If cricket were left to pure market forces, it would make exponentially more money over the short term, be unrecognisable in the medium term and dead in the not-so-long term. India, England, and Australia would play each other endlessly between twin Indian Premier League seasons, and occasionally, India and Pakistan would refuse to shake hands at multiteam tournaments.
Broadcasters and sponsors would make a bonanza from eyeballs, which may peak before viewers get sick and tired of watching the same thing over and over. And then there would be nothing left of the game. Nothing worth fighting for, nothing to protect.
And teams such as the West Indies would not exist. Throughout the first Test match in Ahmedabad, questions were raised about whether the West Indies belonged in the world game any longer. Their batsmen did not have the stomach for the fight, the mental strength for the grind of Test cricket and the skills to be competitive, even on pitches that were good for batting.
When they began the second Test in similar fashion, once again the same conversations did the rounds. India enforced the followon and something changed. The lower-order resistance in the first innings stirred something in the top order, and John Campbell (115) and Shai Hope (103) put together a 177-run stand that ensured that the innings defeat was averted. In the end, India, anchored by KL Rahul, knocked off the 121 runs needed for victory for the loss of only three wickets, completing an expected 2-0 series win.
But, in batting 200.4 overs, West Indies drove a very critical point home: that they are not a lost cause. If world cricket’s administrators have any sense beyond enlightened self-interest, this should serve as a wake-up call.
It’s one thing to be nostalgic about the glory days of the West Indies, when they beat all opponents home and away, year after year, but simply pining for things that were a certain way decades ago achieves nothing.
In all sports, teams experience cycles, rising and then falling, rebuilding and then conquering. For West Indies to actually grow stronger, much needs to be done. Firstly, the economics of franchise cricket means that players from the region will choose T20 cricket over slogging it out in Test cricket. You cannot blame them, given the disparity in income from the two forms of the game.
The West Indies board has outlined how it lost money from hosting Test tours, pruned the number of teams playing in the domestic competition and is desperately exploring ways to stem the rot. Legends such as Sir Viv Richards and Brian Lara are in India, canvassing support and seeking solutions to problems that the International Cricket Council does not seem equipped to address.
Players and coaching staff from the West Indies have spoken about the challenges they face back home, primarily infrastructure. Poor pitches, slow outfields and non-existent practice facilities hamper the development of young cricketers at a phase in their lives when they need it the most.
The establishment of a Test fund has been proposed more than once. In this model, revenues from global broadcasting rights would be shared more equitably. At the moment, The Big Three, which account for most of the income generation, also take the lion share. But, this means that the money cricket generates is not being used where it is needed the most.
While this solution might appear socialist, it is the only sure-fire fix. It is the only way for a sport, already played competitively by so few teams at the highest level, to protect its base, even if it does not grow to be truly global. But, this will require India, England, and Australia to forgo some of the money they believe is rightfully theirs. At the moment, there is no evidence that these three boards can be persuaded to work towards a greater common good.
A two-tier system has also been proposed, but exactly how this will help the smaller teams, West Indies and others, is unclear. Even with the provision for one team to be promoted or relegated, the quality of cricket in the second tier would be dire, leading to even less viewership and therefore dwindling revenues. There is also the question of how the players themselves will improve if they do not test themselves regularly against the best in the world.
Daren Sammy, West Indies’s coach, made the most straightforward argument for why the cricket world should pause and think. “If we understand the impact that the West Indies have had in international cricket, I think all what we ask for, [is what] we deserve.
It’s hard to argue with this, for cricket wouldn’t be where it is today without all that the once-mighty West Indies did for the game.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
Broadcasters and sponsors would make a bonanza from eyeballs, which may peak before viewers get sick and tired of watching the same thing over and over. And then there would be nothing left of the game. Nothing worth fighting for, nothing to protect.
And teams such as the West Indies would not exist. Throughout the first Test match in Ahmedabad, questions were raised about whether the West Indies belonged in the world game any longer. Their batsmen did not have the stomach for the fight, the mental strength for the grind of Test cricket and the skills to be competitive, even on pitches that were good for batting.
When they began the second Test in similar fashion, once again the same conversations did the rounds. India enforced the followon and something changed. The lower-order resistance in the first innings stirred something in the top order, and John Campbell (115) and Shai Hope (103) put together a 177-run stand that ensured that the innings defeat was averted. In the end, India, anchored by KL Rahul, knocked off the 121 runs needed for victory for the loss of only three wickets, completing an expected 2-0 series win.
But, in batting 200.4 overs, West Indies drove a very critical point home: that they are not a lost cause. If world cricket’s administrators have any sense beyond enlightened self-interest, this should serve as a wake-up call.
It’s one thing to be nostalgic about the glory days of the West Indies, when they beat all opponents home and away, year after year, but simply pining for things that were a certain way decades ago achieves nothing.
In all sports, teams experience cycles, rising and then falling, rebuilding and then conquering. For West Indies to actually grow stronger, much needs to be done. Firstly, the economics of franchise cricket means that players from the region will choose T20 cricket over slogging it out in Test cricket. You cannot blame them, given the disparity in income from the two forms of the game.
The West Indies board has outlined how it lost money from hosting Test tours, pruned the number of teams playing in the domestic competition and is desperately exploring ways to stem the rot. Legends such as Sir Viv Richards and Brian Lara are in India, canvassing support and seeking solutions to problems that the International Cricket Council does not seem equipped to address.
Players and coaching staff from the West Indies have spoken about the challenges they face back home, primarily infrastructure. Poor pitches, slow outfields and non-existent practice facilities hamper the development of young cricketers at a phase in their lives when they need it the most.
The establishment of a Test fund has been proposed more than once. In this model, revenues from global broadcasting rights would be shared more equitably. At the moment, The Big Three, which account for most of the income generation, also take the lion share. But, this means that the money cricket generates is not being used where it is needed the most.
While this solution might appear socialist, it is the only sure-fire fix. It is the only way for a sport, already played competitively by so few teams at the highest level, to protect its base, even if it does not grow to be truly global. But, this will require India, England, and Australia to forgo some of the money they believe is rightfully theirs. At the moment, there is no evidence that these three boards can be persuaded to work towards a greater common good.
A two-tier system has also been proposed, but exactly how this will help the smaller teams, West Indies and others, is unclear. Even with the provision for one team to be promoted or relegated, the quality of cricket in the second tier would be dire, leading to even less viewership and therefore dwindling revenues. There is also the question of how the players themselves will improve if they do not test themselves regularly against the best in the world.
Daren Sammy, West Indies’s coach, made the most straightforward argument for why the cricket world should pause and think. “If we understand the impact that the West Indies have had in international cricket, I think all what we ask for, [is what] we deserve.
It’s hard to argue with this, for cricket wouldn’t be where it is today without all that the once-mighty West Indies did for the game.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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