Will fans suffer from Ashes burnout in 2013-14?

 

Let’s not talk about the fifth ODI. We’ll let the people of Brisbane have their fun. It was thoroughly decent of us to let them win. They deserve a bit of joy, right?! After KP auctioned his bat to raise funds for the victims of the Queensland floods, it was good to see our other batsmen in similarly charitable mood on Sunday. The result wasn’t pretty.

I suppose we could debate whether we’ve regressed as a ODI team over the last few weeks, or whether we’re just knackered after a mammoth tour, but nobody really cares about the CB series. The most interesting news of the weekend was the revelation that there’ll be back-to-back Ashes series in 2013-14, followed by another series in England in 2015.

We understand the reason for this bizarre scheduling. England will defend the Ashes at home in 2013, but it’s impractical for the return series down under to take place in 2014-15 (as would usually be the case) because the World Cup is due to be held in Australia in 2015. Meanwhile, it’s hard to move the 2013 Ashes forward a year because of the 2012 Olympics in London.

Moving the 2014-15 Ashes forward a year therefore seemed like the most sensible option. The alternatives were (a) waiting until 2016 for the next trip down under (which would surely be too close to the 2015 series anyway) or (b) simply skipping the 2014 Ashes series in Australia altogether.

The first option is undesirable to say the least. I don’t think I could wait that long. Imagine the anticipation. We’d all be like kids before Christmas for three years.

The second option is clearly a no go. We all know that the average Australian has the intelligence of a kangaroo sausage, but not even our Aussie friends would be stupid enough to pass up their best opportunity to reclaim the urn – i.e. by entertaining us Poms at home.

However, scheduling back-to-back Ashes series in 2013-14 is a far from ideal. Everyone loves the Ashes, but ten consecutive tests in a six month period, followed by five more a year later, might be too many. Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

Look what’s happened to domestic T20 cricket in England. When the tournament first appeared a few years ago, it was more popular than free beer at a rock festival. However, because the counties and ECB have tried to cash in on T20’s popularity – and who can really blame them – we now have a truncated tournament that’s starting to bore everyone.

T20 cricket is short and sharp. Fans don’t want a schedule that’s long and tedious. Therefore it wasn’t a surprise when some T20 fixtures failed to sell out last season. Could the same thing happen to the Ashes?

At the end of the day money talks – we get it. The last thing the ACB or ECB want to do is skip an Ashes series or reduce the 2013 and 2013-14 to, say, three matches in England followed by three down under. However, there must be a worry that the staging of fifteen Ashes test in two years is too many.

The Ashes are special because we have to wait for them. The normal schedule of fifteen tests in four years is about right. Packing three Ashes series into two years might cheapen the Ashes brand. Would the Olympics be so special if they took place every year? I think not.

At the end of the day, the ECB and ACB were between Ayres Rock and a hard place (Headingley’s Western Terrace?) on this one. All things considered they’ve probably made the only decision they could. We’ll just have to hope that cricket supporters don’t start to suffer from Ashes burnout. What do you think?

James Morgan

13 comments

  • Just like domestic T20, the ECB will kill all the excitement of the Ashes through over exposure. You could argue that more interest would be generated in the long term if a series was missed rather than back to back series.

  • I think by the third series in 2015, people will be crying for mercy. Sounds just like a desperate solution to empty coffers to me regardless of all this guff about avoiding other big events.

  • A lot of cricket lovers are very angry at this development, so I’m keeping my head down and avoiding saying what I think: that it should be very interesting and watchable. I will be like a long 10 match series with a “home” and “away” leg.

    My only worry is that the gap between might be stuffed with other matches, rather than suitable rest peiods and appropriate prep.

  • Bring it on. It always feels like far too long between ashes series, even if for most of my life it has meant being stuffed (again).

  • Sorry if this is an old question, but

    I can see the reason for moving the series in Australia, but why is there a series in England in 2015?

    • It’s because of the Euro 2016 football championship. The ECB don’t want the build up to the Ashes being eclipsed by the footie in June / July. The normal four year cycle will recommence thereafter …. or that’s what we’ve been told anyway!

  • It’s probably the World Bowling championships or something in 2017! I really don’t know James. I think 2015 was probably just the best time to start the 4 year cycle again. Why? I have no idea. I struggle to think a day ahead, let alone six years.

  • I realise that asking someone to understand the reasons behind these decisions is unreasonable. I wasn’t really doing that though, rather wondering whether it had been announced and I had missed it.

    Perhaps the idea of holding The Ashes series just prior to the Rugby World Cup (in England) in 2015 is to try to grab people’s money before they go and spend it on the rugby. I suppose the thought could be that it’s the only series with any chance of attracting significant attention that year. I recently saw on a rugby website that of a (admittedly small) poll, over 50% said that their second favourite sport was cricket. I would suspect that many of these could be expected to spend a day or two at an Ashes match. Once RWC ticket prices are released there will undoubtedly be lots of people having to decide between RWC and The Ashes.

    And then of course, four years later, 2019, is Cricket’s own World Cup in England. If they can’t hold it in Australia in 2014-15 because the World Cup is due to take place there in 2015, then why would they hold it in 2019 just before that World Cup. Perhaps the hope is people will enjoy the World Cup so much they won’t be able to stop themselves going to see The Ashes. They could find that people have run out of money/ holidays.

    No doubt they have their reasons. I just hope they are successful

  • MHA: James – you make a good point of the oddness of a 2015 series. Let’s double check that and then provide a clarification.

    My personal view is it would be better to have them in 2015-16, with the return series here in 2017. Can’t see why that wouldn’t work. Problem with back-to-back series is (a)dilution of the drama and significance (b) whoever wins in 2013 only keeps the urn for two months.

  • not only does it “keep the Ashes momentum going”, it apparently also “breaks the cycle of the World Cup and Ashes arriving at once”

    I can only assume that the 2015 World Cup has been moved and that those looking forward to the 2019 World Cup had better prepare for something different.

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