It was interesting to read today that the local broadcaster of cricket in Australia, Channel 9, has suffered a 40% drop in viewers in their first week of ratings, primarily due to their coverage of the current ODI series. The report indicated that viewers were largely staying away from the series, though large numbers had tuned in to the recent T20 between Australia and Pakistan.
There could be many reasons for this, but the current hot topic in Australia is the apparent death of the ODI format. Crowd numbers have been very low to ODI’s this summer, and now the television ratings are also reflecting this trend. Last week, Shane Warne again called for the end of the ODI format, and reports also suggest that TV executives may want a say in what games are played.
Continue reading Is there a heartbeat in one day cricket? →
See the highlights of the ODI series between New Zealand and Bangladesh on World Cricket Watch.
Second ODI
Watch all the India vs South Africa Test highlights right after they happen at World Cricket Watch. The number 1 and number 2 teams in the world battle it out to see who really is the best test side in the world. Watch all your highlights at WCW.
India vs South Africa 1st Test Highlights
Day 3
Check out the highlights of the ODI series between Australia and the West Indies. World Cricket Watch will have highlights of all five games in the series.
Watch the Australia vs Pakistan T20 Highlights on WCW
Shaun Tait claims 3 for 11 and bowls at 100mph (160kmph) as Australia win despite feeble total. Pakistan throw away yet another game this summer despite the best efforts of Kamran Akmal who smashed 60 0dd in no time at all. Watch all the action below…
Pauline Hanson to stand against John Howard for ICC Presidency?
There’s been a fair bit of coverage in the press recently about former Australian PM John Howard being shortlisted for the post of ICC President from 2012, when either an Australian or Kiwi will fill the post for two years.
On hearing this, Pauline Hanson, a nemesis of Mr Howard during his long tenure as the leader of his country, has apparently decided to put herself forward. Hanson was a controversial figure and is regarded by many Australians as a racist, which if true suggests that she wouldn’t be far off being akin to the Nazis. Continue reading John Howard ICC Presidency in Doubt →
New EU Directive on International Cricket
The European Union today passed a new directive with regards to the amount of international cricket that any citizen of its states (i.e. England) can play.
The new legislation has come about as a result of a delegation of England players who complained that they currently have to play too much international cricket.
Taking Paul Collingwood and Jimmy Anderson as test cases (as they are members of the test, ODI and T20 sides) EU commissioners were astounded to hear that each player could have played over 100 days international cricket in 2009. That is nearly one day in three and at least twice as many as EU or Domestic MPs work each year. Continue reading Are England Cricketers Playing Too Much? →