More Proof that ODIs are Harming Players

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

Too much Cricket, this is not "proof" that ODI's alone are doing the harm...

It's the Tests that take the time! There's a balance to be found and they need to find it quickly.

[Occasional Fan]

But it's the ODIs that can most easily be adjusted (and Twenty20s), and often it is the ODIs which put the strain on players because they are the series which can have teams packing up and moving on every couple of days. At least for a test match the team gets to stay somewhere for a week, which is definitely easier on the body and mind.

I know it doesn't apply everywhere, but we also have to remember that, in England, test matches generally play to packed houses. "Do we need seven tests in a summer?" asks Flanflinger. Well, perhaps not - but I for one would be very upset to lose an Ashes test in each tour. Five is what it's always been (except when it was six) for as long as I've been following the game, and five is what I want, please!

I really cannot understand arranging seven ODIs against India in a country which is so small that four or five would give everyone the chance to get to one. In India, I'd concede that the distances involved make it good for the fans that the ODI series are long - but that could be a short term benefit if, as I suggested above, it leads to players cracking up or bagging the sport in order to save their lives. On our north European postage stamp of land seven in a series is completely excessive.

[flanflinger]

While I agree that I would not be happy to the Ashes series reduced, the fact is that England play more Tests than anyone else...

The recent ICC table shows that in the last three years we have played 32 Tests compared with India and Australia's 25. The only team that is close is South Africa's 27.. the fact is that most Test probably last 4 days (on average), so 7 Tests is about 28 days extra Cricket over the last three years over Australia...

When you think that the Kiwis have played just 15 Tests (5 over the minimum requirement for qualification) it is no wonder our players complain that there is too much Cricket.

Cricinfo - Zimbabwe left out of Test rankings

[darksideofthemoon]

We should play 4 countries in a year

7 Tests in England (5 and 2 or 4 and 3)
6 Tests away (3 against 2 countries)
5 ODIs against each of the 4 countries that we played the Tests against.

So 13 Tests (65 days) and 20 ODIs (20 days) - so 85 days of cricket out of 365.

No back to back Tests. Every October and November off for the players. Would they still complain?

[Occasional Fan]

I'd still complain - you are reducing every second Ashes series to a three game thrash. Similarly, you are depriving South Africa of five test series against England on their home turf. I believe there is still a demand for that in South Africa. Wanderer can no doubt confirm or deny that.

Maybe there is "no one size fits all" answer. But from England's point of view, I think their easiest fix would be to cut out the pyjama stuff to a large extent. To start with, we should be refusing to play any more than three ODIs against anyone coming to England. We seem to have got stuck in a position of reciprocity which is too rigid: why could we not have, say four tests and three ODIs in England to satisfy the ECB and English supporters, balanced by, say, two tests and seven ODIs in India to satisfy the BCCI and the much more geographically widespread and ODI-focused fans there? In terms of days, the numbers near enough balance, since most tests are now four day affairs. I have a feeling that seven tests in an English summer is not actually too much - but it certainly is when you add seven ODIs against India and five (was it? or three?) against WI. And if you remember the last Ashes series in England, that was preceded by an endless ODI triangular affair AND a three match challenge between England and Australia. It's all that bally-hoo which is cluttering up the calendars in my view, I fear.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

It's the Tests that take the time! There's a balance to be found and they need to find it quickly.

IMO NE - Test cricket comes before one day cricket - time is allowed and expected, the balance could be found with 11 specialist one day players.

[darksideofthemoon]

Test side
1 Strauss
2 Cook
3 Vaughan
4 Pietersen
5 Shah
6 Bell
7 Prior
8 Harmison
9 Hoggard
10 Jones
11 Panesar

ODI
1 Trescothick
2 Loye
3 Bopara
4 Collingwood
6 Flintoff
7 Read
8 Schofield
9 Plunkett
10 Lewis
11 Anderson