This is why cricket is dying

[faraz39]

I'm sure you've all seen the recent developments in European soccer and the overwhelmingly negative reaction from everyone except the breakaway clubs. From FIFA (they are greedy/corrupt but not as much as the breakaway clubs) to UEFA to former players to fans -- everyone is publicly calling out the clubs for their open greed and threatening boycotts up to the World Cup level.

Yet, this setup of the top few making decisions for everyone has been ongoing in cricket for years with the big 3 -- India, Aus, Eng -- and everyone just accepts it because their pockets are lined well.

The popularity of cricket gets masked because of the 1bn+ Indian population but there is no denying that cricket is a 3 nation sport with very little new market growth and the remaining 5-6 nations making up the numbers.

 

[Rana]

Cricket is dying?

Get ready for a Cricket Super League (Australia, India and England only)

 

[Saj]

I think football is now waking up to what cricket has been seeing for quite a few years.

I still believe there will come a time where the leading cricket nations will just choose to play amongst themselves and ignore some of the other cricketing nations.

 

[NishanKonar]

Cricket is struggling but blaming India / Aus / Eng is lame

Pakistan is struggling bcoz of governance issues. South Africa is struggling bcoz of politics / quota system & Kolpak not Big 3. West Indies cricket went down under 20 years back - again bcoz of poor governance. Sri Lankan cricket has nosedived - again due to poor governance

New Zealand has done extraordinarily well in last 5 years - even though they have neither population nor finances - bcoz of good governance

Blaming Big 3 has become convenient excuse for some of the boards to skirt responsibility !

ps : With Kolpak system ending - expect South African cricket to get back on track within the next 3-4 years

 

[Rana]

Cricket is struggling but blaming India / Aus / Eng is lame

Pakistan is struggling bcoz of governance issues. South Africa is struggling bcoz of politics / quota system & Kolpak not Big 3. West Indies cricket went down under 20 years back - again bcoz of poor governance. Sri Lankan cricket has nosedived - again due to poor governance

New Zealand has done extraordinarily well in last 5 years - even though they have neither population nor finances - bcoz of good governance

Blaming Big 3 has become convenient excuse for some of the boards to skirt responsibility !

ps : With Kolpak system ending - expect South African cricket to get back on track within the next 3-4 years

Aha...

Remind me how Pakistan have generated millions of $$$ by playing India in the last decade and a half?

 

[hitthestump]

England are good now but they will be really bad at cricket again at some point because nobody in England really cares about the sport a great deal.

Any 'super league' with them, Australia and India could become completely uncompetitive in just a decade or so from now.

 

[leg-side-flick]

Aha...

Remind me how Pakistan have generated millions of $$$ by playing India in the last decade and a half?

Through hand outs from BCCICC

 

[rhony]

The quality is high when top teams play. Cricket is making more money compared to 10 years ago. So, NO. Cricket is not dying. It doesn't need Zim, Ireland, Netherlands, Nepal though. Is that sad? Have you watched them play their boring cricket? After a few years of exciting cricket, even BD is boring now. Cricket just needs the 10 countries that are playing now. They will make money as India is a major market and will continue to support the game.

 

[Rana]

Through hand outs from BCCICC

I see...BCCI handed out the same amount equally to all boards?

 

[rhony]

England are good now but they will be really bad at cricket again at some point because nobody in England really cares about the sport a great deal.

Any 'super league' with them, Australia and India could become completely uncompetitive in just a decade or so from now.

The cricket heads are smarter. They don't need to "officially" break away. They will just continue to play more frequently among themselves. They still need the audiences from Rest of the subcontinent to keep watching.

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

The quality is high when top teams play. Cricket is making more money compared to 10 years ago. So, NO. Cricket is not dying. It doesn't need Zim, Ireland, Netherlands, Nepal though. Is that sad? Have you watched them play their boring cricket? After a few years of exciting cricket, even BD is boring now. Cricket just needs the 10 countries that are playing now. They will make money as India is a major market and will continue to support the game.

Money is not everything diversity is because when netherland beat england or kenya beat india the excitement is whole different in cricketing world that is missing often

 

[rhony]

Money is not everything diversity is because when netherland beat england or kenya beat india the excitement is whole different in cricketing world that is missing often

Those are exciting BUT they are exceptions. Fans don't have patience for once a decade shocker. Pakistan is visiting Zimbabwe next. Who really needs that series? Zim? They messed up their setup because of political reasons and are just there to make up the numbers. I for one, don't see a point in watching a one side battle.

 

[rhony]

Instead, I see great advantage in what [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] said. Spend money on scouting teams and pump money into rural coaching facilities in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 

[Rauf's_Lungs]

Cricket is struggling but blaming India / Aus / Eng is lame

Pakistan is struggling bcoz of governance issues. South Africa is struggling bcoz of politics / quota system & Kolpak not Big 3. West Indies cricket went down under 20 years back - again bcoz of poor governance. Sri Lankan cricket has nosedived - again due to poor governance

New Zealand has done extraordinarily well in last 5 years - even though they have neither population nor finances - bcoz of good governance

Blaming Big 3 has become convenient excuse for some of the boards to skirt responsibility !

ps : With Kolpak system ending - expect South African cricket to get back on track within the next 3-4 years

The fact of the matter is that any sport will struggle as a competitive, balanced international sport when 80% of the fanbase comes from one country. There simply aren't enough people who care about this sport abroad.

In a few decades, I can see cricket devolving into something like American baseball, where the Indians pretty much compete amongst themselves. There isn't enough sustained interest even in Aus/Eng to sustain international cricket in any meaningful way, nevermind wi,sl,nz,sa.

 

[Markhor]

There are always going to be economic imbalances reflected in most aspects of life, and sport is no different. India undoubtedly are the financial centre of the game. However the ICC as custodians of cricket are meant to ensure the strength of ALL nations - instead we see the gulf between the Top Four and the Rest now a yawning chasm.

Just take the fixture list:

England haven't hosted Bangladesh since 2010. They should've toured when they peaked between 2015-17, and there's a sizeable Bangladeshi population in the UK.

Australia haven't hosted South Africa for a Test series since 2016 despite losing their last three home series against them. But there's always time for a 5 match ODI series home or away to India. Meanwhile 2010 was the last time South Africa toured West Indies for a Test series.

This summer, one of the best Test teams and twice World Cup runner-up New Zealand tour England after six years, and only get two Tests.

If it's uneconomic to hold such tours, then cost sharing must be looked at. Maybe compromises need to be made on minimum broadcast standards. Another cost cutting measure is ending the requirement teams must be hosted in 5 Star Hotels. And yes, explore four day Test cricket.

As for misgovernance, why the hell is there one rule for Zimbabwe Cricket and another for Sri Lanka, South Africa and Pakistan who've all deserved suspensions many times over for government interference and incompetence ? Why can't the ICC enforce minimum governing standards ?

There are solutions to these issues, but it requires tough decision making and not shirking responsibility.

 

[IMMY69]

There are always going to be economic imbalances reflected in most aspects of life, and sport is no different. India undoubtedly are the financial centre of the game. However the ICC as custodians of cricket are meant to ensure the strength of ALL nations - instead we see the gulf between the Top Four and the Rest now a yawning chasm.

Just take the fixture list:

England haven't hosted Bangladesh since 2010. They should've toured when they peaked between 2015-17, and there's a sizeable Bangladeshi population in the UK.

Australia haven't hosted South Africa for a Test series since 2016 despite losing their last three home series against them. But there's always time for a 5 match ODI series home or away to India. Meanwhile 2010 was the last time South Africa toured West Indies for a Test series.

This summer, one of the best Test teams and twice World Cup runner-up New Zealand tour England after six years, and only get two Tests.

If it's uneconomic to hold such tours, then cost sharing must be looked at. Maybe compromises need to be made on minimum broadcast standards. Another cost cutting measure is ending the requirement teams must be hosted in 5 Star Hotels. And yes, explore four day Test cricket.

As for misgovernance, why the hell is there one rule for Zimbabwe Cricket and another for Sri Lanka, South Africa and Pakistan who've all deserved suspensions many times over for government interference and incompetence ? Why can't the ICC enforce minimum governing standards ?

There are solutions to these issues, but it requires tough decision making and not shirking responsibility.

POTW for me!

Incredible that It's been a decade since South Africa toured the Windies and Bangladesh haven't toured England since 2016!!

Yet we've just seen England play India in India and in a couple of months we'll see the same two sides play 5 more tests with each other..

 

[Line and Length]

The issue with cricket is that there are much fewer entities involved. The Big 3 aren't going to have a close-shop tournaments amongst themselves and keep playing each other for the next 3 decades. In football it can happen because of the huge amount of clubs and world class players involved. The issue with cricket is that teams outside the top 5 can barely produce high quality cricket matches on a consistent basis, let alone teams outside the top 10. The 2019 CWC was one of the best cricket tournaments in recent years because it was a closed-off tournament only between the top 10 best teams. ICC claim they want to spread cricket all around the world and get other nations involved but then actively reduce the number of teams participating. However, it makes for good viewing too, so who's to argue at this point which option in objectively better. Each one has its own pros and cons.

 

[Line and Length]

Also, is cricket really dying? Is there actual quantitative proof that fewer people watch cricket now compared to the past? I thought the CWC 2019 drew in record numbers. I guess you could argue that cricket growth is becoming a lot more disproportionate and it keeps growing in India but perhaps not at all in countries like England, NZ, and South Africa. But again, do we have actual numerical proof and data for this?

 

[hitthestump]

Also, is cricket really dying? Is there actual quantitative proof that fewer people watch cricket now compared to the past? I thought the CWC 2019 drew in record numbers. I guess you could argue that cricket growth is becoming a lot more disproportionate and it keeps growing in India but perhaps not at all in countries like England, NZ, and South Africa. But again, do we have actual numerical proof and data for this?

To be fair i think the stats will show that cricket is anything other than dying.. Is this model sustainable though? If the chasm between 3 countries and the rest becomes wider and the balance of power becomes increasingly inequal then only time will tell us whether that is game over for cricket or not.

India, Aus and Eng are dominating now but England won't remain this strong forever and Australians have 100 different sports they can play. If India dominate everything and everyone both on and off the field who is really going to take cricket seriously other than them?

 

[NishanKonar]

The fact of the matter is that any sport will struggle as a competitive, balanced international sport when 80% of the fanbase comes from one country. There simply aren't enough people who care about this sport abroad.

In a few decades, I can see cricket devolving into something like American baseball, where the Indians pretty much compete amongst themselves. There isn't enough sustained interest even in Aus/Eng to sustain international cricket in any meaningful way, nevermind wi,sl,nz,sa.

Its not always about big population. Look at football - small nations like Holland , Belgium , Portughal , Uruguay compete along side much bigger nations like Germany / England / France / Brasil

Look at Pakistan - nation of 200 million . No reason why they should not be as strong as India / england . The problem is more about the cricket set up.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Cricket is dying???

Cricket was never alive to begin with. Played by just 3 big countries (Eng, Aus and NZ) and a bunch of third world colonized countries.

Even among Aussies, English and Kiwis, cricket is not a very famous/ #1 sport.

At least back then you had very competitive teams, even Zimbabwe used to compete, now it's just Eng, NZ, Aus and India. In other words, 3 white countries and the country with cricket mad people, where players are gods.

The least said about ICC the better.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

I might be very wrong but I feel Pakistan cricket popularity has decreased significantly compared to what it was 20 years ago...

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Also, is cricket really dying? Is there actual quantitative proof that fewer people watch cricket now compared to the past? I thought the CWC 2019 drew in record numbers. I guess you could argue that cricket growth is becoming a lot more disproportionate and it keeps growing in India but perhaps not at all in countries like England, NZ, and South Africa. But again, do we have actual numerical proof and data for this?

England has definitely lost popularity due to cricket being on paid network rather than free television.

 

[faraz39]

ICC's job is to promote the game to new markets and support struggling teams similar to what FIFA does so even smaller nations have the resources to compete (Portugal, Uruguay, etc).

I don't blame BCCI for trying to look after their own interests but I blame the ICC for letting 3 nations dictate what can and can't be done at the international level. So instead of investing in expanding the game, ICC is happy to let 3 nations pocket the money.

But I believe the ship has sailed and in 20 years it will be pretty much India just playing it amongst themselves like American baseball.

 

[faraz39]

I think football is now waking up to what cricket has been seeing for quite a few years.

I still believe there will come a time where the leading cricket nations will just choose to play amongst themselves and ignore some of the other cricketing nations.

Is this not happening already in cricket for the last 15 years?

 

[Rana]

England has definitely lost popularity due to cricket being on paid network rather than free television.

No free Channel would air all of England’s home games.

The British public prefer Football and Rugby over cricket

 

[dildilpak]

Everything’s about economic clout. Dont countries like US, China have more power in the UN? Doesnt Germany have considerable more clout than somebody like Moldova or Romania in the EU? So why should soccer or cricket be any different? At one time India was one of the biggest laggards in world cricket, but they were smart to fix their system without any big 2 help & now they dictate world cricket - what stops countries from Pak or Bangladesh with their vast markets in doing something similar to develop the game? It is futile to expect somebody to give up their economic clout for no returns.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

Just feel as an Indian its a convenient fad blaming the big 3 and by extension India and the BCCI (am no fan of the BCCI either) for all that ails and is evil in modern cricket. Or for whatever ranking is given to a particular team, player etc or format of any tournament, test schedule etc.
BCCI said 10 years back that the DRS system was not perfect, it raised so much negative traffic about thiem that they were techno-dinosaurs etc, but they had a point then and we are seeing it now
- about imperfections of DRS and the umps call, the whole hawkeye imaging etc. However, I wish BCCI had clearly said why they were against DRS then, that would have cleared the point-however such transparency was never the strong suit of BCCI.
Coming back to the matter, India was where several other nations are currently, not that far back into the past. We didn't cry 'Big Two' or that 'we have everything going against us', or we are pushed into a corner, or any excuses. We plodded on and learnt. Am not saying our system or anything like that is pefect or even close, in fact we have many flaws, but collective whinging we didn't, in the past.
Thru sheer hard work, dedication, ingenuinity, innovation, enterprising and progressive spirit, we have built up our economy to be where we are, kisi aur ka hakk nahi maara hai. That said, now the perception of India is that we are stunting other countries growth and throwing a spanner in the works for each and every other country's ftp, growth, economy and it so easy - just blame it on us.
The fact that we recently helped Nepal, Singapore, HK etc has gone amiss and will never get any credit but when it comes to moaning and bashing, we are the poster boys.
The recent Ind-Aus series had amazing viewership and also attendance at the stadiums even accounting for the covid situation.
Frankly, please get off the Big 3 syndrome - NZ punches well above its weight, has a limited pool of talent but utilizes it well and they play well as a team. I can see Ireland going that route soon.
If the SA players go to kolpak/eng other countries - I doubt Big 3 has anthing to do with this.
WI - a classic case of Administrative ineptitude/inefficiency and how not to manage a fantastic pool of talent or nourish it.
SL - Am hoeopfull they will be the first team to rebound from their current admin troubles and be a force.
BD - they have the passion, they will be getting their system correct soon from the grass roots , with more coaching they should do better.
Pak - no doubts, will be better soon - firstly get off the 'its all some one else's fault' syndrome...
rest my case, nuff said.

 

[Line and Length]

Why do Indian fans keep deflecting blame from BCCI on every single thread? Obviously the BCCI and the rest of the big 3 are not the sole cause for all of modern cricket's problems but they definitely are a major reason. Just cause you're an Indian doesn't mean you have to get defensive about your cricket board's greed and malice.

 

[Mesozoic]

Everything’s about economic clout. Dont countries like US, China have more power in the UN? Doesnt Germany have considerable more clout than somebody like Moldova or Romania in the EU? So why should soccer or cricket be any different? At one time India was one of the biggest laggards in world cricket, but they were smart to fix their system without any big 2 help & now they dictate world cricket - what stops countries from Pak or Bangladesh with their vast markets in doing something similar to develop the game? It is futile to expect somebody to give up their economic clout for no returns.

This....

This victim mentality is getting pretty lame now.

For all the talk of bad evil Big3 not playing other teams.... England have toured Sri Lanka twice in 3 years, have hosted Pakistan pretty much every year since 2015, India have played West Indies every year from 2016-19 and have played nearly as many games against Sri Lanka as we did against Aus or Eng since 2017....

Just because the other governing bodies are too corrupt and incompetent to produce a handful of international class crickeyrrsy, doesn't make it all a Big3 saazish.

 

[naseem]

This....

This victim mentality is getting pretty lame now.

For all the talk of bad evil Big3 not playing other teams.... England have toured Sri Lanka twice in 3 years, have hosted Pakistan pretty much every year since 2015, India have played West Indies every year from 2016-19 and have played nearly as many games against Sri Lanka as we did against Aus or Eng since 2017....

Just because the other governing bodies are too corrupt and incompetent to produce a handful of international class crickeyrrsy, doesn't make it all a Big3 saazish.

When India last toured ban???...
When India last hosted WI ??
When India last played Ire.??

Now compare...when India last played Australia...

Almost at the beginning and end of each year.....this will go on till the attraction is reduced....and finished..

I won't blame England though.......they r atleast doing their best 2 host teams outside big 3......and touring SA SL in tough times......

We should not complain.....just perform .....and enjoy cricket....who knows 2017 year may be repeating itself...

 

[Mesozoic]

When India last toured ban???...

The same year that Pakistan last toured..

Since then Pakistan played 4 games against them out of ICC events and Asia cups. And India played 8. So, by the usual logic, Pakistan are partly responsible for the downfall of Bangladesh cricket since 2015. Aren't they?

When India last hosted WI ??

Toured them in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The same times as Australia and more than England but that obviously won't get highlighted because it doesn't fit the victim narrative.

When India last played Ire.??

2018. I honestly don't know where you're going with this. Do you want India to tour even Namibia and Papua New Guinea twice a year?

Now compare...when India last played Australia...

Almost at the beginning and end of each year.....this will go on till the attraction is reduced....and finished..

Yes. Just like how Pakistan tours England every summer. How is this any different? The "attraction" (whatever that even means) might have finished when Pakistan got whipped by them just before the WC or when they failed to make the semi in the WC, or when they lost the test series last year but still they're invited to play this summer. You know why? Because those two boards enjoy a cordial relationship with each other. Same with BCCI and CA. You never see an Indian crying about that do you? Then why the lame hypocrisy?

I won't blame England though.......they r atleast doing their best 2 host teams outside big 3......and touring SA SL in tough times.....

We should not complain.....just perform .....and enjoy cricket....who knows 2017 year may be repeating itself...

Didn't Australia host NZ and Pak a summer before. They also hosted Sri Lanka before that. Are they all a part of the bad evil Big3 as well?

Like I said, the nit picking is getting extremely lame. It's time people quit the victim mentality.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Cricket is not dying but it goes without saying that the Big 3 have destroyed cricket. The aim is no longer to expand the game, only to make money.

The similarity between what the Big 3 has been doing and what football is going through at present is eerily similar. Its basically ICL and Big 3 rolled into one.

One wonders how many more sports (that haven't already) will be infested with capitalism. Sad state of affairs all round.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

England has definitely lost popularity due to cricket being on paid network rather than free television.

Its been that way for 16 or so years. Cricket in England has always been an elitist sport and never as popular as Football which has mainstream appeal.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

ICC's job is to promote the game to new markets and support struggling teams similar to what FIFA does so even smaller nations have the resources to compete (Portugal, Uruguay, etc).

I don't blame BCCI for trying to look after their own interests but I blame the ICC for letting 3 nations dictate what can and can't be done at the international level. So instead of investing in expanding the game, ICC is happy to let 3 nations pocket the money.

But I believe the ship has sailed and in 20 years it will be pretty much India just playing it amongst themselves like American baseball.

Well you should blame the BCCI, just like you should blame CA and ECB. It's their greed and politicking that put them in this position in the place. ICC didn't magically give up the power they had overnight, they were made to.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Cricket is dying?

Get ready for a Cricket Super League (Australia, India and England only)

Ganguly has been pushing for this idea for quite some time. With these three teams and a fourth team. So I wouldn't bet against it

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Its been that way for 16 or so years. Cricket in England has always been an elitist sport and never as popular as Football which has mainstream appeal.

Ashes 05 should have been the turning point in boosting the popularity but they failed remarkably in capitalising.

 

[Rana]

Ashes 05 should have been the turning point in boosting the popularity but they failed remarkably in capitalising.

The ECB sold its product to sky sports and Adidas for major £££ after that successful Ashes series. No failure from a capitalistic point of view

 

[TheNightWatchman]

The ECB sold its product to sky sports and Adidas for major £££ after that successful Ashes series. No failure from a capitalistic point of view

I meant in terms of popularity. I think it's declined to even what it was back in 2005. How many of the current English team are actually English? The general public just doesn't care. The 2019 WC celebrations in their own backyard were such a let down in comparison to ashes 05 .

 

[Rajdeep]

Cricket is never popular in England because its not a spectator sport. I know its immensely popular in sub continent and we all love it but the reality is, its a boring game. So even if you put cricket on free tv, it would still remain unpopular. Premier league football is always on paid tv and now some games are even on PPV but its popularity never goes down.

Football, Rugby and national hunt racing are spectator sport in UK which people can enjoy with their mates in a pub. Cricket historically being looked at as sunday afternoon lazy sport and now most people consider T20 cricket as an Indian/Sub continent sport.

 

[Rana]

I meant in terms of popularity. I think it's declined to even what it was back in 2005. How many of the current English team are actually English? The general public just doesn't care. The 2019 WC celebrations in their own backyard were such a let down in comparison to ashes 05 .

Thats true. Those were special memories. One of the few times that I genuinely supported the English cricket team as if I would support Pakistan.

 

[silentkiller187]

England has definitely lost popularity due to cricket being on paid network rather than free television.

England may have lost its popularity, but they are in a unique situation as it is probably one of the only countries were your pretty much guaranteed full houses in most days of a test match. Cricket can survive in England just by being an elitist niche sport. With Pakistan its different, and we are seeing this with the decrease of talent coming through, sports like football are becoming more popular and a ESL will make it more appealable to an international fan.

 

[naseem]

I thought things would look up for England after 2019 WC triumph

 

[cricketjoshila]

Why do Indian fans keep deflecting blame from BCCI on every single thread? Obviously the BCCI and the rest of the big 3 are not the sole cause for all of modern cricket's problems but they definitely are a major reason. Just cause you're an Indian doesn't mean you have to get defensive about your cricket board's greed and malice.

Its not BCCI'S job to give handouts to other boards. Each board has to earn its own bread.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

England may have lost its popularity, but they are in a unique situation as it is probably one of the only countries were your pretty much guaranteed full houses in most days of a test match. Cricket can survive in England just by being an elitist niche sport. With Pakistan its different, and we are seeing this with the decrease of talent coming through, sports like football are becoming more popular and a ESL will make it more appealable to an international fan.

A huge part in that is less international cricket being played in Pakistan. Once the big 3 or NZ start touring Pakistan (if they even do) I think the popularity will pick up again.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Decline in popularity in the Windies is one of the saddest things I've seen. The crowds are close to nonexistant even for their own team. Lara was their last hero. Windies cricket itself is hanging on by a thread. Wouldn't be surprised if new players get gobbled up by the ECB like Joffra Archer in the future and Windies cricket fizzles away.

 

[viveks]

Although the point may be valid, not sure if the example is great. Power has been concentrating around a few clubs in football for years, but the popularity of football is greater than it's ever been. Growing at an insane rate... If the ESL happens and I think it will, it will probably have an amazing following

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Ashes 05 should have been the turning point in boosting the popularity but they failed remarkably in capitalising.

The popularity wasn't there for them to capitalize on. Ashes 05 may have been a big moment that attracted alot of eyeballs but there is nothing to suggest that large swathes of people suddenly started watching cricket or that the massive popularity of football was in any way affected

 

[Markhor]

If India actually cared about misgovernance in other boards, why don't they refuse to tour them and insist they reform themselves first before getting a single cent ?

Or are the votes at ICC meetings and political powerplays more beneficial ?

 

[Titan24]

There are always going to be economic imbalances reflected in most aspects of life, and sport is no different. India undoubtedly are the financial centre of the game. However the ICC as custodians of cricket are meant to ensure the strength of ALL nations - instead we see the gulf between the Top Four and the Rest now a yawning chasm.

Just take the fixture list:

England haven't hosted Bangladesh since 2010. They should've toured when they peaked between 2015-17, and there's a sizeable Bangladeshi population in the UK.

Australia haven't hosted South Africa for a Test series since 2016 despite losing their last three home series against them. But there's always time for a 5 match ODI series home or away to India. Meanwhile 2010 was the last time South Africa toured West Indies for a Test series.

This summer, one of the best Test teams and twice World Cup runner-up New Zealand tour England after six years, and only get two Tests.

If it's uneconomic to hold such tours, then cost sharing must be looked at. Maybe compromises need to be made on minimum broadcast standards. Another cost cutting measure is ending the requirement teams must be hosted in 5 Star Hotels. And yes, explore four day Test cricket.

As for misgovernance, why the hell is there one rule for Zimbabwe Cricket and another for Sri Lanka, South Africa and Pakistan who've all deserved suspensions many times over for government interference and incompetence ? Why can't the ICC enforce minimum governing standards ?

There are solutions to these issues, but it requires tough decision making and not shirking responsibility.

Well put. As I have always maintained ICC is one of the most unprofessional world sporting body around, they are content with sole reliance on the revenue from very limited sources rather than working towards growth and branding of other sources to not only increase overall income rather grow the game of cricket as a whole.

ICCs job is to continue growing cricket in the test playing nations as well as to put in efforts to promote cricket in other associate nations however, the only thing which we have seen ICC doing in the last decade or two is to maximize profits in the given model while neglecting the power division it has formed in the sport and decline of sport in some countries.

As you have rightly put there is no standardization in the schedules, with some teams playing almost every year while others not touring for 5-10 years. Same is the case when it comes to banning a team based upon mis governance or gov interference where again there is no standardized approach along with having a separate window in schedule for just one league out of 6-7 in total currently exist on just because of the money in play.

 

[Titan24]

Decline in popularity in the Windies is one of the saddest things I've seen. The crowds are close to nonexistant even for their own team. Lara was their last hero. Windies cricket itself is hanging on by a thread. Wouldn't be surprised if new players get gobbled up by the ECB like Joffra Archer in the future and Windies cricket fizzles away.

Majority of young kids in Windies started opting for basketball and American football. The difference between the money cricket anywhere has to offer vs those leagues is huge along with the popularity of those sports in the region. Money in cricket hasnt really grown anywhere close to how much it has grown in some other sports in the region in last 3-4 decades or so naturally cricket in WI has suffered.

 

[mazkhan]

Intl cricket will be dead

The only format that will survive in intl cricket is t20 and maybe a t10 event at the Olympics.

Otherwise cricket will move towards indian controlled ipl being the main league and turning into a event touring various countries type model that's where the money will be.
Already sadiq khan wants ipl games to be held in London

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

Cricket need 2 more continental confederations like asia cup in which small teams get more exposure and money

Africa Oceania Cup

Australia
South Africa
New Zealand
Zimbabwe
2 associate teams

Euro America Cup
England
West indies
Ireland
Scotland
Netherland
USA

Icc wasted opportunity it should be immediately started after success of asia cup

 

[salahuddin10]

Cricket isnt dying.In Pak the popularity definitely isnt like it was 20 years ago but that is due to our performance and smartphones.Since 20 years ago Cricket probably was the only source of entertainment.But still ig Cricket in Pak is doing a good job thanks to Psl and Babar Azam.In England i dont think it will die since the main reason for lack of interest is that cricket isnt on fta.The Pak vs eng 2nd t20 last year was on fta and 2.7 m people watched on bbc and 700k on sky which nean 3.4 m people watched.The highest ever viewed premeire league game had 4.04 m viewers.Ecb are starting the hundred which will be on fta so hopefully it will improve things.
As far as global interest is concerned there are reports that cricket will be part of olympics in 2028.This will open up gov funding for all nations and ig that will mean thay cricket will be more popular than ever

 

[Mesozoic]

Cricket need 2 more continental confederations like asia cup in which small teams get more exposure and money

Africa Oceania Cup

Australia
South Africa
New Zealand
Zimbabwe
2 associate teams

Euro America Cup
England
West indies
Ireland
Scotland
Netherland
USA

Icc wasted opportunity it should be immediately started after success of asia cup

Or just have a rugby style 6 nations cup with all the non-Asian sides.

England
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
West Indies
Ireland/Scotland/Zimbabwe/Ned....

Familiar name. Familiar format. Will easily catch on with the SENA public and maybe even Ire/Sco...

 

[dildilpak]

If India actually cared about misgovernance in other boards, why don't they refuse to tour them and insist they reform themselves first before getting a single cent ?

Or are the votes at ICC meetings and political powerplays more beneficial ?

Why should the Boards of India/Aus/Eng’s be concerned if other boards mismanage their teams? Shouldnt it be ICC collectively taking a stand against this? When has ICC ever banned SA, WI, SL or Bangladesh for mismanagement/political interference?

 

[mastimasti]

I don't buy this...the big three is a fraction of the power they wanted to be and predicted themselves to be a few years ago.

England know the importance of playing Pakistan as it brings great financial reward, the 2016 series was a box office smash and have since regularly played. Soon they may even play in Pakistan.

South Africa are still crucial to Australia and England, may be less so for India who have found touring South Africa difficult.

In the meantime, the Windies also have a good relationship with the ECB, Sri Lanka play a lot of cricket in Asia and Bangladesh are cosying up to the BCCI very nicely.

None of the "traditional" nations are in trouble or torn apart by the big three...which ultimately turned out to be a failure.

 

[TheNeutralist]

Back in 80s other countries hardly toured India, and never hosted India frequently as well. When was the last time India played a 5 test series in australia?

Cricket has been like these, the best sides played each other often. What is the big deal?

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

Or just have a rugby style 6 nations cup with all the non-Asian sides.

England
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
West Indies
Ireland/Scotland/Zimbabwe/Ned....

Familiar name. Familiar format. Will easily catch on with the SENA public and maybe even Ire/Sco...

But icc is not in globalizing

 

[naseem]

The same year that Pakistan last toured..

Since then Pakistan played 4 games against them out of ICC events and Asia cups. And India played 8. So, by the usual logic, Pakistan are partly responsible for the downfall of Bangladesh cricket since 2015. Aren't they?



Toured them in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The same times as Australia and more than England but that obviously won't get highlighted because it doesn't fit the victim narrative.



2018. I honestly don't know where you're going with this. Do you want India to tour even Namibia and Papua New Guinea twice a year?



Yes. Just like how Pakistan tours England every summer. How is this any different? The "attraction" (whatever that even means) might have finished when Pakistan got whipped by them just before the WC or when they failed to make the semi in the WC, or when they lost the test series last year but still they're invited to play this summer. You know why? Because those two boards enjoy a cordial relationship with each other. Same with BCCI and CA. You never see an Indian crying about that do you? Then why the lame hypocrisy?



Didn't Australia host NZ and Pak a summer before. They also hosted Sri Lanka before that. Are they all a part of the bad evil Big3 as well?

Like I said, the nit picking is getting extremely lame. It's time people quit the victim mentality.

The frequency at which Eng plays Pak .....compare that with australia....I think after 2010 they hosted pak in 2015 or 2016.....and then 2019 20...... Don't know next when they gonna host.....just compare the frequency of ind Aus matches with aus-nz aus-pak aus-Sl ....matches....this is where cricket is hurting and dying not too long before Aus Ind won't have much viwership due to familiarity and boredom......

India last visited Ban in 2016...good 5 years back...2018 was in Lanka...

If Pak is responsible for Ban downfall then Ban must be happy with that downfall given they beaten SA WI in Wc2019..........

 

[sweep_shot]

Cricket is not dying but it is no longer as fun as it used to be. Things have become too robotic and dull.

Also, there are too many ICC events. It is an overkill.

 

[naseem]

Cricket need 2 more continental confederations like asia cup in which small teams get more exposure and money

Africa Oceania Cup

Australia
South Africa
New Zealand
Zimbabwe
2 associate teams

Euro America Cup
England
West indies
Ireland
Scotland
Netherland
USA

Icc wasted opportunity it should be immediately started after success of asia cup

I think Euro cup won't be bad....with one guest team from either Asia or Aus/Nz ....or may be WI...

Eng..
Holl
Ire..
Scot...
There used 2 be a Africa cup for sure....have heard names of Uganda Morocco playing.....don't know what happened to it......

But I heard that.....

Best is Euro Oceana cup...

More teams...more contest and good one...

 

[Markhor]

The frequency at which Eng plays Pak .....compare that with australia....I think after 2010 they hosted pak in 2015 or 2016.....and then 2019 20...... Don't know next when they gonna host.....just compare the frequency of ind Aus matches with aus-nz aus-pak aus-Sl ....matches....this is where cricket is hurting and dying not too long before Aus Ind won't have much viwership due to familiarity and boredom......

India last visited Ban in 2016...good 5 years back...2018 was in Lanka...

If Pak is responsible for Ban downfall then Ban must be happy with that downfall given they beaten SA WI in Wc2019..........

Cricket must be the only major sport where fans have no guarantee who plays what where. Even pre-Covid the FTP was chopped and changed at will.

Whereas we know every year exactly when the Tennis Grand Slams, the European football league seasons, or the Rugby Six Nations/Tri Nations will occur - in cricket it's a product of the machinations of individual Boards.

Imagine taking your non-cricket fan friend to this summer's Test series between England and New Zealand, and they ask when England host the Kiwis next.

"Oh the last time was six years ago, it depends on the outcome of the Chief Executives Committee meeting at the ICC..."

And we consider this absurdity normal.

 

[Line and Length]

Its not BCCI'S job to give handouts to other boards. Each board has to earn its own bread.

I never said it is. And you're just further proving my point.

 

[cricketjoshila]

I don't buy this...the big three is a fraction of the power they wanted to be and predicted themselves to be a few years ago.

England know the importance of playing Pakistan as it brings great financial reward, the 2016 series was a box office smash and have since regularly played. Soon they may even play in Pakistan.

South Africa are still crucial to Australia and England, may be less so for India who have found touring South Africa difficult.

In the meantime, the Windies also have a good relationship with the ECB, Sri Lanka play a lot of cricket in Asia and Bangladesh are cosying up to the BCCI very nicely.

None of the "traditional" nations are in trouble or torn apart by the big three...which ultimately turned out to be a failure.

Only two tours are financially profitable to England. ashes and India tour.

"ECB’s financial model is based around a four-year business cycle, with each four-year period having one home Ashes Series and one tour by India to England and Wales. The 2016/17 financial year represents year three of the 2014-17 cycle. Relative to India (2014) and Ashes (2015) years, the final 2 years of the cycle generate significantly lower levels of revenue and in turn deliver losses to the group, which are funded through accumulated reserves."

2016 year was a loss for ECB. Not some box office as you claim.

Statement by CFO ECB.

https://annualreport.ecb.co.uk/assets/pdfs/Financials/ECB_Financial_AR_2016-2017.pdf



CA too depends on Ashes and India tour to make profits.. Pakistan tours or other tours are loss making.

The sport's governing body confirmed a net deficit of $45.9 million at its annual general meeting on Thursday, a figure not unexpected as last summer was always going to be run at a loss with New Zealand and Pakistan in town.

India will tour Australia this summer.
India will tour Australia this summer. AP

CA bases its finances over a four-year cycle, where an Ashes series and Indian series effectively bankroll the remaining summers when less attractive nations visit.

https://amp.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...cricket-s-broadcast-deal-20201029-p569mr.html

Without India, even English and Aussie boards will be in losses.

 

[Rana]

It’s crazy how this European Super League has exposed The Big 3 model and also the IPL

 

[naseem]

It’s crazy how this European Super League has exposed The Big 3 model and also the IPL

Sad thing is UEFA and FIFA both r against it.....but here ICC and ACC will probably support Ganguly 's vision of super championship........

 

[street cricketer]

I don't think cricket fans truly understand how boring a sport cricket is for new comers or those unfamiliar with the game. We might not realise it because it is the only game we were truly fed growing up. Sure we might have followed tennis or football but those sports don't have your national team or players competing in it at a top level, so naturally cricket is the one sport we are inclined to. But it's not the same case for the people who haven't heard of the game. Cricket is an inherently slow game, where you have wait patiently for the good bits of the game, sometime stretching to days in case of test cricket. It is not a fluid game like football or rugby where the action is dynamic, in cricket, the action happens in intervals which can be off putting for the uninitiated.

I know a lot of cricket fans have a dream of cricket becoming a global sport like football, but cricket will always be a niche sport due the inherent nature of the game. The true success of a sport in a country is not by whether you're able to field a decent team for the sport, but what percentage of the population is actually interested in the sport. You should have read the memo when the two countries where cricket was played the earliest have switched cricket for other sports as the most popular game, football in the case of England and AFL in the case of Australia. I have lost count of the number of times I've seen Brits calling cricket a boring game, it's seen as a posh private school sport over there and it's only the immigrants and their children who are interested in the sport.

It's all well and fine blaming the BCCI for everything wrong with the game but the cold hard fact is that cricket is a sport where 80-90% of the interest comes only from one country. Cricket is the most popular sport only in the third world countries and that too only because of colonisation, the western world has moved on to other sports where the entertainment is guaranteed in a short time. Cricket in many ways is an archaic game and even the shortest version played in international cricket takes twice as long to finish as the average football game.

Yes the BCCI is powerful because it generates the most revenue. And revenues are decided by how many eyes you can put in front of a screen for a series so that the advertising companies and tv channels deem it worthwhile in shelling money for broadcasting the series. West Indies cricket is dead because their population is no longer interested in cricket and have switched to other sports like football and basketball. Rugby is more popular in countries like New Zealand and South Africa. Therefore, for New Zealand cricket board, since few of its people are interested in cricket, most of its revenue comes from an Indian tour because an India series would put a lot of Indian eyes in front of the TV and hence increase their revenues as opposed to a series against West Indies or South Africa which would mean they would lose money to host a normal test series.

India is the centre of cricket world because it generates pretty much most of the amount to run the game. The only two other countries with a high enough population and a high enough interest in the game are Pakistan and Bangladesh. But one has a decent team with a stumbling economy and the other has a decent economy with a poor team and so they have their own set of problems. If the people living in the Caribbean, South Africa, New Zealand and other countries actually put their money where their mouth is, cricket would be a profitable sport in those countries but since only a miniscule population of those countries actually follow cricket as a primary sport, cricket in general is a loss making venture for them unless it's against India or Australia to some extent. As I understand, according to the current revenue sharing agreement, even though India gets the highest pie, it is still subsidising the sport because it doesn't get the same share of the money it generates. This gap would only keep increasing in future because the share of money generated by India would keep increasing as India moves into the middle income countries threshold and more poor people are able to afford to watch the game on TV while I can see more young people falling out of favour with the game as time goes on in countries like England. And you can't blame Indians for being more interested in the game than others. Even if you spread cricket to the European and South American countries, it would still remain only a minority sport and would never be able to challenge the supremacy of football. And hence, cricket would be a loss making sport in those countries as well unless it's played against India. In short, status quo.

 

[PakLFC]

Cricket was never really alive to begin with! It is an imperialism hangover played in mostly regions that the British once ruled. The world's most influential countries like the USA, Russia and China want nothing to do with it.

 

[PakLFC]

Even during the Cricket World Cup most of the world doesn't even blink an eye I follow Cricket because it is the only Sport Pak nowadays is any good at. Even other Sports Pak once dominated like field Hockey and Squash are incredibly undemanding ones yet we like to pretend otherwise. No one in there right mind can compare Cricket to Football, Commonwealth games or the Olympics. Tennis, Rugby and even Golf are well ahead of Cricket too.

I have no problem with India with it's massive market dominating the game if it makes them happy. That Test Cricket is played in front of near empty stadiums says it all. Other then India the world's most populated countries know there is not much money in Cricket so they either avoid it or introduce incredibly cheap sides to keep the purists happy. Folks' , ask yourselves why have countries like Kenya, Namibia and the UAE not accomplished international status despite having played for decades? Coz they don't really give a damn!))

 

[PakLFC]

The UAE national Cricket side consists of mostly second rate Pakistani and Indian expats who were not good enough to represent their own countries. It's embarrassing

 

[salahuddin10]

The UAE national Cricket side consists of mostly second rate Pakistani and Indian expats who were not good enough to represent their own countries. It's embarrassing

Several international football teams are also made up of expats rather than people living there

 

[Cric_lover4487]

Several international football teams are also made up of expats rather than people living there

True. Look at world champion French team for example.

 

[PakLFC]

Several international football teams are also made up of expats rather than people living there

UAE team has many Indo-Pak rejects that is the difference. Some players who play for the UAE have played a match for for India or Pak then after being dropped they moved to the UAE to improve their chances of becoming so called proper internationals. The France Football team has won the World Cup a few times so good are their team. UAE can't even dream of winning the Cricket World Cup. Those playing for France left inferior countries making it with a much better one.

 

[OMB]

True. Look at world champion French team for example.

If expats can truly play cricket and sustain interest of an entire country, then France should one day win world cup cricket which might have players with their origins in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladesh.
Not happening, as the french football interest was always there before they took on expats.

 

[Cric_lover4487]

If expats can truly play cricket and sustain interest of an entire country, then France should one day win world cup cricket which might have players with their origins in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladesh.
Not happening, as the french football interest was always there before they took on expats.

I doubt cricket will ever become popular in Europe. I live in Netherlands no one knows about Dirk Nennes , Ryan ten Doschate. If native Dutch players are not able to develop interest in a sport, immigrants have no chance. I joined a local cricket club here, 99% players were desis. In France Football was always a popular sport in France before they started importing immigrant players.

 

[salahuddin10]

Cricket would definitely become more popular once it enters the Olympics

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

If expats can truly play cricket and sustain interest of an entire country, then France should one day win world cup cricket which might have players with their origins in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladesh.
Not happening, as the french football interest was always there before they took on expats.

France have a silver olympic medal in cricket whick Pak,Aus,SA and india can dream of

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Only two tours are financially profitable to England. ashes and India tour.

"ECB’s financial model is based around a four-year business cycle, with each four-year period having one home Ashes Series and one tour by India to England and Wales. The 2016/17 financial year represents year three of the 2014-17 cycle. Relative to India (2014) and Ashes (2015) years, the final 2 years of the cycle generate significantly lower levels of revenue and in turn deliver losses to the group, which are funded through accumulated reserves."

2016 year was a loss for ECB. Not some box office as you claim.

Statement by CFO ECB.

https://annualreport.ecb.co.uk/assets/pdfs/Financials/ECB_Financial_AR_2016-2017.pdf



CA too depends on Ashes and India tour to make profits.. Pakistan tours or other tours are loss making.

The sport's governing body confirmed a net deficit of $45.9 million at its annual general meeting on Thursday, a figure not unexpected as last summer was always going to be run at a loss with New Zealand and Pakistan in town.

India will tour Australia this summer.
India will tour Australia this summer. AP

CA bases its finances over a four-year cycle, where an Ashes series and Indian series effectively bankroll the remaining summers when less attractive nations visit.

https://amp.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...cricket-s-broadcast-deal-20201029-p569mr.html

Without India, even English and Aussie boards will be in losses.

Going by this, I don't think international cricket will be able to sustain. So cricket is a dying sport...

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Only two tours are financially profitable to England. ashes and India tour.

"ECB’s financial model is based around a four-year business cycle, with each four-year period having one home Ashes Series and one tour by India to England and Wales. The 2016/17 financial year represents year three of the 2014-17 cycle. Relative to India (2014) and Ashes (2015) years, the final 2 years of the cycle generate significantly lower levels of revenue and in turn deliver losses to the group, which are funded through accumulated reserves."

2016 year was a loss for ECB. Not some box office as you claim.

Statement by CFO ECB.

https://annualreport.ecb.co.uk/assets/pdfs/Financials/ECB_Financial_AR_2016-2017.pdf



CA too depends on Ashes and India tour to make profits.. Pakistan tours or other tours are loss making.

The sport's governing body confirmed a net deficit of $45.9 million at its annual general meeting on Thursday, a figure not unexpected as last summer was always going to be run at a loss with New Zealand and Pakistan in town.

India will tour Australia this summer.
India will tour Australia this summer. AP

CA bases its finances over a four-year cycle, where an Ashes series and Indian series effectively bankroll the remaining summers when less attractive nations visit.

https://amp.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...cricket-s-broadcast-deal-20201029-p569mr.html

Without India, even English and Aussie boards will be in losses.

What about reliance on India in the 80s and 90s?