Can the three live together?

[manee]

After reading this article, I thought to myself, why on earth would people respect ODIs anymore? Scoring at six an over is an achievement in ODIs but it is the equivalent of failure in twenty20 and most teams can do it without trying in twenty20s.

Test matches fail to produce results, time after time again and yet, twenty20 can produce a result in the face of a tie with a bowl out. Who would want to play test cricket (except the purist of course) when twenty20 is more fun and promises way more $$$ for less than 1/20th of the time.

Twenty20 never produces 3 (or 7) hour thrashings, any destruction of a team is over in 1 hour and a half (Australia Vs Sri Lanka) and most of the time, the matches are extremely close since one good over can put you back in the game.

Fast bowlers display their pace and spinners, their guile more than any other form of the game and I am sure we can all appriciate that good line and length has a place too (Pollock Vs India, Asif Vs India), as it does in the test game.

How (and why) can ODIs and Tests survive when twenty20 is more fun, has less one sided affairs, more upsets, bigger crowds and a bigger display of talent from the cricketers?

Disclaimer: I have merely posed questions here, my views on what should happen will become apparent soon...

 

[Kev]

The 50 over game has done as well as it has done in the past since the introduction of T20 for the English domestic game, I'd don't see any reason why it should be drastically different on the world stage.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

I largely agree. I enjoy Test matches just as much as the wild and slogging T20 stuff.

 

[manee]

The 50 over game has done as well as it has done in the past since the introduction of T20 for the English domestic game, I'd don't see any reason why it should be drastically different on the world stage.

Because people are getting sick of seeing the same teams play each other in ODIs time and time again in long drawn out series.

 

[Kev]

Because people are getting sick of seeing the same teams play each other in ODIs time and time again in long drawn out series.

Well have shorter ODI series then

 

[manee]

Well have shorter ODI series then

Doesn't seem like the ICC are willing to do that.

 

[Kev]

It's not the ICC, its the individual boards who insist on ramming ODI's down our throat

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Plus, the television broadcasters are playing increasingly large roles in causing far more ODI's to be played.

 

[manee]

It's not the ICC, its the individual boards who insist on ramming ODI's down our throat

Yes, I know but the ICC have the power to limit the amount of ODIs being played.

Nonetheless, what do you (general you, not you specifically Kev) think the purpose of ODIs is anymore? The ability to see batsman play quite agressively for a prolonged period of time? It appears to be a bit of a middle ground game these days with the advent of twenty20.

 

[Kev]

I suppose Twenty20 can be basically and loosely described as the first and last 10 overs of a 50 over game. But what it is missing is the bit in the middle where players build an innings, I think you need to keep that skill.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Yes, I know but the ICC have the power to limit the amount of ODIs being played.

But they aren't going to as they loss of revenue would be unacceptable for them.

 

[Gilly Fan]

Test Cricket all the way for me. That's the real cricket. And the cricket I will always love. T20 is alright, but too much ain't good. I don't like it how they have a World Champonship.

 

[Hooper]

Tests>ODI
ODI>20/20

More Cricket the better.

I just don't like 20/20 because it can be discouraging to some bowlers.

 

[Sureshot]

More cricket the better?

Not for us, we know you Aussies regularly get huge breaks, but we play pretty much every single month, It's affecting the quality of cricket and the strength of the players.

Thread question..

As Kev says, T20 has been excellent domestically but it's not been too detrimental to the OD stuff (the ECB are detrimental enough). I think the idea of say 5 ODis and a T20 is about right for a tour, with say 3/5 test series.

 

[Kev]

What I'd like to see is a bit more integration in the games rather than just lumping them together in sets. For example this summer in England we had :

4 Tests vs WI
2 T20s vs WI
3 ODIs vs WI
then
3 Tests vs India
7 ODIs vs India

I'd have liked to have seen something more like

2 T20's vs WI
Test Series vs WI
Triangular ODI with all 3 teams
Test series vs India

And I'm pushing it a bit but a T20 tagged on the end of that vs india would have finished it off nicely.