[zalaps]

Rahul Dravid gave very good opinions on how game will take shape in future. This was delivered in 2011. Good time to revisit it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2r-ui47ow

According to me (I'm 90's kid),
Game has changed. In my personal opinion, it has degraded in defensive aspect of skillset. Test matches are epitome of defensive skillset exhibition. But with introduction of Bazball, I fear this will also change. Here is very good explanation by Great Micheal Holding on why he doesn't consider T20 as cricket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbKkJO1OEc4

Entertainment aspect gives more money to players than the sport itself. Finally, it boils down to who is in majority? Entertainment lovers or Sport lovers(purists)? We all know the answer. Empty stands in Ranji game says it all. If purists were in majority, things would have been different.

[sanjayrozario]

Interesting thread. & I agree with it.

There was a time where I stopped my tenth prelims studies (much to my parents' anguish) to watch the 1996 QF of India vs Pak. The date, 9th March'96, is etched in my memory. & now, I don't have the interest to know when the games are on or even watch the game. I don't think there ever will be a Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman (the last 2 bring back memories of the rock solid partnership to win the test match against Australia after being asked to follow on). Of course, Dhoni & Kohli are exceptions. But, yeah, the interest waned long ago.

[barefeetdriver]

The day they burned down Eden Gardens was the day I quit watching the 11 fools.

Also, cricket just has too many ad breaks. Makes you lose focus. Makes you channel surf and you land on Kala Chashma or something and that's it, you forget cricket.

Football albeit being boring for large swaths (120min + 10 min + 10min really and no winner?) has continuity. Monotony yet continuity. You aren't barraged with the same Mahindra Xuv300 or Gillette ad every 3 mins.

[kvsneela]

For me art of cricket died long time ago. During the 1980s , before the technological advancement like YouTube and internet, we depended on sports magazines like Sportstar, Sportsweek and Sportsworld. I and my brother used to collect these magazines ( from old book shops since we could not afford new magazines)only to remove the cricket pages. We had some 10/11 hard bound books using these pages starting from 1981 ashes ( Botham's series) up to 1990. I still remember Robin Marlar's preview about series in which he mentioned about the weaknesses of Australian team under Kim Hughes.,( He mentioned about Terry Alderman as an honest medium pacer who would take occasional wicket or two but in reality he was the top wicket taker (42) of either team). 1983 Kanpur test match in which Marshall simply set the series on fire with articles head lining "Marshall Law declared at Kanpur" with analysis of his bowling action frame by frame. Most thrilling photo graphs by Patrick Eager or Adrian Murrell with Hadlee or Lillee or Marshall charging in with Umbrella slip field
Or a fluent David Gower or a Hook by Viv Richards .

[ATTACH=gettyimages635168992612x612.jpg]2400118[/A
TTACH]

I kept those volumes for many years but didnot have time to read completely. As I was in transferable job , sold those to old paper mart during one of the house shifting. For me who played is immaterial and how they played is important.

With this mentality I never liked to watches matches in Asian grounds in which we had to face boredom than any thrilling moments( in those days).Shane Warne created some interest in 90s and 2000s but as the games were commercialised more and more , interest in watching live matches started slowly vanished and finally nail was inserted by IPL and overdose. Now I don't have DTH or cable or account in any OTT platforms. Watch only highlights ( or delayed serials). Now as I am retired now , wonder how my life could have been with those volumes in my library and whether volumes are still intact or used for packing pakoda or peanuts. I still have Benson and Hedges year book Edition 1( 1981), Edition 4( 1984) and Edition 5(1985). I am still searching for Edition 2 and 3 .( I think they cost in thousands in Amazon ). Less said about the commentries better. ( Generally I cut the audio off as I myself could do better analysis and can anybody analysis T20 matches?).

[silverado]

T20 has changed the way cricket is perceived, it is a marketing masterstroke to pull in more viewers and make cricket more global.There is news about making it popular in USA, but the people behind it feel the only way to do it is T20 cricket.

IPL as a concept has been great in a way that it has exposed our players to global talent, but quick money and quick fame has it downsides.

It is IPL which made me lose interest in cricket. There are way too many T20 leagues now all over world and way too much cricket played.

Sport needs characters and with increased focus on strict rules we are taming people who can be characters and bring the much needed spice which makes the game exciting.

The only cricket i watch these days is TEST matches. Thankfully there is a Test match worldcup and due to T20 cricket runs are scored at brisk pace thus bringing results, which augurs well for it.

Sehwag is a legend, his retirement was a Sad day for me.

[MBond007]

If you are looking for passion in Cricket then watch Ranji matches or matches of minnows. Even local club level matches are played with more passion. The passion with which minnows played in Asia Cup or T20 WC matches was admirable. The dejection on players' faces when they lose the match or they joy of victory is what sports is all about.

Sadly majority of the Indian cricketers have become filthy rich and the only drive for them to play is to keep the endorsements coming in.

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by charanreddy

These days I hardly follow what tournaments are going on. Post 2011 World Cup win, I saw a dramatic increase in the number of cricket tournaments and hence no longer feel as involved with the game.

Originally Posted by silverado

It is IPL which made me lose interest in cricket. There are way too many T20 leagues now all over world and way too much cricket played.

This is a rather strange criticism against cricket IMO. Look at how many leagues Football has. I don't believe anyone has ever said that "there is too much football being played".

The increase in the number of leagues is a reflection of the growing popularity of the sport. Growing popularity being ushered in by 20-20.

I understand a lot of forum members are test cricket aficionados. Sorry, but test cricket is a terrible sport from a viewership perspective. There are very few people in this day and age with the patience to watch 4-5 day long matches. My old office would occasionally have test cricket matches being played in the break-room. People would tune in for 5-10 minutes at most before going back to work.

90 minutes is a perfect amount of time for a game to be to keep entertaining for viewers.

As to whether is is a sport or not? Well, read the below definition and decide for yourselves.

[Dr Alpha]

Originally Posted by zalaps

According to me (I'm 90's kid),
Game has changed. In my personal opinion, it has degraded in defensive aspect of skillset. Test matches are epitome of defensive skillset exhibition. But with introduction of Bazball, I fear this will also change. Here is very good explanation by Great Micheal Holding on why he doesn't consider T20 as cricket.

Another 90s kid here..
I think test cricket underwent the right amount of change to bring in audience yet maintain the balance. Being a purist I love to watch test cricket where every single ball is a separate match in itself. Last India Australia series showcased the perfect blend of rear guard action by Ashwin Vihari and Pujara and the modern day dash of Pant. That series had something for every one to enjoy while keeping the intrest in test match alive for new audiences. I don’t think bazball will survive after a few series when England face spicy pitches outside England and in England (bazball worked in summer flat pitches against New Zealand and India and lifeless pitches of today’s Pakistan ).

New rule changes like (not using saliva to shine the ball) scrutinising keeping the shine of the ball alive for a long period of time will have the most detrimental effect on bowling leading to the death of the art of reverse swinging and the quality of test cricket in the bigger picture. Reverse swing died a slow painful death in the odi format after introducing two new balls from each end.

I don’t consider t20s as a cricketing format, but more like an item song used in movies to bring in the much needed crowd and money to take cricket to the global stage and keep young generations intrested in cricket which is facing tough competition from football.

[VikramCS]

Originally Posted by am1m

For example, what earthly difference did it make to me, an Indian, if an Argentine who plays for a French club, owned by a Qatari billionaire won the world cup, or if he had lost? Yet it did only because I've been conditioned to care. (And it did, btw I was overjoyed! But trying to analyze it objectively. ) Objectively, watching that epic final was the same as watching a well-made thriller with twists and turns.

If I actually played any sport, however badly and at whatever level, all those hours I spend watching it, it would do me a lot more good.

Completely agree with you and have same thought - when one analyzes objectively, the question is: what difference does it make to me whether Messi scores or Kohli fails? Instead of spending 3 hours in front of the idiot box, why not actually play the sport? (whatever suits one's interest). It will immensely benefit both physically and mentally when engaged in playing a sport(or any other physical activity) rather than just watch somebody else play.

Even i used to watch ODI cricket about 15 years ago, but, gradually lost interest after the advent of IPL, too many series, multiple formats...Now, i just read the news and sigh!

[SoumenD]

I do watch cricket once in a while like T20 WC(Ind vs Pak) or ODI WC or some interesting test matches in SENA countries. But the zeal we had back in sachin/ganguly/dravid/vvs or even dhoni era(Yes am a 80s kid ) is definitely subdued now. Agreed there's too much cricket now to keep track but I won't blame them. The sport is popular so why not encash it? Soccer does the same isn't it?

Blame IPL as much as you want but lets not forget it has given a solid platform to many youngsters who otherwise we would never know about as not everyone follows Ranji. IPL's entertainment quotient pulls crowd and these kids get to showcase their talent. As for cricketers while IPL contracts are super lucrative, an India Jersey still remains the pinnacle of career achievement IMHO.

BTW a noob OT query: Just saw this thread notification while going through a different thread and the picture was quite familiar as I had posted this couple of years ago on the cricket thread(link (The Cricket Thread)). This was clicked during the 1st pink ball test between Australia and NZ in Adelaide Oval. Marked the pic(bottom left)



Was wondering are these pics selected randomly? As I don't see this anywhere in this particular thread.

[RRM]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

Why do we lament about cricket? Even news has become entertainment now and the TV channel which shouts the loudest gets all the viewership

Absolutely agree with this point. News is now a joke. The breaking news for one channel is a stale news of other or a breaking news in one channel is aired across all other news channels!

Sports is a money business (for max) rather than passion, well rightly so as that is what it matters end of the day

[theabstractmind]

Originally Posted by VikramCS

Completely agree with you and have same thought - when one analyzes objectively, the question is: what difference does it make to me whether Messi scores or Kohli fails? Instead of spending 3 hours in front of the idiot box, why not actually play the sport? (whatever suits one's interest). It will immensely benefit both physically and mentally when engaged in playing a sport(or any other physical activity) rather than just watch somebody else play.

Even i used to watch ODI cricket about 15 years ago, but, gradually lost interest after the advent of IPL, too many series, multiple formats...Now, i just read the news and sigh!

A good number of cricket viewers are also true cricket lovers. You will see people in 20s, 30s and 40s show their love for game in some non descript ground occupied by multiple groups each playing their own match with Tennis Ball. At the same time there are many who book cricket grounds with a contraption as a pitch to play a more serious form with proper cricketing gear. My brother and I were well into our 20s when we played on open plots. He was a more serious player and played with his college team, local clubs, etc. And made a dash of 200kms on a Bajaj scooter to play a cricket match. And he watched the game like a maniac. I used to wake up at 5:00 in the morning to drive to a ground 25km Or 50km away to play team matches of my office (for all the pathetic player I was you couldn't take away my love for the game). We would tap someone's cable or try some hack to get a broadcast of a match. And as someone mentioned, Sportstar was a must read for this passionate crowd in 80s.

So for this sizeable crowd mentioned above, cricket is beyond a sport. It is a religion of sorts. You'll see them indulge in serious conversations on cricket. You will see them eat, sleep, dream cricket. And watching the game matters to them. For each one of them is a Kohli, Dhoni, Dravid, or a Ganguly for their team

I know the post sounds emotional and nostalgic. But believe me, you are underestimating a good number of viewers when you ask how it matters . It is only in the past decade or so with blatant urbanization and other factors like Technology and Football that you only see viewership for entertainment or rather time-pass than for the love of the game.

[vamsi.kona]

If we are speaking from a spectators perspective, what is there to any sport if not to entertain??. Right from Gladiator contests in ancient rome to modern sports, the purpose has always been to entertain those who watch them. One can argue which game, sport or form of sport they like, but ultimately one watches a sport because they like it. As a few have already said, watching a sport adds nothing to the spectator apart from satisfying some chemicals in the brain.

Coming to cricket specifically, I don't quite get the argument of purists and non-purist fans of the game because I love all forms of the game as long as there is a contest between two evenly matched teams. And obviously the shorter forms are heavily in favour of batsmen, but even then if both teams are evenly matched it will make for a riveting contest and that's all is needed for sports to be entertaining. 2001 Kolkata Test is etched in my memory like it happened yesterday and not even 2011 world cup win gave me that high, but that doesn't mean I cannot enjoy other forms. The recent Ind vs Pak T20 was a very high class contest and will certainly remain as a great match for long.

Test cricket itself evolved overtime from days of time less tests to the current 5 days and then to day-night tests. We even had a rest day within a test earlier, most likely after day 3. While we as spectators may want more test cricket, unfortunately the ground reality is different. Apart from Big 3 many nations actually lose money when they host test cricket because there is no demand for that. And it is not just because no one likes tests, but most probably because many don't have enough time to watch matches because they are working to make ends meet.

From a players perspective also, the knowledge that they can earn some money, even if they don't make it to the national team, is assuring as sports persons careers are short and a single injury can end their career. And to a large extent these people sacrifice everything and put their efforts into the sport, so they generally lack the skills to make it in other jobs. Now someone willing to make a career in cricket can have some assurance that even if they cannot make it to the national team they can still make money. We have seen stories and plight of many ex-players who lead a miserable life after their sporting careers were over. Love and romance for the game can be great but it will not be able to pay the bills and feed the family. And I don't think any child who starts playing a sport does so with making money as their goal, but eventually they need to make money if they have to lead a good life. It is how they balance this initial love with the money making that is important.

And come to think of it, we all started playing cricket because we loved it. And not many of us, apart from a few who played in local leagues would have played anything more than 10 over matches. Even in leagues it is mostly One day, Two days format that majority play. Shortest form was and is the form that is played by all except the professionals. It's just that it is being monetised now and to be frank is supporting the longer form.

To bring balance what we need is to remove meaning less bilateral ODI's and limit them to cup competitions, easing up the calendar for tests. Lastly, the best way to enjoy a sport is to go out there and play it with friends, no matter how bad one is at the sport. Playing it gives a completely different experience.

[Revvatron]

As a 90's kid I use to drop everything when there was any cricket match in tv. It didn't matter if it was a game between other countries. I feel interest in cricket is in decline. There are many factors to it.
1. When I was a kid, cricket and tv where the primary sources of entertainment. And I also feel we had lot of time in our childhood so we use to play outdoor sports or watch it in tv. The current generation kids don't have that luxury with increasingly competitive academics. On top of that pretty much all kids have smartphones these days so they have plenty of options for passing the time.
2. Another strong reason is the competitiveness among the teams. In order for the sport to bring in numbers or to be a hit there have to be competitive teams. Test matches use to be full packed events back in the days. Now we only see that in T20's and some rare matches between the big 3.
Apart from India, England and Australia pretty much all the other teams are in decline. There are few teams like Pakistan and New Zealand still trying but future looks bleak for them too especially when cricketers like Trent boult reject the central contract. And it is already pointed out in this thread that hosting test matches means loosing money for majority of the nations.
3. Too much cricket is also to be blamed here. And nowadays we are not even sure which playing 11 will be in the action. Yes they are doing for management of player workload but it is difficult to keep track of such things.
4. Earlier I use to watch Big bash league too apart from ipl but now even Big bash has fallen off the cliff. There can be various reasons for that but too many cricket leagues are causing fatigue to the users as well and leading to loss of interest.
5. Test cricket might not regain it's glory although I hope I am wrong. The reason being players outside of Big3 are opting out of central contracts and playing in T20 leagues. Yes we are getting more results in test matches and some well fought series but most of them have been between the Big3. The only way test cricket can be back is when teams like West Indies, South africa, Sri Lanka , New Zealand are back to serious levels. It's a matter of time before we get bored of the number of test matches being played India, England, Australia.

[fhdowntheline]

Cricket in my opinion has become a closed universe of its own like the NFL or (to some extent) NBA in the US. It has not expanded beyond the initial 7-8 countries in terms of popularity, and it will continue to be in its own stable, yet utterly boring state. It became a from of entertainment right from the Packer series or even to be more precise, the UAE based series. In my view, test cricket is still pretty interesting of the lot, ODI is the odd-person-out. But the game seriously needs to be cultivated in other countries. No wonder it is still not as well recognized internationally as other sports. None of the cricketers rank among the most recognized people globally (aside from their large respective catchment areas). Even I dont know about the NFL stars, so it is fair and square I suppose.