2023 Ashes

aussies started well in fairness m now the rain has helped them again

All to play for today. Scene is set for another masterclass from Broad. In fairness if Australia chase down this total then they fully deserve the victory. 

What a magnificent finale to a great entertaining series.

Bit of a boom time in cricket this season, despite the inclement weather

Excellent points well made Im still a bit confused as to why it had to reduce from 20/20 to 100 ? Was that needed to try to squeeze in 2 matches double headers? 5 ball overs isnt cricket ....  Im delighted it was a success but its a tricky balance. I certainly wouldnt want to see any more of the season taken up with the 100 or 20 20 This month brings in the crowds the money etc But its criticial that money goes back into the right places, the youth the faciltiies the skills  and coaching etc Interesting to see batting skills have improved with the 20 / 20 hundred etc But bowling has fallen back .......Less skill more concerned with economy and slow balls etc

Edited by roy munster - 30 August 2023 at 4:37am

GPR - Rochester wrote: scarletpimp wrote: roy munster wrote: Bit of a boom time in cricket this season, despite the inclement weather record ashes sales every day of the mens sold out total 545,000 watched the series (they lost 2 or 3 days to rain) so averaged just under 24000 per day (Hopefully the grounds can expand further soon) 110,000 watched the womens  record tv audiences for both.........609 million video views 17.8 million bbc/sky viewers thats up 14% on ashes 2019 The hundred was also a big success 580,000 tickets sold to 35 double headers thats an average of 17000 which is up on last years 510,000 tv viewers up 51% on the first match too who would have thought the short game would benefit the long test match game and the long game helped promote the short game lol The skills seem to cross over and make both versions captivating to watch https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/3614027/summer-of-cricket-captivates-the-nation Thanks for the intresting  statistical  analysis Roy. I have always said that the way to develop the game of cricket you have to win over the hearts and minds of the young...they are future. To do that you have had to make cricket more " sexy", which they have withe the 20/20. Lights , music, emphasis on attacking,  is seductive, plus its all over in 3hrs, and the 100 , even shorter. I personally find it all appalling., as its indicative of the 'fast food, shallow social media " society we have become, where short attention spans , and forced fed culture predominate  Skills wise, Roy is right,however, we have seen a huge improvement  in attacking techniques [ramp etc]in batting, also fielding has continued  to improve  tenfold.  This undoubtedly  has assisted England  in the ashes , with their emphasis on attack, particularly  when after two tests, they had to moderate  their indiscriminate  " bazball" efforts, and act in a more measured, but still attacking manner, which proved successful,  in a wonderful  close, enthralling series. Moving on to the cost of the downside on the proliferation  on one day cricket is enormous,  particularly so with regard to bowling. Now I have finished playing , I watch a lot of LIVE cricket,  as I am no couch potato.  As a result I have a pretty clear idea of the state of play, outside the top echelons  of the game.  Bowling in the second division, which should be the breeding ground for young talent,  is a joke, a view also held by supporters  of ither counties,  Gloucester,  Sussex, Derby , I have met. There is a dearth of good young seamers, because half the year, we asking them , above other things , not to attack, but to be economical, and to save runs in limited overs. With regard to spinners, the situation is even worse.There are a few up and coming talents, like Carson, of Sussex, Price of Gloucester, and for Glam, Kellaway, looks a useful prospect. Generally,  however, the situations  gloomy, and 20/ 20 and the hunderd is responsible  for that. Glam have played 10 matches this season,  9 of which have been drawn...says atcall ! The other problem, particularly  at Cardiff, and to a degreec at other grounds, is we are playing on used pitches, dye the amount of one day cricket, the get result being uncertain  bounce,  and general  unpredictability. Championship,matches,  where players should theory test match  skills and techniques, us now wedged in to the beginning and end of the seasons , with the  occasional  game thrown in mid season ( when conditions  are better), to satisfy  the critics.Not good enough.  There needs to be a complete  overall of how and when games are played, with a sensible balance between red and white ball . ATM , white ball rules everything. To conclude, its great 100, plus20 /20 has exited a new audience , but its been at a massive cost, which unless its arrested, with have a long term detrimental  effect on the game of cricket,  in the General  sense,  from grass roots up, and we see the effect of this now in division 2 Excellent summary Pimp - thank you. I obtained a huge amount of satisfaction & joy from cricket. I was taught from day one that the first skill I needed as an opening bat was my defence. Any wannabe seamer was taught line & length before moving on to the technicalities of moving the ball off the seam or the pitch.  These basic skills will fundamentally never change & unless they are front & centre of the professional game then test cricket, as we know it, will suffer. Can anyone imagine Glenn McGrath honing a skill for bowling as wide as possible without being called for a wide - his job was to take as many of the 20 wickets required to win a test match & if that meant going for some occasional boundaries so be it.

roy munster wrote: scarletpimp wrote: GPR - Rochester wrote: scarletpimp wrote: [QUOTE=roy munster]Bit of a boom time in cricket this season, despite the inclement weather record ashes sales every day of the mens sold out total 545,000 watched the series (they lost 2 or 3 days to rain) so averaged just under 24000 per day (Hopefully the grounds can expand further soon) 110,000 watched the womens  record tv audiences for both.........609 million video views 17.8 million bbc/sky viewers thats up 14% on ashes 2019 The hundred was also a big success 580,000 tickets sold to 35 double headers thats an average of 17000 which is up on last years 510,000 tv viewers up 51% on the first match too who would have thought the short game would benefit the long test match game and the long game helped promote the short game lol The skills seem to cross over and make both versions captivating to watch https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/3614027/summer-of-cricket-captivates-the-nation Thanks for the intresting  statistical  analysis Roy. I have always said that the way to develop the game of cricket you have to win over the hearts and minds of the young...they are future. To do that you have had to make cricket more " sexy", which they have withe the 20/20. Lights , music, emphasis on attacking,  is seductive, plus its all over in 3hrs, and the 100 , even shorter. I personally find it all appalling., as its indicative of the 'fast food, shallow social media " society we have become, where short attention spans , and forced fed culture predominate  Skills wise, Roy is right,however, we have seen a huge improvement  in attacking techniques [ramp etc]in batting, also fielding has continued  to improve  tenfold.  This undoubtedly  has assisted England  in the ashes , with their emphasis on attack, particularly  when after two tests, they had to moderate  their indiscriminate  " bazball" efforts, and act in a more measured, but still attacking manner, which proved successful,  in a wonderful  close, enthralling series. Moving on to the cost of the downside on the proliferation  on one day cricket is enormous,  particularly so with regard to bowling. Now I have finished playing , I watch a lot of LIVE cricket,  as I am no couch potato.  As a result I have a pretty clear idea of the state of play, outside the top echelons  of the game.  Bowling in the second division, which should be the breeding ground for young talent,  is a joke, a view also held by supporters  of ither counties,  Gloucester,  Sussex, Derby , I have met. There is a dearth of good young seamers, because half the year, we asking them , above other things , not to attack, but to be economical, and to save runs in limited overs. With regard to spinners, the situation is even worse.There are a few up and coming talents, like Carson, of Sussex, Price of Gloucester, and for Glam, Kellaway, looks a useful prospect. Generally,  however, the situations  gloomy, and 20/ 20 and the hunderd is responsible  for that. Glam have played 10 matches this season,  9 of which have been drawn...says atcall ! The other problem, particularly  at Cardiff, and to a degreec at other grounds, is we are playing on used pitches, dye the amount of one day cricket, the get result being uncertain  bounce,  and general  unpredictability. Championship,matches,  where players should theory test match  skills and techniques, us now wedged in to the beginning and end of the seasons , with the  occasional  game thrown in mid season ( when conditions  are better), to satisfy  the critics.Not good enough.  There needs to be a complete  overall of how and when games are played, with a sensible balance between red and white ball . ATM , white ball rules everything. To conclude, its great 100, plus20 /20 has exited a new audience , but its been at a massive cost, which unless its arrested, with have a long term detrimental  effect on the game of cricket,  in the General  sense,  from grass roots up, and we see the effect of this now in division 2 Excellent summary Pimp - thank you. I obtained a huge amount of satisfaction & joy from cricket. I was taught from day one that the first skill I needed as an opening bat was my defence. Any wannabe seamer was taught line & length before moving on to the technicalities of moving the ball off the seam or the pitch.  These basic skills will fundamentally never change & unless they are front & centre of the professional game then test cricket, as we know it, will suffer. Can anyone imagine Glenn McGrath honing a skill for bowling as wide as possible without being called for a wide - his job was to take as many of the 20 wickets required to win a test match & if that meant going for some occasional boundaries so be it.  Excellent  addition to the above GPR. You mention McGrath,as he is a guy, who could bowl accurately,  that's a given, but as you rightly say, his job is predominately to remove batsmen. He will have a strategy  for different players he's played against before, but other than that, the  sheer class  of late movement, and variety of how hell attack them proved the undoing of so many good players who faced him. Contrast that with tye attack that Glammy have now.Once you take away the class of Nesser and Hogan, we are left with 'trundlers'( other than Tim Van Gugten), with no spinner to speak of, other than the emerging  Kellaway, or the part time spin of Carlson. One member said to me, that Glammy's attack , made his toothless aged granny, look like a rabid canine But this situation  is replicated across the counties, so we have foundations  'Built on Sand'. End of the day, this will come back and bite you in the backside,  well its actually happening now. In the pyramid structure moving up from  clubs, to minor counties, to second division,  first division, to the eventual test team,there has to a pattern of development,  because otherwise you will not becable to produce batsman who can DEFEND, as well as attack, and bowlers who can take wickets. A fine example is Tom Bevan , a product if the above system for Glam. He comes in to open, hits a few boundaries,  the n gets out. He's young, and will learn, but  he would be a better player with improved  technique.  Likewise,  it's great to see Crawley,  and Ducket succeed, where they have previously  failed,very happy with that. Both play an attacking style,  great to see, but with a little more sensible shot selection,  both could go on and make massive amounts of runs. Duckets insisting  on playing every ball not leaving is madness, and it's been his undoing. Harry Brook, again, what a talent, but always gives the bowling side a chance ,particularly  early doors in an innings. Compare  that with Viv Richards, a complete  attacking player, but did he give you chances...did he hell ! In a nutshell, the blazers at ECB, are happy to continue, as long as coffers are filled, and Eng test team are doing ok. They need to look beyond that, because test cricket remains the bread and butter of this wonderful  game we love, but without developing talent, not just that produced in the public schools of England,  we are on the proverbial 'sticky wicket '

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