What needs to change in cricket to engage me



As an Australian, my cultural heritage was embedded heavily in cricket - through many hours of listening to, watching, playing, supporting, and discussing. I have now lost interest in the game - well more specifically test cricket, one-dayers, and now 20 20.

  • Test cricket is just out of touch.
  • One day games are too long and take too long to get engagement. Simply putting, I cannot dedicate one day to watch a game. 
  • 20 20 is slightly better but my interest falls from one 20 to the next 20 sessions. It is like reading two books one after the other. It is not a game it is two games connected by a score.

So.................
Get rid of test cricket. It is too centered on the players, ex-players, and a hand full of die-hards. It is tedious, there are too many non-events draws and is biased by climatic conditions. Borrrrring

One day games just take too long. There are better things to do with a TV, mp3, or tablet. My day is too interesting to waste on one game.

20 20 is halfway there. For it to become interesting and attract my attention it requires the following.

  1. A batting team and a bowling fielding team - why does the climax of a game rest on the worst batter and the best bowler? 
  2. 4 quarters are required (rather than 2 halves) - bat 10, bowl 10, bat 10, bowl 10 - this would engage me as the two teams' achievements are entwined rather than separated.
  3. New ball - a new ball every 2 overs plus if it is hit into spectators let the spectators keep it. This keeps the ball alive and bright to see.  The excitement of the new ball is what is needed not a dull dead thing.
  4. No LBW - It is frustrating and there are too many wrong decisions. A wrong decision can influence who wins. 20 20 is all about runs and not about wickets. The highest score wins not the most wickets. I am not interested in how many wickets. I am interested in the score.
Basically, until the game becomes more spectator orientated and less player and expert orientated it will not attract my attention - other options are easier to consume and have less time baggage. I no longer go to bookshops and I no longer watch cricket. I use to love bookshops and cricket but now I can fill my day with many other activities.












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