Paine in the...

[Booney]

....finger.

If there has ever been a more pointless 'match' than last night's "All-Star - Welcome to America FFS" 'Gabba debacle I'll be surprised.

Added injury to insult ( yep, it's an insult that people were asked to pay to see that tripe ) I get a call from Junior Boon to come to the spare room, why? Because Dirk Nannes has just broken Tim Paine's finger. WTF was Paine doing playing in this exhibition match anyway and why the **** was Nannes trying to knock him down?

Another stunning programming move by Cricket Ozstraya.

[Rik E Boy]

Hear hear. They only sucked 5000 to go to this one...count on considerably more to attend the real Cricket match that starts on Thursday. Yet CA tells us we want more of these teeball matches apparently.

Stand by for ten ten folks as the toy cricket is starting to lose it's novelty already. You can keep your pointless slogging...I've seen Viv Richards.

regards,

REB

[Booney]

Hear hear. They only sucked 5000 to go to this one...count on considerably more to attend the real Cricket match that starts on Thursday. Yet CA tells us we want more of these teeball matches apparently.

Stand by for ten ten folks as the toy cricket is starting to lose it's novelty already. You can keep your pointless slogging...I've seen Viv Richards.

regards,

REB

I watched 3 overs last night. Dave Hussey played some shots that are right out of the "slog lovers text book" ( I have a copy ) and if our top flight cricketers are training for this type of play it wont be long before the ball leaves the bowlers hands in the red-ball form of the game and the batter will be thinking cow-corner.

[mal]

I didnt even know about this 20/20 game being on
I was surfing between IN V NZ and SA V PA games last night
I gather it was some sort of exhibition game ?
Anyways you gotta applaud the ACB for the totally inept scheduling of a bashathon 3 days b4 an Ashes Test

As for Tim
Oh the paine the paine of it all

[Rik E Boy]

if our top flight cricketers are training for this type of play it wont be long before the ball leaves the bowlers hands in the red-ball form of the game and the batter will be thinking cow-corner.

Exactly. Having this sort of carp foisted upon us at a time when so many great players have retired (and a few prematurely to play this sort of carp IMO) is having as big an effect on our national team as World Series Cricket and the Rebel tours did in the 1970's and 1980's respectively.

Perhaps when we lose the World Cup to go along with the lost Ashes and some bloodletting occurs at the top level at CA happens there might be a rethink. Until then we can count on being a second rate cricket nation that only wins the flat track bully series.

Shame.

regards,

REB

[Adelaide Hawk]

There's no doubt the concentration of the truncated form of the game is having a detrimental effect on Australian cricket. We are seeing young players viewing Sheffield Shield as a stepping stone to competitions such as IPL and a chance at some extra lolly, rather than a chance at the Test team. We are seeing players still good enough to push for Test selection just playing out their days taking the soft option and easy cash in 20/20 cricket.

We are not grooming quality cricketers like we were when the academy started and it is showing. I can't believe the quality (or lack thereof) of this current Australian team and I fear the worst for this series, and the next few years. Keep going the way we are, we can expect to see more of countries like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh playing series in Australia.

I was watching a Grade game with a noted cricket identity last season, and the Aussies were off somewhere playing yet another of these meaningless limited overs series and the question was put to me, "What is THIS series, is it important we win it?". Of course the answer was "No", but the Aussies were there anyway. His point was there's just so much limited over cricket being played these days, nobody really cares about any of it, except for the World Cup.

Here's hoping for some good fortune in the Test Series because I think we're going to need it.

Oh well, at least those who complained about the Aussies winning all the time would be happy.

[Hondo]

I am not sure which Australians of test level are playing IPL solely except for Andrew Symonds who must be close to 35 by now and wouldn't be in the mix anyway and Tait who is managing his injury prone body.

I think the IPL can be an easy excuse for the drop in our Test tean but I can't see the link. What happens these days is that due to the high pay players play on to a much older age than they used to and the IPL gets used as a superannuation fund for players who would otherwise retire. It gives the impression they are abandoning test careers to play it. If that were the case why are Hussey, Stuart Clark, Katich and co still trying to play test cricket? Why - it's the pinnacle and the players know that.

If IPL was having that much of an impact on national test sides then you'd think India would be bottom of the test rankings. In the test rankings there isn't much between 2nd and 5th (us) so I don't think we need to get too alarmed about what is usually a normal cycle of test fortunes. It's just that we have been spoiled with Australia being top for 15 years.

Note, I am not defending last night's game. I didn't even watch it. But I am not convinced of the link between 50 over cricket or 20-20 on fortunes at test level. It was our expertise at 50 over cricket in the late 80s that lead us into one of our most successful test eras ever. We have been playing limited overs cricket full on for over 30 years now. Test quality players will always rise up to the challenge of test cricket.

[Lightning McQueen]

....finger.

If there has ever been a more pointless 'match' than last night's "All-Star - Welcome to America FFS" 'Gabba debacle I'll be surprised.

Added injury to insult ( yep, it's an insult that people were asked to pay to see that tripe ) I get a call from Junior Boon to come to the spare room, why? Because Dirk Nannes has just broken Tim Paine's finger. WTF was Paine doing playing in this exhibition match anyway and why the **** was Nannes trying to knock him down?

Another stunning programming move by Cricket Ozstraya.

I don't see a problem with the game, it gives players a chance to have a casual hit without the enormous pressure that gets put on them just about every time they stroll out to the crease.
As far as the broken finger, it could've happened in the nets and Nannes is well within his rights to bowl aggresively, it's not much fun pitching it up and getting carted.
Each to their own though, if I was part of ca I probably wouldn't be letting my fringe test players take part in such a game.

[Booney]

Probably more my point LM, Paine, as our future long term 'keeper in all forms of the game, surely he doesn't need another "casual hit" at this point in the summer and as always the likes of Nannes and Har-Harwood would be hell bent on giving their mates some grief.

Junior Boon said Har-Harwood got stuck into Hussey a few times. What is there to be gained from that?

As for not liking being carted, well, "retire" from T20 and get the Mrs to wash the whites for the real game.

[gadj1976]

I watched about 30 minutes of this game - cos I don't have anything other than 2, 7, 9 & 10 available on the Tv in the bedroom. And it was an elongated advert for the ashes!

Slop game, don't know who won, don't care. I watched it cos it wasn't X Factor. Shame Paine broke his finger cos I had hoped Australia would have some nuts and put him in the ashes squad in place of Haddin.

Oh well, bring on the real stuff.

[Rik E Boy]

I think the IPL can be an easy excuse for the drop in our Test tean but I can't see the link.

I believe we lost Gilly and Warnie before their time because of it. Even if you don't include Gilly then the premature demise of Warne, who wasn't playing One dayers and had a whole year off due to 'Mumdietgate' has had a devasting effect on the fortunes of the test team. The big problem with teeball (rather than just the IPL which you have mentioned) is that we'll churn out Dave Warners instead of Ricky Pontings. Again.. a big link to the demise of our test standard I would have thought.

If that were the case why are Hussey, Stuart Clark, Katich and co still trying to play test cricket? Why

Because none of these guys would get a gig in teeball.

If IPL was having that much of an impact on national test sides then you'd think India would be bottom of the test rankings.

If there was no such thing as IPL and there was an APL instead imagine the effect on the Indian test side. They are playing this stuff in their own backyard. Also, India are growing fat on home series. When was the last time these clowns played on the road, instead of batting on one?

It was our expertise at 50 over cricket in the late 80s that lead us into one of our most successful test eras ever. We have been playing limited overs cricket full on for over 30 years now. Test quality players will always rise up to the challenge of test cricket.

No, we had one of our most successful eras ever by producing top quality cricketers in a strong domestic scene that included an excellently run Cricket academy. Now we are playing teeball. There is your link.

regards,

REB

[Lightning McQueen]

Probably more my point LM, Paine, as our future long term 'keeper in all forms of the game, surely he doesn't need another "casual hit" at this point in the summer and as always the likes of Nannes and Har-Harwood would be hell bent on giving their mates some grief.

Junior Boon said Har-Harwood got stuck into Hussey a few times. What is there to be gained from that?

As for not liking being carted, well, "retire" from T20 and get the Mrs to wash the whites for the real game.

It's Paine and simple that he shouldn't be playing in this sort of exhibition game, Wade would've gained more from it.
Nannes and Harwood are both getting past it, you do what you can to prolong retirement and to bowl economical when given opportunities to put your name in front of the selectors no matter what style game it is.
Whether we like it or not, T20 is very popular with the newer breed of cricket fan, it's entertaining with a gauranteed result inside 3 hours, it's here to stay and players will pledge their case if it means representing their country.

[Hondo]

REB

I don't think Gilly or Warne retired because of IPL. I believe they play IPL because they are retired. Gilly had that "moment" they all talk about where they realise they are over it and it's time to retire. Greg Chappell says he caught himself watching the clock waiting for lunch and that told him it was time to go. Gilly had the dropped catch. IPL allows them to still earn a wage and play the game at a much less intense level. Otherwise, they wouldn't play at all IMO.

My comment about the 80s was that, despite a glut of 50 over games in that era the test side still came on strong. I don't think we are playing that much extra limited overs games these days because 50 over cricket is getting dropped off the schedules slowly. In the early 80s the Australian team would play 15-19 limited overs games each summer season. If there was a link between limited overs cricket and the fortunes of the test side then we didn't see it then so why now? I am not saying 50 over cricket created the test level success that followed but it didn't prevent it as some are suggesting 20-20 is or will.

If there's problems with the quality of the next generation then it's something other than 20-20 given that these players grew up playing junior cricket before 20-20. Maybe it's the junior development program. Maybe it's just cyclical.

So far Dave Warner is a once off to my awareness. I don't think 20-20 created him as a cricketer. 20-20 gave him an opportunity at International level he otherwise wouldn't have got. We all know he is nowhere near the test side and not in the NSW shield side so his career path is only a role model for any other big hitters/sloggers out there. They have always been out there haven't they? I don't think every junior cricket now wants to be just like Dave Warner.

I think if we hate 20-20 we can draw all sorts of negative links. Some may be there, some aren't. I don't see the cricket world as that much different from before as I don't see 20-20 as much different from the first decade of 50 over games before the real tactics developed. Those same tactics made the game less interesting and 20-20 filled the slogging void. That's my thoughts anyway.

[Gozu]

Well said Hondo and Warne retired more than a year before the IPL even started. Also for the conspiracy theorists India are ranked #1 in Test cricket.

[Mad Mat]

Hear hear. They only sucked 5000 to go to this one...count on considerably more to attend the real Cricket match that starts on Thursday. Yet CA tells us we want more of these teeball matches apparently.

Stand by for ten ten folks as the toy cricket is starting to lose it's novelty already. You can keep your pointless slogging...I've seen Viv Richards.

regards,

REB

As much as I agree with all comments so far on the vailidity of last nights game, I can't help but feel p!ssed off that CA continues to schedule games at the Gabba when time and time again the people of Brisbane don't attend. Surely a game like that could've gone to Townsville, Darwin, Newcastle, etc at least they might've got a crowd and some atmosphere. And to top it off Australia lost its best WK.

[Pidge]

Hear hear. They only sucked 5000 to go to this one...count on considerably more to attend the real Cricket match that starts on Thursday. Yet CA tells us we want more of these teeball matches apparently.

Stand by for ten ten folks as the toy cricket is starting to lose it's novelty already. You can keep your pointless slogging...I've seen Viv Richards.

regards,

REB

As much as I agree with all comments so far on the vailidity of last nights game, I can't help but feel p!ssed off that CA continues to schedule games at the Gabba when time and time again the people of Brisbane don't attend. Surely a game like that could've gone to Townsville, Darwin, Newcastle, etc at least they might've got a crowd and some atmosphere. And to top it off Australia lost its best WK.

What about Adelaide? We would have almost sold out Adelaide Oval, whereas the Gabba looked VERY empty.

[Drop Bear]

Only watched until Haydos got out.

[Rik E Boy]

Well said Hondo and Warne retired more than a year before the IPL even started. Also for the conspiracy theorists India are ranked #1 in Test cricket.

Yeah and Warne would have been totaly unaware of such developments I'm sure. He hadn't played one day cricket for some time and had a year off due to the incident I spoke of earlier. At the time I recall quotes saying that it would 'prolong his career'....until the cash came along and it was all over. Nothing to do with IPL I'm sure.

In regards to India's test rankings, if you play on your home decks (the same decks the IPL is played on for the majority of it's existence as well) all the time you'll be ranked number one won't you. When was the last time India won a series away from home and who was it against? This 'India is ranked number one so how can teeball affect test cricket' analogy is totally bogus for the reasons I stated above.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

REB

I don't think Gilly or Warne retired because of IPL. I believe they play IPL because they are retired. Gilly had that "moment" they all talk about where they realise they are over it and it's time to retire.

Fair call on Gilly, I can remember that comment. But Warnie was speaking of 'Ashes 2009' and 'prolonging my career' but all of a sudden bang there's IPL and the cash and that went sideways. Why else the persistent 'coming out of retirement' rumours that we heard? I believe there was something in it and Warne has proved to be irreplaceable.

REB

My comment about the 80s was that, despite a glut of 50 over games in that era the test side still came on strong. I don't think we are playing that much extra limited overs games these days because 50 over cricket is getting dropped off the schedules slowly. In the early 80s the Australian team would play 15-19 limited overs games each summer season. If there was a link between limited overs cricket and the fortunes of the test side then we didn't see it then so why now? I am not saying 50 over cricket created the test level success that followed but it didn't prevent it as some are suggesting 20-20 is or will.

50 over cricket led to two things in Test Cricket. Firstly the overall standard of fielding improved and the run rate improved but only from the low base of what was offered up in the 1960's when the popular call was for brighter cricket. I also believe that 50 over cricket is less detrimental to test match play than teeball because even in 50 over cricket you still have to play patiently and build an innings. This is not an option in teeball so the destructive potential of this format is likely to be bigger, but that's only IMO of course. Also, when 50 over cricket era started we were in the Chappell days and this led to WSC and the Lambs to the Slaughter series so not too sure about this success you were speaking of was happening.

REB

If there's problems with the quality of the next generation then it's something other than 20-20 given that these players grew up playing junior cricket before 20-20. Maybe it's the junior development program. Maybe it's just cyclical.

The problem with the next generation is that they aren't as good as the past generation. My concern is for the generation after that. This is the generation that will be destroyed by a glut of meaningless slog fests. Dave Warner might be a one off now but he'll become the norm in the future in my view. I agree that teeball gave Warner his shot, but how many sloggers out there have seen how much cash he got out of the game despite not being all that talented? Success is definately cyclical but that cycle has yet to be tested by a form of the game that has only been invented to squeeze the cash out of temporary cricket fans.

REB

I think if we hate 20-20 we can draw all sorts of negative links. Some may be there, some aren't. I don't see the cricket world as that much different from before as I don't see 20-20 as much different from the first decade of 50 over games before the real tactics developed. Those same tactics made the game less interesting and 20-20 filled the slogging void. That's my thoughts anyway.

Australia does not and has not ever needed teeball. Yep, I do hate teeball so I guess I see a bogeyman that not everyone else does but at least tactics can be developed in 50 over cricket..there is only one tactic in teeball...swing the bat. With an uneven balance between bat and ball and with real strokes being abandoned then I believe that this can not help but effect Test match cricket in the long run. That's my thoughts anyway.

regards,

REB

[Hondo]

Fair enough REB. Good debate again! I reckon we've been here before.