 seasons of NBA player salary was more than 15 years of international cricket.
Today IPL is giving cricket players an opportunity to earn top $$$ without having to be actually selected in national 11. Cricket is going the NBA way and only people complaining are people who are unwilling to accept the saying " Change is inevitable"
Even though we often fear it, change is one of the few things guaranteed in life. Cricket the way it is played or scheduled is going to need to change and that's unavoidable. IPL will grow and international cricket will have to adjust around it eventually whether purists like it or not.

 

[Rana]

One of the reasons why WI cricket declined in that in 1990s and early 2000s, many WI youth chose basketball ( migrated to USA) over cricket even though they could have been potential stars in cricket. I don't remember names off hand but I remember reading an article about this in Wisden those days. However the point is they chose NBA for $$$ as 3 seasons of NBA player salary was more than 15 years of international cricket.
Today IPL is giving cricket players an opportunity to earn top $$$ without having to be actually selected in national 11. Cricket is going the NBA way and only people complaining are people who are unwilling to accept the saying " Change is inevitable"
Even though we often fear it, change is one of the few things guaranteed in life. Cricket the way it is played or scheduled is going to need to change and that's unavoidable. IPL will grow and international cricket will have to adjust around it eventually whether purists like it or not.

This ‘changed’ version of cricket isn’t likeable for the young cricket fan in comparison to the market that was created for cricket during the era when Australian cricket was the best and most dominant force in the world.

 

[ex-q-zit]

Usman Khawaja couldn’t get an IPL contract but some pateechars from Australia who we’ve never heard of get picked*

That has nothing to do with his Pakistani lineage. Players like Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Imran Tahir have been picked.

 

[MenInG]

Early Monday morning, India and Pakistan will meet once again on a World Cup stage – the only stage, in fact, where they have been seen in competition for more than a decade.

Among the many lovers of the game endlessly frustrated by this long-standing state of limited cricket contact between the two nations, Usman Khawaja is uniquely placed, and uniquely vocal.

Born in Pakistan, a top-order player for Australia and a participant in both the IPL and the PSL, he has appealed to cricket and political authorities to find a way to get the two nations back playing with the sort of frequency he saw in his childhood.

Between 1998 and 2008, India and Pakistan crossed paths six times in Test series, before the Mumbai terror attacks froze out not only their bilateral relations, but the presence of Pakistani cricketers in the IPL. In Khawaja’s mind, this is the south Asian equivalent of 13 years going by without an Ashes series.

“They were amazing to watch. I almost counted them, looking back now, as like the subcontinent Ashes,” Khawaja told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. “Two countries, very passionate about the game, very good cricketers, a bit of little brother versus big brother.

“Since it’s been happening for a few years now, it’s been sad that the two countries and the ICC haven’t been able to resolve this and bring the two countries to play together. The more they don’t play, the more they avoid each other, the worse things get, and it’s really a shame because it’s such a big part of cricket.”

When Khawaja played in the IPL in 2016, he was welcomed openly, and said that the language of cricket should be able to break down a lot of the barriers that have been widening over the past decade.

“Over there playing in the IPL in 2016, I just assumed it would happen again and it wasn’t really a big thing,” he said. “But when I went over to Pakistan this time around and chatted to a few of them about it ... they just want to play cricket, and I can’t imagine it is too dissimilar to the Indians.

“I was born in Pakistan, I go over to the IPL and play, and I was treated as well as anyone else could’ve been treated. It was great, I loved my time there, there was no hostility whatsoever, and I was born in Pakistan, so if I was ever going to get anything it was going to be then, and I didn’t receive any whatsoever.

“I’ve grown up in Australia my whole life, yes I do have an affiliation with my home country, but I only care about what’s good for cricket. I can’t imagine both sides don’t want to play cricket together. When I talk to the Indian guys, I can see the passion in their eyes, they love the game, and when I talk to the Pakistani guys they’re the same.”

Above all else, Khawaja is desperate for an end to the lack of Test cricket between the two countries. The recent institution of the ICC’s World Test Championship provides added impetus for a resumption of long-form contact, and Khawaja pointed out how, in Australia, a shared love of cricket and subcontinental heritage has transcended any other differences.

“I have a lot of subcontinental friends in Australia, just through university, not so much through cricket,” he said. “Funnily enough, the majority are Indians. It makes sense, they have a bigger population, and not once have we ever had any issue about anything. It’s just been like, the fact we’re actually from the subcontinent brings us closer together rather than ‘oh you’re from Pakistan’ or ‘you’re from India’.

“None of that matters – when you’re in Australia, you actually gravitate towards the subcontinent guys. When I see that, I just think ‘all together in Australia we get along, and we don’t even think twice about where we’re from’. It doesn’t really matter to us.”

Australia, of course, would be an ideal neutral venue for India and Pakistan to play one another – the jubilant scenes witnessed when the two nations faced one another at a packed Adelaide Oval during the 2015 World Cup are proof of that. A repeat can be expected at the T20 event, also in Australia, next year.

“We get to see them at the World Cups, but that’s just not enough – I want to see some red-ball games,” Khawaja said. “I want to see Pakistan spinners take on Indian spinners, Pakistan batters take on Indian batters in the longer form, because that’s the true test.

“Now that there is a world Test championship, it’s the perfect opportunity to say ‘Look, Pakistan and India, time for you to play’. It’d be so great for world cricket if at some stage we can work together to get that happening again.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...s-not-enough-for-khawaja-20211023-p592in.html

 

[Last Monetarist]

Khawaja on his hopes for a recall to the Ashes XI:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/x6msu4" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[MenInG]

Usman Khawaja looks all but assured to play his first Test in more than two years as a replacement for Travis Head, who at this stage seems likely to be the only enforced omission for the SCG Test after the rest of the Australia squad tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday.

Head is isolating in Melbourne after contracting the virus, meaning he will miss the fourth Vodafone Ashes Test that begins on Wednesday.

There were concerns that teammates and support staff would become part of an outbreak, prompting selectors to add cover players Mitch Marsh, Nic Maddinson and Josh Inglis to an enlarged squad.

But it appears Khawaja will return to the side ahead of those options at No.5 – the only position in the top six in which he has never batted in Test cricket.

The 35-year-old, who debuted on the SCG almost 11 years ago, is second on the list of Marsh Sheffield Shield run scorers this summer though his recent weeks spent as a Test squad member means he has been devoid of time in the middle.

"It's always nicer when you're coming off games – I haven't played for a month now – but it shouldn't take too long hopefully, if I play and get out there, bat for half an hour and get into it, I should find that sync again," the Queensland captain said today.

"It's one of those things where even if I do play, it'll only be for one game … I understand that situation … hopefully I can go out there and score a hundred and do well for the team in the absence of 'Heady'."

Khawaja's Shield form as well as his versatility has put him back in the frame after it seemed his international days might well be over, and as one of just three Australians in the selection frame to have score a Test hundred in Asia (Steve Smith and David Warner are the others, while Glenn Maxwell and Shaun Marsh do not appear to be in current calculations) and three Test tours of the subcontinent scheduled in the next 12 or so months, his stocks have again risen.

"There's a lot of cricket still to come up," he said. "I'm just putting my head down, making sure I'm working really hard and doing the best I can for Australia whenever I get the opportunity.

"I'll potentially have one game for Australia here, but even if that doesn't happen, I know there's still … a lot of cricket on the subcontinent which I feel I'm very suited too, and which I'm looking forward to hopefully being a part of moving forward.

"I'm fit and healthy. Touch wood, the body's feeling great … I'm in the best cricket conditioning (I've been), I don't get as sore as I used to … I love it, still enjoying it, very competitive."

Meanwhile, every person in Australia's touring party, including family members, underwent COVID-19 testing on Friday, with Cricket Australia (CA) confirming there are no new cases among players and support staff.

The test result of one family member is yet to be received, with CA unsure when it will be returned.

CA was notably concerned about opener Marcus Harris, who dined with Head this week as Australia celebrated taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series against England.

Harris did not board Friday's charter flight, remaining in Melbourne as a precautionary measure.

CA is still mulling the best way for Harris, Marsh, Maddinson and Inglis to travel from Melbourne to Sydney for the fourth Test.

Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon drove from Victoria to NSW and it's possible the quartet may also hit the road.

A charter flight would be a costly exercise for four squad members, the majority of whom are likely to be running drinks in Sydney.

CA's health experts have shielded Australian and English players from commercial airlines to reduce the risk of any of them catching the coronavirus.

Players from both squads are being tested daily.

But at this stage, CA have opted against dialling up biosecurity restrictions.

It means the enlarged squad, which will feature a total of 19 players once Harris and the newcomers link up with teammates, will train together rather than in smaller groups.

Players and support staff are barred from dining indoors but free to leave their hotels provided they practise social distancing.

The situation is in sharp contrast to a year ago when both squads spent the second half of the Australia-India series in hotel lockdown.

Three support staff and four family members in England's travelling group contracted COVID-19 in Melbourne, while under-pressure coach Chris Silverwood did not make the trip north because he is isolating as a close contact.

Match referee David Boon is also isolating after testing positive, meaning NSW-based Steve Bernard will be in charge of the SCG Test.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/usm...ead-subcontinent-tours-asia-record/2022-01-01

 

[MenInG]

Strange phenomena....

==

Cricket Australia's announcement to tour Pakistan in the month of March-April could see their players missing 4 to 5 IPL matches. The Australian board on Friday confirmed touring Pakistan after 24 years. As per the schedule, the series will end on April 5, which means that the players will miss initial matches.

The BCCI has confirmed that IPL 2022 will kick off in the last week of March, which automatically rules out IPL-bound players for few matches. As per media reports, the visiting players have to stay in isolation for 5 days. The Australia tour of Pakistan ends on April 5 and the Aussie players will not be able to participate in the first two weeks of IPL.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Strange phenomena....

==

Cricket Australia's announcement to tour Pakistan in the month of March-April could see their players missing 4 to 5 IPL matches. The Australian board on Friday confirmed touring Pakistan after 24 years. As per the schedule, the series will end on April 5, which means that the players will miss initial matches.

The BCCI has confirmed that IPL 2022 will kick off in the last week of March, which automatically rules out IPL-bound players for few matches. As per media reports, the visiting players have to stay in isolation for 5 days. The Australia tour of Pakistan ends on April 5 and the Aussie players will not be able to participate in the first two weeks of IPL.

Expect a bubble to bubble transfer. But since its in pakistan, i doubt Indian companies will find it easy to arrange the logistics. CA may do it for the bcci.