Showing posts with label ICC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICC. Show all posts
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Johnson takes top gong at ICC awards
Mitchell Johnson has taken home the coveted ICC World Player of the Year award at the annual ICC event last night. Indians dominated the winners list with MS Dhoni and Gautham Gambhir winning ODI and Test player of the Year respectively. Dhoni was also named captain of the Test team. Other members of the World Test Team of the Year: Gautam Gambhir (India), Andrew Strauss (England), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka), Michael Clarke (Australia), MS Dhoni (India, capt & wk), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Stuart Broad (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Harbhajan Singh (India, 12th man)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Why One Day Cricket will survive … and Thrive - Part II
In my last post I briefly touched upon the money aspect that was the fuel for the explosion of ODI cricket in the nineties. India is easily the world’s largest cricket sponsorship market with no dearth of sponsors ready to put their name to a tournaments title sponsorship or signing up for on-air deals. For a large corporation planning a brand launch there is no comparable media buy to rival the reach that an India cricket match brings. With the price of television rights increasing with the advent of new channels, media owners who shell out big bucks must maximize to break even. Fifty over a side matches simply offer more scope to slot in commercial inventory than a Twenty20 game.
Eighty percent of the games revenues come from India and as long as the sponsors keep pouring in the money the ODI format won’t go away. Even the risk of an early Indian exit from a major tournament as happened in 2007 when ratings dropped 50% drop in ratings and losses amounted to Rs 150-160 crore after India crashed out of the WC 2007 does not deter advertisers. Unsurprisingly India has played the most ODIs in the post WC 2007 period – 72 vs. 58 for the next team. To their credit the ICC has tried to innovate by introducing the Powerplay changes and modifying the Champions Trophy format to sustain fan interest. Where it has faltered is in the basics like allowing month-long 7 match bilateral series that drag on forever, turning a blind eye to small grounds that deliver meaningless 350+ scores and venues like the Premadasa where results are highly toss or weather dependent.
The 50-over format has not been helped by the quality of cricket on offer either with one-sided results even among top 8 teams becoming commonplace: Eng-SA 4-0, India-Eng 5-0, SA-WI 5-0, Aus-WI 5-0 and now Aus-Eng 6-1. In the last decade while Australia have won 3 successive World Cups the supposed No.2 South Africa have repeatedly disappointed unable to overcome their chokers tag in every major tournament. What ODI cricket needs is more equal contests and for the 2nd tier teams like Pakistan, NZ, West Indies and England to challenge the Top 4 more seriously. The Twenty20 World Cup and IPL have had two great editions because both had surprise winners each year that captured the minds of spectators and viewers well into the final stages. A case in point was this year’s Twenty20 World Cup which despite the early exit of the pre-tournament favourites India and Australia retained pulling power due to the Pakistan teams’ fairytale run to the title.
This week’s Champions Trophy could yet change the minds of those calling time on the format if it produces some quality cricket and a worthy winner on the 5th of October at the Centurion. Quite ironic that a much-maligned tournament that few teams have embraced should now be the last roll of the dice that ODI cricket hedges its future on.
Eighty percent of the games revenues come from India and as long as the sponsors keep pouring in the money the ODI format won’t go away. Even the risk of an early Indian exit from a major tournament as happened in 2007 when ratings dropped 50% drop in ratings and losses amounted to Rs 150-160 crore after India crashed out of the WC 2007 does not deter advertisers. Unsurprisingly India has played the most ODIs in the post WC 2007 period – 72 vs. 58 for the next team. To their credit the ICC has tried to innovate by introducing the Powerplay changes and modifying the Champions Trophy format to sustain fan interest. Where it has faltered is in the basics like allowing month-long 7 match bilateral series that drag on forever, turning a blind eye to small grounds that deliver meaningless 350+ scores and venues like the Premadasa where results are highly toss or weather dependent.
The 50-over format has not been helped by the quality of cricket on offer either with one-sided results even among top 8 teams becoming commonplace: Eng-SA 4-0, India-Eng 5-0, SA-WI 5-0, Aus-WI 5-0 and now Aus-Eng 6-1. In the last decade while Australia have won 3 successive World Cups the supposed No.2 South Africa have repeatedly disappointed unable to overcome their chokers tag in every major tournament. What ODI cricket needs is more equal contests and for the 2nd tier teams like Pakistan, NZ, West Indies and England to challenge the Top 4 more seriously. The Twenty20 World Cup and IPL have had two great editions because both had surprise winners each year that captured the minds of spectators and viewers well into the final stages. A case in point was this year’s Twenty20 World Cup which despite the early exit of the pre-tournament favourites India and Australia retained pulling power due to the Pakistan teams’ fairytale run to the title.
This week’s Champions Trophy could yet change the minds of those calling time on the format if it produces some quality cricket and a worthy winner on the 5th of October at the Centurion. Quite ironic that a much-maligned tournament that few teams have embraced should now be the last roll of the dice that ODI cricket hedges its future on.
Why One Day Cricket will survive … and Thrive
It has become di riguer of late to lament the decline of ODI cricket and herald Twenty20 as the unstoppable David that will eventually slay the ODI Goliath. This week on the eve of the Champions Trophy the ICC has been struggling to convince all and sundry that ODI cricket is still in good shape. But the crickets governing body must also take the blame for creating the Frankensteinian monster that Twenty20 has become. Thanks to the ICC’s poor scheduling there will be 3 editions of the Twenty20 World Cup between the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cups. Add to these 3 seasons of the blockbuster IPL and you can see why Twenty20 now has more top of mind recall for most cricket fans.
However not all voices speaking on ODI crickets future this week have been sounding the death knell, with outspoken Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh one of those coming out in support of the format. This disparity in opinion between voices within and outside the subcontinent is mostly likely due to the variance in the way cricket sits within sporting calendars in different nations. Cricket is a year-round phenomenon in the sub continental countries while in countries like Australia it has a narrow home season sandwiched between seasons of other popular sports like Rugby League, AFL and Racing. For the rest of the year cricket is a forgotten sport when Australia plays overseas, unless the contest is the Ashes or the Border Gavaskar trophy against India. As a result for the South African or Australian cricket fan it makes little difference if the handful of home ODIs gets replaced by Twenty20 matches with the added incentive of seeing international players like Andrew Flintoff in action.
By contrast for the sub continental fan cricket is a staple he can never switch off from. It is this obsession that sees him following the national team’s fortunes and live scores irrespective of the time of day the game is played. This devotion is absolute and lifelong, regardless if he’s an expatriate living thousands of miles away from the action in his native land. The cricket boards themselves have been overzealous never missing an opportunity to schedule an ODI tournament in narrow breaks between exhausting series. This is largely due to the current BCCI regimes greed in trying to maximize as much as possible from ground and TV rights and the need to strengthen its vote banks by obliging its neighbours and Associate countries with hastily scheduled tours.
In summary, despite the valid questions about the necessity for 2 short versions of the game the volume of ODI cricket is unlikely to reduce in the near future as long as there is fan support and marketing dollars to sustain it. With the Indian team playing so well under Mahendra Singh Dhoni such an occurrence is unlikely anytime soon.
However not all voices speaking on ODI crickets future this week have been sounding the death knell, with outspoken Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh one of those coming out in support of the format. This disparity in opinion between voices within and outside the subcontinent is mostly likely due to the variance in the way cricket sits within sporting calendars in different nations. Cricket is a year-round phenomenon in the sub continental countries while in countries like Australia it has a narrow home season sandwiched between seasons of other popular sports like Rugby League, AFL and Racing. For the rest of the year cricket is a forgotten sport when Australia plays overseas, unless the contest is the Ashes or the Border Gavaskar trophy against India. As a result for the South African or Australian cricket fan it makes little difference if the handful of home ODIs gets replaced by Twenty20 matches with the added incentive of seeing international players like Andrew Flintoff in action.
By contrast for the sub continental fan cricket is a staple he can never switch off from. It is this obsession that sees him following the national team’s fortunes and live scores irrespective of the time of day the game is played. This devotion is absolute and lifelong, regardless if he’s an expatriate living thousands of miles away from the action in his native land. The cricket boards themselves have been overzealous never missing an opportunity to schedule an ODI tournament in narrow breaks between exhausting series. This is largely due to the current BCCI regimes greed in trying to maximize as much as possible from ground and TV rights and the need to strengthen its vote banks by obliging its neighbours and Associate countries with hastily scheduled tours.
In summary, despite the valid questions about the necessity for 2 short versions of the game the volume of ODI cricket is unlikely to reduce in the near future as long as there is fan support and marketing dollars to sustain it. With the Indian team playing so well under Mahendra Singh Dhoni such an occurrence is unlikely anytime soon.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
India within reach of ODI Ranking Summit
Two years on from their humiliating exit from the World Cup 2007, India find themselves sniffing at the ODI top spot having had a quick 24 hour stay just days ago. Both administrators and players must be commended for the impressive rebound in the teams performances since the Carribean debacle. India's ascent has been forged on three planks: a refreshing change in leadership (coach/captain), an infusion of youth and to the detriment of opposition teams the renewed vigour of Sachin Tendulkar. Where the current No.1 South Africa is a collection of dour robot-like performers, India are a team with colour, flair and youthful exuberance. Most importantly at a time when long eulogies are being written about the futue of the 50 over game, India alone pack the charisma and following to pull in crowds wherever they travel. Combining the experience of the Tendulkars, Sehwags and Harbhajans with the exuberance of Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina this Indian team is a now a world-beater in all conditions. Previously a side dependent heavily on its batting to win matches, the side now has multiple match winners in its playing 11 as underlined by Harbhajan last night in the Compaq Cup final.
A look at the numbers since the last World Cup has India winning 44 out of 72 for a win/loss ratio of 1.91 while the current No.1 South Africa has won 29 out of 43 for a ratio of 2.41. Since Apr 2007, the 2 teams have met in only one tournament the Futures Cup in May 2007, with India winning 2 of 3 enroute to winning the title. If we compare performances against the dominant team of the decade Australia, South Africa hold a better 7/3 record while India have a more even 5/6 record against Australia. Only 10 of the 44 wins have come at home with a better W/L record overseas 1.92 than at home 1.66, and have also won 3/5 matches in tournament finals to improve upon their woeful record in the last stages.
Flattering as the stats are they do camouflage weaknesses like an inability to win finals without a significant Sachin contribution and deplorable ground fielding despite the abundance of youth. The decline of Australia raises hope that a subcontinental team may finally go one better after 3 being runners-up in the last 3 editions. Based on the evidence of of numbers and talent, India will certainly be the popular and experts pick to win when the World Cup comes home in 2011.
A look at the numbers since the last World Cup has India winning 44 out of 72 for a win/loss ratio of 1.91 while the current No.1 South Africa has won 29 out of 43 for a ratio of 2.41. Since Apr 2007, the 2 teams have met in only one tournament the Futures Cup in May 2007, with India winning 2 of 3 enroute to winning the title. If we compare performances against the dominant team of the decade Australia, South Africa hold a better 7/3 record while India have a more even 5/6 record against Australia. Only 10 of the 44 wins have come at home with a better W/L record overseas 1.92 than at home 1.66, and have also won 3/5 matches in tournament finals to improve upon their woeful record in the last stages.
Flattering as the stats are they do camouflage weaknesses like an inability to win finals without a significant Sachin contribution and deplorable ground fielding despite the abundance of youth. The decline of Australia raises hope that a subcontinental team may finally go one better after 3 being runners-up in the last 3 editions. Based on the evidence of of numbers and talent, India will certainly be the popular and experts pick to win when the World Cup comes home in 2011.
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