Today we have a guest article by Kevin Galvin, an Irish writer with the Evening Echo and Irish Examiner. He talks about Ireland’s development as a team and their pursuit of test status. It must be incredibly frustrating to be an Ireland supporter right now. Had India got behind the idea of two divisions in test cricket, then Ireland would have been included in the second division. Instead the Irish are banging their heads against a wall all over again. I guess India think protecting the...
India Block Plan To Resuscitate Test Cricket
Hey England. Hey Australia. Hey South Africa. Hey New Zealand. Hey Pakistan. Hey West Indies. Hey 72% of international cricketers. You want a two-division structure for test cricket? Well tough luck. We’re the mighty BCCI and we do what we want. You can stuff your plan to save test cricket and shove it where the sun don’t shine. Today is a very depressing day for international test cricket. Even though the majority of test cricketing nations and the overwhelming majority of players realise that...
T20 Or Bust? The ECB’s New Radical Plan To Shake-Up County Cricket
Details are slowly emerging of an ECB plan to double the TV revenue it currently receives from Sky. At first I assumed this might come via a bidding war between Sky and BT Sport when the current deal elapses in 2019. But I was wrong. The actual plan is a completely separate initiative that wouldn’t even involve the England team. Indeed, income generated from the plan would be ring-fenced, and according to Nick Hoult in The Telegraph, not a single penny will be invested in the national side. So...
Do The Maths: 4 Points For A Test Is Not Enough
At first I was incredulous. Then I was angry. Yesterday we were told that Sri Lanka’s tour of England will be decided by a points system – an idea I initially supported when it was floated a few weeks ago. Although I’m a purist at heart, I recognised that something needs to change. Test cricket is rapidly becoming an anachronism and I’m generally supportive of any experiment that might help. Andrew Strauss was even making the right noises about promoting test cricket. He...
Computer Says Gimmick: Strauss’s North versus South Series
Have you heard the news? Those crazy cats at the ECB have arranged a North versus South series in the UAE next March. There will be three games every year until 2019 to help England’s fringe players prepare for the next World Cup. I’m not sure why they’re trying to help the ODI side, rather than the test squad, but there we go. Although I’ve been cautiously optimistic about several innovations proposed by Strauss and the new ECB suits recently, I’m afraid this one smacks of innovation for...
Gently Down The Online Stream?
We’ll have a roundup of all the latest championship action tomorrow, but today I’d like to talk about a dispute that’s brewing between the counties, the ECB and Sky. It’s a rather delicate issue this one. As we all know, English cricket’s suits care very much about their satellite TV windfall. Those of you who keep an eye on social media will know that counties frequently show brief highlights of championship matches via Twitter and Facebook. They quite rightly feel this is a good way to engage...
