Would cricket still be attractive if ICC rankings did not exist?

[MenInG]

I remember the time when cricket atleast Test variety was played for the love of it

Each team played another and each series was equally important

With rankings etc I feel that the emphasis is not on the game but on prizes and gloat factors

Would you be in favour of going back to the good ol days of no rankings?

 

[Arham_PakFan]

I doubt it tbh.Rankings make the competition more intense I feel.

 

[msb314]

I remember the time when cricket atleast Test variety was played for the love of it

Each team played another and each series was equally important

With rankings etc I feel that the emphasis is not on the game but on prizes and gloat factors

Would you be in favour of going back to the good ol days of no rankings?

On the contrary I feel rankings gives somewhat of a relevance to Test cricket that would otherwise be missing.

There is an obvious subplot when England play India and Australia play Pakistan with regards to the no. 1 ranking spot.

Without it - Test cricket would lose a lot of its shine (given that it is declining already)

However, I think the rankings systems are flawed. Home and Away victories should be prioritized differently to accurately judge who is/are the best teams.

Also a series victory - SHOULD ALWAYS result in points gain (regardless of the respective rankings of the teams). Not the complex system right now that no one understands

 

[MenInG]

How about us fans being happy or sad about the result of the series and not worry about how it compares to others?

 

[Napa]

I remember the time when cricket atleast Test variety was played for the love of it

Each team played another and each series was equally important

With rankings etc I feel that the emphasis is not on the game but on prizes and <b>gloat factors</b>

Would you be in favour of going back to the good ol days of no rankings?

I think gloating following wins was always there, rankings (like winning the WC) only give a more objective basis for doing so.

 

[jeetu]

Ranking has one positive aspect that even dead rubber wins count.

 

[ShoonyaSifar]

When I watch two teams play, I hardly care about rankings. All I look for is teams to be competitive and cricket to be entertaining. Those rankings and ratings are for sponsors and fans to use as they please.

 

[MMHS]

Actually, ranking makes the dead rubbers more meaningful but at the end, it's about the Series, rather than a Test. Also, ranking system isn't fair in a sense that, it doesn't credit the toughest achievements - even in olden days, it was really tough to win away Series.

Personally, I don't bother much about ranking, but eventually it'll matter as now the qualifiers (WC, CT, possible Test Championships) are based on ranking positions.

 

[Slog]

they are very flawed so i always have an alternate ranking in my head which i judge teams by

 

[Zak_Fan]

Not at all. Test Cricket would be so much duller without it.

 

[jeetu]

they are very flawed so i always have an alternate ranking in my head which i judge teams by

I think both home and alone tests needs to taken into account.

For example
Team A beats Team B at home
Team B beats Team A at home

Team C beats Team D away
Team D beats Team C away.

Should Team C, D get more points than A, B ? because Team C , D lost at home.

 

[Ankit007]

they are very flawed so i always have an alternate ranking in my head which i judge teams by

were they flawed when you were #1? or perception has changed recently?

 

[Cricfan4eva]

were they flawed when you were #1? or perception has changed recently?

There is no doubt rankings are flawed, but they are same for all. But the timing of crying foul over it is convenient for some.

Rankings suddenly seem irrelevant when a certain team gets to top and the whole idea of ranking seems absurd.

 

[MenInG]

There is no doubt rankings are flawed, but they are same for all. But the timing of crying foul over it is convenient for some.

Rankings suddenly seem irrelevant when a certain team gets to top and the whole idea of ranking seems absurd.

I am suggesting to make rankings irrelevant. We do not need that to enjoy a game of cricket. Judge each game by itself.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

I am suggesting to make rankings irrelevant. We do not need that to enjoy a game of cricket. Judge each game by itself.

ranking by and large have become irrelevant but it's still a decent indicator if there is one to show how teams have progressed over the last couple of years.

Wasn't it a proud moment for Pakistan to show what a turn around they've had after 2010 when they recieved the mace in England the very place their cricket reached an all time low 6 years back?

 

[MenInG]

ranking by and large have become irrelevant but it's still a decent indicator if there is one to show how teams have progressed over the last couple of years.

Wasn't it a proud moment for Pakistan to show what a turn around they've had after 2010 when they recieved the mace in England the very place their cricket reached an all time low 6 years back?

Because we made it so.

I was proud of Pakistan when they drew the series in England; a mace (silly symbol as it is) did not make that more or less enjoyable.

Similarly, Indians are happy because their team beat England.

 

[Abdullah719]

Sure it would, but best would be to take home and away performances into account as well as to regulate tour cycles so that the rankings were a fairer reflection of the teams. Randomised tours and same weightage for home and away performances sours the rankings a bit, I feel.

 

[Tusker]

Because we made it so.

I was proud of Pakistan when they drew the series in England; a mace (silly symbol as it is) did not make that more or less enjoyable.

Similarly, Indians are happy because their team beat England.

Indian fans would have been EVEN more happier if we had won the last test in the WI tour in Aug ... simply because it would have made us No.1 and prevented our arch rivals from getting there. The series win against WI was already in the bag.

Pretty soon there will be competition to beat the highest Ranking point a team has achieved. So its Everything to do with context and meaning to Test victories beyond the bilateral series itself.

 

[Ami]

Rankings is a useless exercise!

Most of the teams are pretty one dimensionally equal these days.

So who cares as to who the current no 1 team is.... or not?

There are no teams like Windies from 70s/80s nor Aussies from 90s to 2007 or even S Africans for a while straight after the aussie demise.

All the current teams get bashed about away but tigers at home.

Aus eng pak s africa india and even nz and s lanka are pretty much equal in strength.

The only teams that lag behind are windies and bangla...never mind zim.

I'd rather prefer at least 3 match test series amongst all countries, home and away, within a shortish specified period then all this emphasis on rankings.

 

[hitthestump]

The rankings barely mean anything now anyway, nobody really cares. A proper championship is required to really give meaning to test matches.