posted Nov 11, 2007

Test cricket is real cricket.

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posted Nov 12, 2007

As a quick bowler from the sixties, I'd welcome T20. Wasn't very pleasant firing away for 25 overs and getting maybe 1 for plenty while a dolly drop bowler might have got 5 for not a lot! The chance to go flat out for 2 or 3 overs and "batter the batter" would be fantastic!!

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posted Nov 12, 2007

The main and possibly sole reason for this league is a big money-making exercise for the TV company concerned, and was always bound to work as players were offered sizeable financial incentives.

Purists of the sport may put their noses up at the whole thing, but the tournament could well turn into an excellent advertisment for this great sport. With the quality of the players being signed up, there is bound to be a high standard of cricket being played.

Regarding the signings of Maddy, Solanki and Nixon to the league, this could well be an excellent move in their careers, as they will be able to learn a huge amount from playing in a high quality tournament with other top quality players from around the world - who knows, they may even come back into England reckoning (or at least bring further refined skills with them back into county cricket)!

After all, hasn't India long been regarded as one of the most testing places in the world to play cricket? The ICC and BCCI will not give the league any credit, but they would be wise to keep an eye on how it evolves, and how the players warm to it. The ICC could certainly do with some help regarding how to stage a high quality event(!)

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posted Nov 12, 2007

To compare the ICL to Kerry Packer's World Series is rubbish, What new inovations does the ICL plan to provide? So far as I'm aware, it is just a Twenty 20 championship.
Yes there are similarities, its a breakaway, offering large sums of money, and its headed by a Television company. But it in my opinion will not change the game as World Series Cricket did 30 Years ago.

What some of the cricket boards have done by not allowing players to make some extra money is terrible. It show that they are scared that they will lose their players, which is nonsense.

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posted Nov 12, 2007

Any way what ICL has done is, it made BCCI float IPL. Before in India, only who made to the national side had the chance of making some money. With the rule that a minimum no: of players should be from the respective state, it will enable more cricketers to become rich. Now what is to be seen is how much money the respecitve Company or Board is going to make, and for how many seasons this format is going to exist.

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posted Nov 13, 2007

All the best to Solanki. His move to join the ICL is only good news for the England team - it must finally mean the end to his internatinal career. Solanki represents all that is wrong with our selectors... why give a player so many chances when they continually fail to deliver?

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posted Nov 13, 2007

From an England point of view it is a good thing. Maddy is a 20/20 specialist really who has never impressed me much.
Solanki has never done anything for England despite a good few chances.
Nixon is a class keeper but was overlooked in favour of others when he was in his prime and rather cynically treated as a stop-gap player by a finicky management when he was finally picked.
I say good luck to them all.
As far as other countries are concerned, it is only really the BCCI grandees who are getting excited about this as they see it as a loss of face for them personally. It seems to have forced them to improve conditions for players on the fringes of the Indian test side so thats good as well.
Far from being a problem I see it as a positive thing (much as Packer turned out to be)

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posted Nov 14, 2007

cash in while you can at the end of the day its there job

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posted Nov 27, 2007

With the English County 20/20 focused into a small section of the season most test playing nations are not active during that period of time. English Counties could very soon be looking at ways to bring in certain stars from around the world to boost their squads simply for the 20/20 competition. This would bring in potentially more revenue and even bigger crowds boosting the county game. There would always be negative aspects to this, resticting english youth talent breaking through however the excitment, drama and ability to learn from these masters would be beneficial to all.
The Indian 20/20 leagues are yes tv based machines to bring in capital however with limited cricket over the winter for our English players the most youngsters we could send away to gain experiance and new skills the better. Maybe with this added pay too we would not lose players such as Alex Louden who had the potential to possible push on to international level one day. At the moment the English players are at the later part of their playing lives however the ECB should be pushing for our youthful players to be given places in either of these newly formed Indian leagues.

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posted Nov 30, 2007

Cheers to ICL.Everybody had more cricket to watch or play.Nobody should complain

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