Piglet: THE CRICKET THREAD

Piglet 06.01.17	TO WATCH: Download Ace Player (http://acestream.org), find a code (https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/ > Match Thread > Acestream post), ctrl + t in Ace Player, Paste Code, ENJOY. This is superior to standard web streams because the quality can be HD, it basically plays through VLC without the rigmarole of ads, unreliability and unnecessarily slow servers AND you can also pause it and watch it a day later. Nothing quite like unwinding to a glass of red and the sound of Nasser and Athers.
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	Don't know why Rashid has been dropped? Bumble is the best commentator.
Piglet 06.01.17	Yeah not sure, I find myself agreeing with Warnie. Wood, Plunkett, Stokes, Woakes (who just walked off!?) and Ball are all very similar hit-the-deck bowlers. Rashid can spin the ball both ways, has a very competent international record and would be a great foil through the middle overs. Bumble's conversations with people in the crowd wearing earphones will never stop making me giggle ahahha
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	U know it's just gonna be me and u in this thread?
Piglet 06.01.17	ahahah nahhh there's quite a few blokes on sput that are cricket nuffies, they'll come seeping through the cracks (i hope). IIRC back in like '09 there was a thread on the Ashes that got hundreds of comments. The banter was at a gold standard ahahah
Sinternet 06.01.17	cricket sucks and is the most boring sport to watch outside of golf
Piglet 06.01.17	Funny, those are my two favourite sports Fuck, Jake Ball is getting hammered. I saw him throughout the tour of India and the recent ODIs against SA, he doesn't seem to have the requisite control for international duty.
Demon of the Fall 06.01.17	Do you buy England as favourites Piglet? Man that sounds strange. I guess it's on home soil which makes all the difference so I can see it. The tag makes me nervous though & India can beat anyone, anywhere on their day. Stokes' injury concerns are worrying too.
Piglet 06.01.17	That's the million dollar question innit Sunlight. They are certainly one of the favourites, especially given their home advantage, especially given how modernized their batting game has become since their dismal World Cup tour. However I will add the caveat that what wins ODIs are class wicket-taking bowlers and whilst I rate all the English seamers, batsmen will have a field day with them if the pitch is flat. They are literally all the same. They typically bowl back of a length at a steady pace (135kph+ with the exception of Wood, occasionally Woakes) and rely on seam movement or some type of variation from the pitch. Not a winning combination in the modern game, on these roads. They could really go for a lot of runs against class teams with immense power games. You really need bowlers like Starc or Rabada capable of accurate, swinging yorkers and extreme pace to have any hope of bundling a team out to trigger top order collapses from the get go. Of course, England are capable of this, but less so than Australia and South Africa. For example: 1) Cummins - bowls 155kph+, has a deceiving slower ball bouncer, a killer yorker, an absolutely devastating bouncer, consistency 2) Starc - THE most complete limited overs bowler of ALL TIME. Bowls up to 160kph, left-arm angles, the most devastating yorkers in world cricket since Waqar Younis, swings the ball a mile, reverses it a mile, a killer bouncer 3) Pattinson - 145kph+, admittedly the weak link because he bowls a much fuller length but nonetheless has a searing bouncer, yorker and swings it just as much as Starc 4) Hazlewood - Probably the most consistent pace bowler in the world. 140kph+, nagging length, extra bounce. Most similar to the English bowlers. But see, even here there’s a double standard in express pace, because sometimes all it does against class batsman is make the ball go quicker to the boundary. And to be fair England just won against South Africa 2-1 in the recent ODI series. Also weather is another defining factor; the last Champions Trophy, Australia barely got a single game because of rain. It was a farce. In any case, I don’t know, no one does, there are so many variables and it is the definition of a game with fine margins. India could well win with their level of pure talent in the batting line up alone, like you say. But I am an Australian and I think we have the most destructive bowling line up, actually something akin to the West Indies of the 80’s as well as the most talented and technically pure power hitters for this format of the game, in these conditions. Warner, Finch, Lynn, Maxwell, Head paired with Steve Smith as the anchor is truly, truly ludicrous. I think it will most likely be the old enemies versing each other, weather and luck permitting.
SAPoodle 06.01.17	As a South African, I am scared to comment on here for fear of having the 'chokers' label thrown at me
Piglet 06.01.17	Haha! it really is a hilarious legacy to have. But honestly, the quality of Amla, de Kock and de Villiers cannot be denied. They are absolutely insane; statistically, they would be considered the best batsmen who have ever played the format. It would not surprise me at all if you guys won on the back of some insane knocks by them alone, not even considering the quality of the pace attack.
Demon of the Fall 06.01.17	You are a fountain of knowledge Piglet, I don't follow cricket as closely as I once did but can't argue with the quality or variety of the Aussie pace attack. I'd definitely swap them for England's if I could. You need bowlers who can create wickets out of nothing & you guys certainly have that... it's probably as important as it's ever been considering the devastation modern ODI batsman can inflict on the scoreboard if left out there too long.
SAPoodle 06.01.17	I take solace from the fact that people were calling the All Blacks chokers a few years back and now they've won two World Cups in a row. It might just take us winning one tournament to break the nerves and hopefully continue on from there. With that said, however, I'm not confident that this is going to be our tournament. Aussies are tournament masters and England have a good looking team in home conditions so I'd say they are favourites.
Piglet 06.01.17	Yeah one of the commentators just said that there has been 83 scores of over 300 since the last World Cup (2 years ago). Think about how ridiculous that is considering the history of the format ahahah
Dedicated1 06.01.17	Once footy season starts I usually tune out of everything cricket. But the Aussie pace attack and the wide open possibilities have me intrigued. How bad can England be? Will the Aussie pacemen be a liability? Can the Bangers upset a few? Should be good.
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	Plunkett's supposed to be quick but he isn't really is he. Shame we can't have Tymal Mills. Bangla going well but I think they need 350+ to win this.
Piglet 06.01.17	i should really get myself up to date with aussie football ahahah. Both Port and the Crows are supposed to be v good this season so it's probably the best time to watch I think he was quicker before he had all those injuries. Think he's also changed his action a bit. Still he seems to be bowling the best he has in years, gets a bit of extra nip off the pitch. Tymal Mills wouldn't be a bad inclusion yeah, is he injured?
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	if you genuinely enjoy cricket you'd best commit yourself to the nearest psychiatric ward
Piglet 06.01.17	90% of the population would probably say the same about black metal, which you seem to like 😎
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	fucking hell mate touche
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	Dunno why everyone thinks cricket and golf is boring. Always a laugh and have a beer after. Good comeback by England.
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	to clarify they can be fun when played irl sure, but i'd opt to be a slave in a gulag for a week before watching a test match
Piglet 06.01.17	nah man test matches is the only place i find meaning in my life yeah england should win this without a hitch. 350 is about par LUL
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	Tests are weird, incredibly boring for days on end but in the last hour or so can turn really exciting.
GhandhiLion 06.01.17	NICE LIST M8
Piglet 06.01.17	There is not a comparable sporting event to a test match. 5 Days. Ebb and flow. Long build-ups and satisfying climaxes. People talk about the release you feel when your favourite team in Soccer scores a goal, well imagine how it feels watching 3 hours of deadbat blocking, then a wicket. Its the only thing that brings me to audible grunts of joy now that I'm single. And when my favourite batsmen are out there scoring centuries, I get this constant warm, fuzzy feeling for hours like as if someone is shoveling hot donkey loads up my arse. You just have to be invested in the narrative enough and the game sucks you in. lmao @ghandhi
Clegane 06.01.17	the only sport on earth that makes soccer look exciting by comparison.
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	idk man. One could argue that the only mildly entertaining thing ever to happen in cricket was the Andrew Symonds golliwog incident.
Clegane 06.01.17	sounds like some harry potter nonsense.
Piglet 06.01.17	hahah yeah simmo was a goodcunt but yeah idk think of test cricket like its jane doe or some shit. incredibly inaccessible but incredibly rewarding. definitely not for everyone
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	ay bloody fair fucks cobber.
RaylanCrowder 06.01.17	"Thirdly, Shane Warne is a good commentator" Blasphemy. Fuck almost all of the Channel Nine commentators not named Ian Chappell and Mark Nicholas
Piglet 06.01.17	Ian "Old Man" Chappell and Mark "Smarmy" Nicholas are two of worse dude hahahah
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	strewth! we got a few true blue aussies ere don't we
RaylanCrowder 06.01.17	He's not very good but less annoying than Michael Slater and Warnie commentating together. It's been three years and those fucking pizza polls still get under my skin. The standard of cricket commentary in general is a bit shit though anyways. Bumble is funny, but no one is as accessible to the largest audience as Ian Bishop or Harsha Bhogle, and very few living commentators seems to be as good at in-game analysis as Michael Holding I miss Tony Cozier, Richie Benaud and Bill Lawry :(
Demon of the Fall 06.01.17	'Ian "Old Man" Chappell and Mark "Smarmy" Nicholas are two of worse dude' Agreed, hard! And yes Warnie is decent (from an Englishman).
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	I always forget cricket is popular outside of Australia.
Demon of the Fall 06.01.17	'idk think of test cricket like its jane doe or some shit. incredibly inaccessible but incredibly rewarding' This is literally the greatest thing I've ever read. Let's take this further & try and imagine cricket with Jane Doe as the soundtrack, the absurdity of that scenario is rather amusing.
EphemeralEternity 06.01.17	I'd still rather apply deep heat to my bare scrotum 8 hours a day for 5 days straight
Piglet 06.01.17	hahah oh man i've definitely listened to jane doe watching cricket from time to time. but i have found the lord of the rings soundtrack to be the single best accompaniment Root vying for the spot as my second favourite batsman. Absolute class. Wonderful balance, footwork, impeccable shot selection, timing. Hales also is such a natural timer of the ball. Almost no footwork, yet the he works his hands through the ball with such ease and coordination. Is Cozier still commentating btw?
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	"I get this constant warm, fuzzy feeling for hours like as if someone is shoveling hot donkey loads up my arse" I'm starting to see cricket in a different light. Cozier is no more.
Piglet 06.01.17	lmao that's a damn shame. Root getting a century as if that's any surprise
STOP SHOUTING! 06.01.17	Root is quality. Had a nice little doze on the sofa watching this.
Piglet 06.02.17	sounds like a lazy afternoon well spent looking forward to the tasman rivals tonight, will be an absolute cracker
Piglet 06.02.17	Yesss got back from work just to miss all the boring kiwi batting I will saviour every moment of this run chase
Piglet 06.03.17	Pity I missed it, I'm sure Amla's century was sublime South Africa should have this in the bag, the wheels were always going to fall off with Sri Lanka
Piglet 06.03.17	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZBLa7e5_4Y
STOP SHOUTING! 06.03.17	Sheez. Slanka can still win this.
Piglet 06.03.17	It's the second most popular sport in the world, no thanks to india. Baseball is basically one shot off of one trajectory with a bent throwing arm. Cricket is where the ball is thrown with a straight arm (
Piglet 06.03.17	Damn i must be high as fuck but the comment is getting cut off Cricket is where the ball is thrown with a straight arm (
Piglet 06.03.17	WTF Sputnik, you can't take brackets? Okay Baseball is basically one shot off of one trajectory with a bent throwing arm. Cricket is where the ball is thrown with a straight arm, less than 15% bend, and it can bounce anywhere along a 20 yard strip. There are about twenty million other differences I could waste my time trying to describe but it's pretty impossible.
Demon of the Fall 06.03.17	It's the biggest sport in India, population of 1.1 billion (approx) Pakistan over 100m Bangladesh over 100m West Indies (not sure) Top 3 in England 60m (plus there's a huge following from people who originate from/identify with the above countries) Big followings in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Sri Lanka. It's big, not the biggest (that's 'association' football) but don't disrespect cricket. India vs Pakistan is probably the most intense rivalry in sport, to the point where they haven't played on home turf (either country) for 10 years due to 'political issues' & a game in Birmingham (England) will apparently produce £5m for the local economy... that's one game!
Demon of the Fall 06.03.17	In fact the stats say the IPL (Indian Premier League) was the 4th most watched stadium sport competition in the World!
Piglet 06.03.17	Next thing they'll be saying "Who uses celcius"
Piglet 06.05.17	Australia have bowled muuuch better today than against New Zealand. Hazlegood hitting that perfect in between length for ODIs, Cummins getting nice lift and pace and the batsman have no idea what to do on a surface that isn't made out of mud. This Oval pitch really has nice pace and carry in it, not to mention some grip for the spinner. But yeah no semblance of real talent so far from Bangladesh's batting. A couple lucky escapes from shitty pull shots on the part of Tamim, footwork completely muddied on the part of Soumya and Kayes. They really had no idea, going back to full lengths, going forward to short lengths, lazily wafting angled bats at balls ANGLING away, it goes against every principle of good batting, just a complete lack of reactions and hand-eye coordination. Would not surprised if this turns into another rain affected match looking at the forecast though.
Piglet 06.05.17	Here I was just about to bag the Henriques selection but then he gets a wicket. It wasn't even out, mind you. Still, he seems to be getting the ball to skid on and keep low, which may be a factor for some of the Bangladeshi bowlers, Mustafizur in particular. In any case, the omissions of Chris Lynn and Usman Khawaja in the team is a complete joke, our batting is so needlessly fragile because of it. Henriques is way too sketchy to bat as a number 4.
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	What would happen if every Australia match was rained off?
Piglet 06.06.17	Then I'll keep on telling people that London is actually a byword for "big fucking permanent deluge" I went there in the very, very middle of Summer with just thongs and the expectation I could walk around like a headless chook but nah. Rain, rain, rain and rain ahahah In any case Root is looking in supreme touch yet again. Still can't get over how decisive his footwork and shot selection is. Without a single fault. Stokes and Hales as well, what fucking talent. Enjoying this quite a lot so far.
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	Apparently Root (uncharacteristically) played a poor shot to get out, short & wide etc. You jinxed him! But yes, this has to be the most talented ODI batting line-up we've produced in, well... forever I guess considering the relatively recent advances of the shorter format. Arguably right up there across all formats if we're just talking pure talent. And yes, it rains a lot over here, in fact it's torrential rain right now outside my window. Always there to ruin a potentially nice summer.
Piglet 06.06.17	Yes, I did jinx him ahaha! Always bloody happens. It was quite a poor shot all things considered. The commentators did well to point out he seemed to be getting a bit antsy being starved of the strike and set himself up for the big slog. With his usual footwork, he would have just as easily smashed that in front of square with a controlled cut. Am I wrong in thinking there's a supposed "rain belt" region around the midriff of England, like Manchester region?
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	I think the rain belt region covers the entire country, haha. It's notoriously wet in Wales as well although I'm not sure if that's a myth & it's not actually any wetter than elsewhere. I've lived in 3 completely different areas of England & not noticed any discernible difference in precipitation levels, whether that's just my perception at those specific times in my life or there's just no actual difference... who knows? You've got me curious, might do some research even if it's to find negligible variances it might be vaguely interesting.
Piglet 06.06.17	In any case 310 ain't half bad considering the position England were in at the end. I think New Zealand are very capable of chasing as well, if the weather fucks off. I hope the game continues to be competitive and I will be rooting for my antipodean brothers in arms. Whereabouts are you located exactly Sunlight?
SpiritCrusher2 06.06.17	"imagine how it feels watching 3 hours of deadbat blocking, then a wicket. Its the only thing that brings me to audible grunts of joy now that I'm single" probably the saddest thing I've ever read
Piglet 06.06.17	Oh and yeah, either Nasser or Athers mentioned this mythical "rain belt" thing on air a couple times but that's the full extent I've heard about it.
Piglet 06.06.17	ahahah i'll give you that spirit
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	Leeds. In cricket terms that's near Headingley. I'm worried it'll start raining & then NZ get a revised total where they can play it like a T20, that always seems to favour the chasing team. 310 looks ok although I haven't seen it so not sure how the pitch is playing.
Piglet 06.06.17	Is it anything like Liverpool? Actually number 6 on this list has a song about it; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbZ2B0tCb3c
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	It's not the world away from Liverpool, there's a canal that connects them & you can walk it (120-odd miles though, maybe more). We wouldn't exactly say it's close but from an Australian's perspective it's close enough, haha. Leeds is more central whereas Liverpool's out towards the West coast.
Piglet 06.06.17	Hahha oh yeah i know where leeds is, i more meant is the flavour of the town like liverpool? i went in some parts of liverpool which were really dark and gnarly, then others which were all cute and shit
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	In that case I have no idea, my wife knows Liverpool a little but never been myself. It's probably the closest 'major' place to me geographically that I've never visited.
STOP SHOUTING! 06.06.17	Liverpool can't be that far from Leeds? Can't be bothered to look it up. Your antipodean brothers have no chance with this chase. Hopefully.
Piglet 06.06.17	Oops I accidentally deleted my own comment *Which city do ya reckon is your fav Sunlight? haha man if Guptill stays in! Ya never know what can happen, especially with a revised total
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	It isn't if you take the most direct route, maybe my comment was misleading because I was specifically talking about the canal path.
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	'Which city do ya reckon is your fav Sunlight?' York. I like all the historic buildings & castle walls etc. plus it's just a really cool place to visit for all your usual city things.
Piglet 06.06.17	It has been said that australia is basically a big, sunny yorkshire, hah! Love me a good yorkie. New Zealand have been quite circumspect so far. We'll see if it pays dividends or backfires...
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	My wife's from Yorkshire - born & bred, therefore it's the best part of country by default :-). And I like living here so there's that too...
Piglet 06.06.17	heh your wife is lucky to have snagged a sweetheart like yew Williamson is the most technically correct batsman in the world, in my opinion. He plays assuredly on the purest principles of batting- soft hands, decisive footwork and playing late. His hands are so deft, I love how he waits on the ball in his defense and you rarely see him knick off and for the ball to carry to the slip cordon. Furthermore, he is so, so strong on the back foot, with those cover drives played on length. He used to be really boring when he first started out but he's really expanded his game since he's taken the mantle as captain. He's already considered the best New Zealand batsman of all time, never mind Martin Crowe.
STOP SHOUTING! 06.06.17	A proper batsman isn't he like Root and Kohli. Now he's out we should do this.
Piglet 06.06.17	Yeah I'd definitely rate England here, unsure as to the form of Corey Anderson. Good to see Rashid in the mix!
Demon of the Fall 06.06.17	Easy win in the end, about as convincing an ODI victory as you're likely to get.
Piglet 06.08.17	Yeah it was pretty clinical. Surprised that Pakistan won, but hey! Ain't that always the story with Pakistan! Tonight's game should be a drubbing, I expect to see some silky slogs
Demon of the Fall 06.08.17	'silky slogs' sounds like an oxymoron, haha
Piglet 06.08.17	oh yeah it generally is but some of these indian batsmen got this lazy, silky touch to their slogging. i'm thinkin rohit sharma, yuvraj singh and virat kohli in particular. they're still terrible batsmen though ahahah
Demon of the Fall 06.08.17	Virat Kohli is NOT a terrible batsman, he plays 'proper' shots too, although the others, hmm... I get where you're coming from, it's just two words you don't normally associate with one another when describing someone's batting technique.
Piglet 06.08.17	oh yeah nah don't mind me i'm just being tongue in cheek, he's not actually terrible. Mind you, he did only average like 10 in the last test tour of England, which is basically the best proving ground for playing swing well. He got greedy (and still does) playing drives on the up with out-swingers on a fourth stump line and Anderson exploited that to no end. Otherwise he's excellent, ridiculously talented and has very pretty flourishes on his strokes. I am honestly so happy the Lankans won, that's awesome! And India only really got one wicket, the rest run out or retired hirt hahaha brilliant reading.
Koris 06.08.17	So what's your favorite type of cricket? I'm personally a big fan of the Acheta genus
zakalwe 06.08.17	Jiminy obvs
Piglet 06.09.17	Can't wait for the game tomorrow, ENG vs AUS It's going to be an absolute cracker, I don't even want to check the forecast though Tonight's game will have to do in the meantime
Demon of the Fall 06.09.17	Hopefully no rain, it'd be sweet to knock you Aussies out ;-)
Piglet 06.09.17	Hahah bring it on i say! It's been a while since we last fought, can't wait for the ashes New Zealand petered out in a very predictable fashion. Wouldn't be surprised if Boult wreaks havoc on the Bangladeshi top order though. Hedging my bets on them winning by about 50 runs.
Piglet 06.09.17	Damn Southee be opening them up like a can of beans. Genuine seam and swing from both Southee and Boult, it's actually so refreshing to see.
STOP SHOUTING! 06.09.17	I just hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. That would be awful.
Piglet 06.10.17	Wonderful for Bangladesh that they won, and in pretty convincing fashion. Honestly great to see the kiwis get their mouths stuffed in. Bring on tonight lads! I can't wait to get extra aussie-arrogant in this thread from actually winning a match
STOP SHOUTING! 06.10.17	Get Maxwell out here and we won't need the rain to send the aussies home.
Demon of the Fall 06.11.17	Piglet's awfully quiet after yesterday's crushing defeat...
Piglet 06.11.17	Hah! Guilty as charged, we were outplayed after all. Not at our best either. I am also really pissed off at the selector's insistence for Moises Henriques over Chris Lynn and fucking Matthew Wade for being such a useless clout, dropping Morgan. We had the smug Irish bastard in the bag, working him over with the short ball but nah. In any case, another day, another game! And it's a bloody belter. Hope South Africa smash the Indians.
Demon of the Fall 06.11.17	South Africa suck too... weird tournament. Sub-continent domination amongst the away sides (+ England at home).
Piglet 06.12.17	yeah they definitely are living up to their choker tag hahah where's that saffa bloke when you need him Ind vs Eng as the final will be fun
Piglet 06.23.17	BIG NEWS for the cricketing world with Afghanistan and Ireland now both reaching test status, fuck yes!
Demon of the Fall 06.23.17	Really? That's insane. It was due for an expansion. I wonder how good they'll be? Zimbabwe & Bangladesh haven't exactly been a resounding success in terms of competiveness at test level & they've had a long time to get it right.
Piglet 06.23.17	Yeah it is actually pretty insane! Afghanistan have one world class batsman and bowler by the looks of it and I'm pretty sure they've been a part of some big upsets, they could become as good as Bangladesh in the foreseeable future. Ireland as well, if traitors like Eoin Morgan didn't bodge their way into a blue shirt, they wouldn't be bad at all!
Piglet 07.06.17	Absolutely loving, loving, loving this cricket. Philander has been nipping it off the pitch like a motherfucker. Also hope Ballance does well, even though his technique could be fairly described as crabby, there's something about it I enjoy.
Piglet 07.06.17	Wow I would not have given that Jennings dismissal out in a hundred years. It was so fucking obvious that it wasn't even close, firstly where it was pitching and then swinging EVEN further down! why didn't they review it?
Piglet 07.27.17	Westley's looked real compact so far. Seen some nice timing pursed in some of strokeplay, shot selection and technique seems decent and well-oiled. Cook too, looks to be at his vintage best. This should be another cracking test match
Demon of the Fall 07.27.17	Boycott has been slating Jennings' technique again, is it really that bad? Not sure why the dude has been picked if he's not defensively solid & averages 35 in county matches.
Piglet 07.27.17	Hahahah Boycott loves slating batsman's techniques full stop. He did have the best defense and the tightest shot selection of his time, mind you. I mean it could be much worse, despite the fact he is a bit leaden-footed and too upright at the crease. Some of the commentators were also saying he doesn't seem to know where his off stump is but I disagree, I think it's just the way he chooses to leave the ball inside the line. Strange maybe, but then Trescothick did the same thing. I'd have to watch more of him, but it must be remembered it's almost impossible to face Philander in England with the new ball as a left-hander. He seems at least decent, but the test arena is unforgiving.
beefshoes 09.02.22	Bumping this because I got into cricket this year, I am absolutely obsessed, but as a Yank, I have absolutely no one to talk about it with. haha
Sharenge 09.02.22	what's crickets, precious??
SitarHero 09.02.22	What the fuck? How did I miss this thread? :o
beefshoes 09.02.22	What are the general thoughts about T20s? I get the sense that most hardcore cricket followers feel that it loses the soul of the game in contrast to tests and ODIs, but it also seems to be quite popular.
SitarHero 09.03.22	Yeah im not a fan. The aesthetics of it aside, i think theres simply too much of it. It was fine when it was a diversion from "real" cricket, but now with the innumerable leagues and the T20 world cup every 2 years and players understandably prioritising it over tests, i think its actively hurting the game.
beefshoes 09.03.22	The US cricket board secured over a billion dollars a couple of years ago to convert old baseball pitches into cricket grounds for the 2024 T20 world cup, and to assemble a T20 minor and major league structure to mirror other domestic leagues here. The IPL also got tons of advertisement earlier in the year prior to and during the season. Hopefully it's the start of something exciting here, and while I can't see the overwhelming majority of Americans ever caring about stuff like the Ashes, maybe the growth of T20 will at least be something of a gateway for fans to gradually get into ODIs and tests.
SitarHero 09.04.22	I doubt it'll ever get to tests. T20 is already killing longer form cricket because players are choosing T20 leagues over test internationals leading to a reduction in quality of test teams, and I can't blame them. West Indian cricket has already been massively affected with the likes of Andre Russell and Keiron Pollard deciding to be T20 journeymen rather than try to build test careers. It'll likely start getting to that point with Sri Lanka, South Africa, and New Zealand too. I've heard some people say that it's conceivable that test cricket in general might only be played by the big 3 in the next 20-odd years with maaaaybe a couple more hanging on.