Unsustainable is the word you can comfortably use if you want to describe the current amount of cricket games being played around the globe. And, let me tell you, this opinion comes from this ‘mad writer,’ who is a huge fan of any international team and is prepared to watch anything possible. And, if for him, it becomes tough to enjoy these cricket games, you can realize how hard it becomes for the players to be involved in it.
I remember those words of the great Micheal Holding, who felt that it would be important for the boards to manage their players, especially the pacers, to have the best of their quality when you would need them the most.
The veteran pointed out the lethal spell of Wahab Riaz, which he bowled during the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup against Australia, after which he questioned whether the left-arm pacer would again turn up four days later and display the same spell. The answer is simply no because the body won’t allow him to do so.
Most of us have a wrong thought process in us that if we rip up the pacers with anger, perhaps they would use the energy in bowling fast. That’s rubbish. If the body doesn’t allow you to push more than your capability on that day, and you still go for it, you are putting your cricket career under threat.
Sorry feeling if you play cricket for England across formats
England started their home summer with a three-match Test series over West Indies, all of which came in their normally scheduled three days of break in between the games. The ECB decided to deny the pacers from taking part in the Hundred for a week from the end of the last game in Edgbaston, while the batters can feature after a few days.
Just around three days from the conclusion of the 100-ball tournament, the attention moved towards another three-match red-ball series against Sri Lanka, which didn’t have any extra rest days too. A few days from its conclusion at the Kennington Oval in South London, England is playing the ongoing five-match ODI series against Australia.
The board always speaks about giving the players a break, but if you’re an all-format player. Just put yourself in the shoes of Harry Brook, who played all six red-ball games at home and a few of the encounters in the Hundred.
At the moment, he is leading their cricket team against Australia, which will end just a week before the start of the upcoming three-match Test series in Pakistan. In between the two T20Is where England faced Australia, there was the finals day of the T20 Blast, which was sandwiched to attract the fans, and because the national players were playing the bilateral series, they couldn’t turn up for those couple of days.
A week at the end of the Pakistan trip, the Three Lions is due to travel to the Caribbean for the three ODIs and five T20Is, and even if Brook wants to show his muscle power in those cricket games, he can’t because he would drain himself for the next red-ball series which starts on November 28 in New Zealand, ten days after the end of the West Indies trip. And, the same cycle will keep on going when they will again feature the next summer. Zimbabwe, India, South Africa, West Indies!!! Ridiculous is the word you are about to murmur!!
Amidst Ebbs and Flows, Cricket Needs to be Little more Practical But When?
Quality or Quantity- Choice is Yours
The choice is for the boards of made. At the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup, India and Australia were engaged in a bilateral T20I series, which again showed no knowledge of importance. Either they want to play the cricket games because of the quantity and the promise they have made to the broadcasters, or it’s about finding quality in the game.
Meaningless Test matches are something that we generally play a lot. I remember when they introduced the World Test Championship (WTC), most of the talks were about how they would reproduce the growth of the longest format back because they would invent the numbering system. Well, that made the plans, but there were, are, and will be so many loopholes in the whole context.
For that two-year cycle, there will be one of that periods where a few certain teams would be crystal clear of their disqualification from the table. So, what will they do then? Play meaningless cricket? You just think about the West Indies side. Even before the start of their England trip, they were out of the WTC cycle, but the players still needed to drag themselves for those games and will need to do the same for another four games against Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The one thing that they could do is discover the ranking system, just like the County cricket. If you don’t do well for one cycle, then you have to get demoted for the next round. In that way, at least, you won’t lose the energy from the middle half of the whole competition. But, there is a certain issue!!
A few of the teams won’t be happy to go down the second phase even if they don’t do well. Even if they do, then their next cycle could end up being one of the easiest. They will again go up and come down again. But in that case, a few of the blockbuster series won’t be able to take place and, the broadcasters will again lose interest.
It’s the same thing happening with the 50-over format, and the ICC needs to come up with some sort of plan. The way some of the teams use the bilateral T20I series shows their less interest in that and are forced to take part in those games only because of the broadcasters. So, you can scrap those T20Is and allow the players to play the franchise leagues, ODIs, and Test cricket.
The ODIs are something that has gone through so many renovations over the years, unlike the T20Is. The number of new balls has been changed, the period of powerplay overs, the allowance to keep a certain number of players in the circle, and many more. Let’s just get back to the old one and leave it. The 50-over cricket is here to stay as long as they would have World Cups, which is a huge importance for the TV rights.
We are not too far away from some of the huge changes in the game of cricket, but the question stands, if the fans, the players, and most importantly, broadcasters would be able to absorb the new way.
Author: That mAd wrIter
Someone who loves how Steve Smith from being Australia's future Shane Warne has become present Don Bradman, gets inspired by Anderson's longevity, gets awed with Kohli's drive and Southee's bowling action. Never gets excited with stats and records, and believes in instincts, and always questions spinners bowling with the new ball.
